Danielle Brisebois

Danielle Brisebois was born on June 28, 1969, in Brooklyn, New York, to Mary and Frank Brisebois, the latter a computer instructor. Of French-Canadian and Italian descent, Brisebois began her career as a child actress at age seven, making her film debut in The Premonition in 1976.

In 1977, Brisebois joined the original Broadway cast of Annie, playing Molly, the youngest of the orphans. That same year she also appeared in an episode of Kojak. A clip of her performance from Annie was later sampled by Jay-Z for his song "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)." Toward the end of the 1970s, Brisebois joined the cast of the Norman Lear-produced sitcom All in the Family, portraying Stephanie Mills. She continued in that role through the series' continuation, Archie Bunker's Place, from 1979 to 1983. Her work on Archie Bunker's Place earned her a 1982 Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for TV.

During the early 1980s, Brisebois was nominated for five Youth in Film Awards between 1980 and 1984, winning two: Best Young Actress in a TV Special in 1981 for Mom, the Wolfman and Me, and Best Young Actress in a Television Series in 1982 for Archie Bunker's Place. She also appeared in multiple episodes of Battle of the Network Stars and Circus of the Stars during this period, and played the daughter of William Devane's character during the fifth season of Knots Landing. In the late 1980s, she made individual guest appearances on Hotel, Mr. Belvedere, Murder She Wrote, Tales from the Darkside, and Days of Our Lives before stepping away from acting.

In the early 1990s, Brisebois transitioned into music, contributing backing vocals to rock singer Gregg Alexander's 1992 album Intoxifornication. That collaboration led to her debut solo album, Arrive All Over You, released in 1994 and produced by Alexander. While the album underperformed commercially in the United States, it achieved minor success in Europe, where her cover of "Gimme Little Sign" charted. A compilation of tracks from that era, Just Missed the Train, was released through Sony BMG on September 26, 2006.

In 1998, Brisebois became one of two permanent members of Alexander's rock group New Radicals, serving as keyboardist, percussionist, and backing vocalist. The group released the hit single "You Get What You Give" and the million-selling album Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too before Alexander disbanded the project in 1999. Following the group's dissolution, Alexander produced and co-wrote Brisebois' second solo album, Portable Life. Though originally scheduled for release on October 26, 1999, and supported by promotional copies, press reviews, and a music video for the single "I've Had It," RCA Records cancelled the release. The album was eventually made available as a digital download on September 30, 2008, via iTunes and Amazon.com.

As a songwriter, Brisebois co-wrote Natasha Bedingfield's Top 10 singles "Unwritten" and "Pocketful of Sunshine," as well as "Stamp Your Feet" for Donna Summer. She has also written songs for Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Carly Smithson, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Paula Abdul, and Kylie Minogue. In 2009, she contributed "Alive" and "Let It Rain" to Leona Lewis's album Echo. That same year, her work on "Pocketful of Sunshine" earned her multiple BMI Awards, including the Robert S. Musel Award for Song of the Year, the College Song of the Year, and a Film and Television award for "Unwritten." In November 2008, she reunited with Alexander, former New Radicals guitarist Rusty Anderson, and producer Rick Nowels as The Not So Silent Majority, performing lead vocals on "Obama Rock."

In 2012, Brisebois co-wrote "Here's to Us" for Halestorm, which was featured in a third-season episode of Glee. She also co-wrote songs for the 2013 film Begin Again, among them "Lost Stars," for which she and Alexander received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the January 2015 ceremony. On August 2, 2008, Brisebois married producer, composer, and guitarist Nick Lashley. The couple have identical twin daughters, Charlotte and Lola, born in December 2013.