Jody Watley

Jody Vanessa Watley (born January 30, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, and music producer. Watley first found musical success in 1977 when she became a part of the original lineup of the R&B group Shalamar. The group recorded the hits "The Second Time Around", "A Night to Remember" and "Dead Giveaway". After recording several albums with the group, Watley left the group in 1983.

Watley signed with MCA Records and the label released her self-titled debut album in 1987. The album launched three top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100: Number 1 R&B Hit "Looking for a New Love", "Don't You Want Me", and "Some Kind of Lover". The success of the album helped Watley to win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1988. Watley would eventually record four more top ten singles between 1989 and 1996 including Number 1 R&B Hit "Real Love" and "Friends" with rapper Rakim. "Friends" would arguably helped propel the formula of pop or R&B and rap collaborations along with Chaka Khan's "I Feel for You" which was a US top five Hot 100 hit several years prior in 1984. After the success of her sophomore album, Larger than Life, her commercial success peaked and subsequent releases such as Affairs of the Heart and Intimacy failed to make much of an impact on the Top 200 Album chart. Jody Watley, known as a style icon, has continued to evolve creatively and independently across genres of dance and electronica

Since 2023, Watley has hosted the Sirius XM Satellite Radio show, The Jody Watley Show, a monthly life, music and culture show featuring celebrity guests and classic R&B hits.

Her honors have included a Billboard Dance Lifetime Achievement Award and a Crossover Music Icon honor at the Black Music Honors. In 2018, she was ranked the 53rd most successful female charting artist on the Billboard Hot 100. In March 2021, Watley was named the First Ambassador of the National Museum of African American Music. In 2022, Watley received an honorary doctorate in business and Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award from Joe Biden at Jody Watley Day at Georgia State Capitol, and was inducted into Women Songwriters Hall of Fame.