Sally Dworsky

Sally Dworsky is an American singer-songwriter, playback singer, and Broadway performer who grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she was born Sally Gail Dworsky to Robert and Shirley Dworsky. She has one sister, Rabbi Susan Dworsky, and two brothers: pianist Richard Dworsky and drummer and author Alan Dworsky.

Before relocating to California, Dworsky performed in Minnesota as a member of the bands Moore by Four and Players, and appeared in lead roles in musicals at the Mixed Blood Theatre in Minneapolis. Her Broadway career began in 1988 with Les Misérables, and she subsequently appeared in a featured role in the Los Angeles production of the same show. She also toured as a back-up singer with Don Henley, where one reviewer noted her for a strong solo on "Sunset Grill."

Dworsky became widely recognized as a playback singer for animated films, providing the singing voice for lead characters in several major productions. She voiced adult Nala in The Lion King (1994), singing a portion of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 1995 ceremony. In The Prince of Egypt (1998), she sang the role of Miriam, including a duet of "When You Believe" with Michelle Pfeiffer, a song that also won the Academy Award for Best Original Song, at the 1999 ceremony. She additionally provided the singing voice for Princess Fiona in Shrek (2001), as well as a singing role in Mulan (1998).

Her studio and live work as a backing vocalist spans collaborations with R.E.M., Peter Gabriel, Bonnie Raitt, Shelby Lynne, Teddy Thompson, Rodney Crowell, Midge Ure, Ringo Starr, and Neil Diamond, among others. She has also performed on A Prairie Home Companion.

In the early 1990s, Dworsky gave her first solo performances in the Twin Cities and in Los Angeles. She released a solo EP, Habit Trail, produced by Jay Joyce, in 1995. She later joined the alt-rock group Uma alongside Chris Hickey and Andy Kamman, signing with producer Don Gehman's label Refuge, an MCA affiliate. The group released the album Fare Well in 1997 and toured the United States and Canada with artists including Jonatha Brooke and Chris Whitley. In 2006, Dworsky released Start It All Over Again, an album of covers recorded with her brother Richard Dworsky, followed in 2008 by Boxes, an album of original songs. She released two subsequent singles: Same Room in 2018 and This Day in 2020, both produced by Marshall Vore.

Dworsky received ASCAP awards in both 1996 and 1997 for most-performed songs, in connection with "That's as Close as I'll Get to Loving You." Her television appearances include episodes of Transparent and The Patient. She was married to singer-songwriter Chris Hickey, with whom she has fraternal twins, daughter Lila and son Charlie Hickey, born September 28, 1999.