YahZarah
| Yahzarah | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Dana Nicole Amma Williams |
| Also known as | Purple St. James, Yahz |
| Born | June 24, 1980 |
| Origin | Ghana, Washington D.C. |
| Genres | R&B, soul, pop, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, record producer, music producer |
| Instruments | voice |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | +F.E. Music, Three Keys Music |
| Associated acts | Phonte, Nicolay, Sy Smith |
| Website | www |
Dana Nicole Amma Williams (born June 24, 1980), is known professionally as Yahzarah, is a Ghanaian American singer and music producer. She is known for radio hits "Wishing" and "Why Dontcha Call Me No More". In 1997, she began her career as a background singer for Erykah Badu.
In 2000, Yahzarah signed to Keo Music Records released her first album, Hear Me. In 2002, Yahzarah signed a recording contract with Three Keys Music and released her second album, Blackstar, in September 2003. In 2004, Yahzarah left Three Keys Music and join The Foreign Exchange. After a brief hiatus, Yahzarah returned the music industry. In 2008, she released her extended play, The Prelude, on the +FE Music recording label. In January 2010, Yahzarah released her single "Why Dontcha Call Me No More" followed by her third album, The Ballad of Purple St. James in May 2010.
Her musical genre has varied throughout her career including R&B, rock, acoustic, soul, jazz, and pop. Her artistic influences include Michael Jackson, Minnie Riperton, Prince, and The Beatles. She has a soprano vocal range with the ability to utilize the whistle register.
Dana Williams was born to Ghanaian activist and owner of the "Sporting News" Thomas Kojo OduroKwarten and Beverly Brown and then adopted by her step father Clarence Williams and raised partly in Germany and Washington D.C.,. Yahzarah started singing at the age of 7 in her church choir. Her love for music began after winning a local youth talent search at the Kennedy Center at the age of 10. After years of honing her talent in churches, talent shows, and local concerts, she entered high school at Washington D.C.'s Duke Ellington School of the Arts. After graduating in 1998, she attended North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina, where she received a full scholarship in the school's jazz program.
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