Shanice

Shanice Lorraine Wilson-Knox, born May 14, 1973, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress known for her coloratura soprano voice. Her mother, Crystal Wilson, was a singer, and her father, Carl Black, was a guitarist. Following her parents' divorce in 1979, she moved to Los Angeles with her mother and her aunt Penni Wilson. At age nine, she appeared alongside Ella Fitzgerald in a Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial, and she later attended South Pasadena High School.

Shanice's public career began in 1984 when she competed on Star Search, winning the Junior Vocalist category and a $5,000 grand prize with performances of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and "Greatest Love of All." That same year she joined the cast of the children's television program Kids Incorporated for its first season. She subsequently performed in the Westwood Playhouse production Get Happy, a musical celebrating the work of Harold Arlen, where A&M Records executive John McClain saw her perform and signed her at age eleven. Her debut album, Discovery, was released on October 21, 1987, peaking at number 149 on the Billboard 200. It produced two top-ten R&B hits, "(Baby Tell Me) Can You Dance" and "No 1/2 Steppin'," while "The Way You Love Me" and "I'll Bet She's Got a Boyfriend" achieved moderate chart success. A&M ultimately released her from her contract, citing difficulty marketing her due to her young age.

In the summer of 1990, Shanice signed with Motown Records. Her second album, Inner Child, was released internationally on November 19, 1991, peaking at number 83 on the Billboard 200 and number 13 on the US Top R&B Albums chart. Its lead single, "I Love Your Smile," reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped charts in multiple countries, earning a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards. The follow-up single "I'm Cryin'" peaked at number eleven on the US Hot R&B Singles chart, and "Silent Prayer," featuring Johnny Gill, reached number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number four on the R&B chart. Inner Child received gold certification from the RIAA on May 26, 1992. In October of that year, Shanice released "Saving Forever for You" on the Beverly Hills, 90210 soundtrack, which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. In July 1993, "It's for You," from The Meteor Man soundtrack, peaked at number 55 on the Hot 100. Her third album, 21... Ways to Grow, followed in June 1994, but performed poorly commercially, and after her release from Motown, Shanice entered a hiatus from recording.

During that hiatus, she contributed background vocals to several prominent recordings, including Toni Braxton's "Un-Break My Heart" and "Come On Over Here" from the album Secrets, and "Bedtime" from Usher's My Way. In January 1997, Shanice made her Broadway debut, joining the cast of Les Misérables in the role of Eponine. That same year she signed to Arista Records before moving to LaFace Records at the request of co-owner LA Reid. Her self-titled fourth album was released on LaFace in March 1999, producing the single "When I Close My Eyes," which set a then-record Billboard Hot 100 jump, moving from number 91 to number 16 before peaking at number 12. In August 1999, she served as the opening act for NSYNC's Boys of Summer Tour. She was dropped from LaFace in 2000 after becoming pregnant with her first child.

After forming her own imprint, Imajah Records, Shanice released her fifth studio album, Every Woman Dreams, in February 2006. The album peaked at number 30 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and its singles "Take Care of U" and "So Sexy" reached the top seventy of the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In 2010, she contributed vocals to "Behind the Mask" on Michael Jackson's posthumous album Michael. In November 2014, the Oprah Winfrey Network began airing the reality series Flex & Shanice, which chronicled her life with her husband, actor Flex Alexander, and ran for three seasons. To coincide with the show's premiere, she released the singles "Gotta Blame Me" and "We Can Fly," followed by "Another Lonely Day in California" in July 2015.