- Goddaughter of Jackie Wilson.
- Was a Soul Train (1971) dancer.
- Was a founding member of the 1970s disco group Shalamar.
- Along with Janet Jackson and Madonna, ranks as one of MTV Video Music Award's most nominated artist ever, with ten nominations.
- Named One of America's Ten Most Beautiful Women by Harper's Bazaar Magazine along with Michelle Pfeiffer.
- Popularized the phrase "Hasta La Vista Ba-by" in her hit "Looking For A New Love" before Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator (1984).
- Is the first African-American woman to portray Betty Rizzo in the Broadway revival of "Grease".
- Sang the pop hits "Looking for a New Love", "Don't You Want Me?", "Some Kind of Lover", "Real Love", "Friends" & "Everything".
- Has two kids.
- Was nominated for Best Music Video, Best Single and Best Album at the 1988 Soul Train Music Awards.
- On March 3, 1990, her platinum-selling album "Larger Than Life" was nominated for a NARM Award for Best Selling Black Music Album / Female, against Janet Jackson, Karyn White and Anita Baker.
- Has had a total of 32 Top Ten Singles since 1987 to date in 2009 in a diverse range of genres from Pop, R&B, Dance and Adult Contemporary.
- Recorded song with legendary film and television composer Henry Mancini.
- Founded her own record label, Avitone Records, in 1995.
- Won a Grammy Award in the category of Best New Artist in 1987.
- Her debut album hit #1 on 3 weeks on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart and sold over 2 million copies in the US, the lead single "Looking For A New Love", was nominated for a Grammy and also reached #1. The album also included the hits "Still A Thrill" (#3 R&B), "Don't You Want Me" (#3 R&B), "Most Of All" (#11 R&B) and "Some Kind Of Lover" (#4 R&B). She ranks at the #144 most successful R&B artist of all time according to Billboard Magazine.
- She has sold over 10 million albums and singles worldwide.
- Named One of People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People.
- Currently promoting the release of critically acclaimed "The Makeover" International Edition, released via Avitone/ADA-Global (November 2009)
- #1 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play week ending June 16, 2007 with a cover of Chic's "I Want Your Love." (June 2007)
- Appeared in an infomercial, hosted by Smokey Robinson and Angela Martinez, for TimeLife's "The Best of Soul Train" DVD collection. (2010)
- Was with Don Cornelius at the Grammy Awards, before his suicide.
- Was voted "Best Dancer" in her senior class poll at Dorsey High School in Los Angeles.
- Graduated from Susan Miller Dorsey High School which is located within the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw neighborhood of Los Angeles.
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