Tenitra Michelle Williams (born July 23, 1980) is an American R&B, pop, and gospel recording artist. She rose to fame in the 2000s as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling female groups with over 60 million records sold, including more than 35 million with the trio lineup featuring Williams. She joined the group in 1999 at age 20 after the departure of LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett. During Destiny's Child's hiatus, Williams released her debut solo album Heart to Yours (2002), which topped the US gospel album chart and became the best-selling gospel release of the year. She received a MOBO Award for Best Gospel Act, three Grammy nominations including Best Gospel Album, and was named the fifth Top Gospel Artist of 2002 by Billboard. Her second gospel album, Do You Know (2004), earned another MOBO nomination.
After Destiny's Child disbanded in 2005, Williams released her first pop album, Unexpected (2008), featuring the internationally charting single "We Break the Dawn" and the US Dance number-one "The Greatest". Her fourth studio album, Journey to Freedom (2014), received positive reviews and became her highest-charting US album. It included the lead single "If We Had Your Eyes," which reached the US Adult R&B top 20, and the Soul Train-nominated "Say Yes," which topped the US Hot Gospel Songs chart for seven weeks. Journey to Freedom was nominated for Outstanding Gospel Album at the 46th NAACP Image Awards and earned Williams four Stellar Award nominations, winning Music Video of the Year for "Say Yes". In 2015, she performed at the White House for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.
Williams has also had a career in television and theatre, debuting on Broadway in Aida (2003) and appearing in Half & Half (2006), The Color Purple (2007), Chicago (2009–10), What My Husband Doesn't Know (2011), and Fela! (2013). She received a Best Lead Female – Equity nomination at the 18th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards in 2008. Williams was a featured judge on MTV's Top Pop Group, competed on series 8 of Strictly Come Dancing, and co-starred in the Oxygen reality series Fix My Choir. Her awards include a Grammy, a MOBO Award, a Stellar Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with Destiny's Child.
United States
