New York, NY (January 21, 2009) - Popular Tony award-winning vocalist Heather Headley captures the Number One slot on Billboard's Top Christian & Gospel Chart and number 6 on the R&B Charts with her new project, "Audience Of One."

The January 13th release kicks off a month long series of appearances and promotional events for Headley who celebrates her first number one album.   "Audience Of One," charted in the Number One slot on the Contemporary Christian Billboard Chart and debuted Number One on the  Christian/Gospel album chart on I-Tunes.

Headley's album features a diverse mix of inspirational and traditional songs including the hit duet with label-mate, Smokie Norful, the Lionel Richie penned "Jesus Is Love." The single is one of the hottest songs at Gospel Radio right now and is quickly making its way up the R&R Gospel charts.  The song is also being promoted at Urban AC Radio with an impact date of January 26th.

Headley recently sang at the historic HBO 'We Are One": The Obama Inauguration Celebration, broadcast from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. She performed "My Country Tis of Thee" with Josh Groban.  Heather also performed at the 24th Annual Stellar Awards taped in Nashville this past weekend. The Stellar Awards are scheduled to air in national syndication starting this month through early March as well as on the Gospel Music Channel, the exclusive cable home of the Stellar Awards, which premieres the show on March 1, 2009. Check out www.thestellarawards.com for a complete list of stations, air dates and times.  

Additionally Headley is a featured performer on BET's Celebration of Gospel airing nationally on Sunday, January 25th and will be performing with Ce Ce Winans on TBN's Praise the Lord program next month.

Headley is also in the midst of promoting her chart-topping release on a national promotional tour. She was recently featured in USA Today and Billboard Magazine.  Fans and supporters can catch her in New York, LA, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington DC, Dallas, Chicago and more.  For details people can log on to: www.myspace.com/heatherheadley or www.emigospel.com

"When I was about ten years old we moved into the manse directly above the church.  Some of my earliest memories are of singing in that little church.  It was my playground.  That sweet church and everything I learned in it… and above it… shaped who I am today."
 - Heather Headley, October 2008

        (New York, NY)  After successfully establishing her multi-faceted career as a Tony Award-winning Broadway musical actress, and chart-topping pop, R&B and dance crossover recording artist, Heather Headley has now completed the project of a lifetime - her first gospel  album, AUDIENCE OF ONE, recorded in Nashville with renowned producer Keith Thomas.  The new album arrives in the physical and digital marketplace on January 2009, on the EMI Gospel label.

        Preceding the album release is a new single, "Jesus Is Love,"   featuring Heather and fellow EMI Gospel artist Smokie Norful.  The classic 1980 tune was written by Lionel Richie and first recorded by the Commodores on their Heroes LP.  "I grew up in the church," Heather wrote in her website journal at www.heatherheadley.com, "actually above the church, and this album not only grants me a way to sing music I've always wanted to, but it also gives me a chance to give God some overdue praise for everything He has done, and continues to do for me.  I really don't deserve all that He has given me.  I can't help but be grateful; so, we'll take the voice He gave and thank Him with it."

        Explaining the album title, AUDIENCE OF ONE, the Trinidad-born, Indiana-raised, and Northwestern University educated star gives credit to her husband.  He reminded her one day about the little church back home, "the joy that I found singing in that empty church to me 'audience of one.'  And so that is what this album is… a girl singing to the only audience that really matters… the One Audience who is truly worthy."

        The daughter of a church pastor, Heather was steeped in gospel music from the time she first started singing and playing piano at age four.  On her most recent (second) solo album, 2006's In My Mind, Heather raised the roof with an inspirational track prophetically titled "Change," co-written with the song's famed producer Warryn Campbell (and Eric Dawkins).  "God is such a big part of who I am, who I want to be, and what's in my mind," she said at the time - and now she has taken the opportunity to dedicate an entire album to the Gospel.

        Audiences from every corner of the globe first recognized Heather's artistry starting in 1997, when she won the role of Nala in the original premiere Broadway cast of the Elton John-Tim Rice musical. The Lion King.  Heather's portrayal was so extraordinary that she was asked to audition for the title role of the next Elton John-Tim Rice Broadway musical, Aida, which opened in March 2000.  Her work won Heather the prestigious Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical, and the coveted Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical.

        (Note: Heather is featured on The Lion King Original Broadway Cast album [Disney, 1997], in which her "Shadowland" is a show-stopping track.  She is also featured on the Aida Original Broadway Cast album [Disney, 2000], in which she sings on more than half the program's 21 songs.)

        With such high caliber accolades to her credit, she was on her way to the pop charts.  Heather's soulful debut album, on RCA entitled This Is Who I Am, was released October 2002, and brought a crew of top-flight producers to the table, including Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Shep Crawford, D'Influence, Rob Mounsey, and others.  Two songs, the single "He Is" and the album track "I Wish I Wasn't," both emerged as Top 5 Dance chart hits. 

        Over the course of the following year, Heather received Grammy Award nominations for Best New Artist and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (for "I Wish I Wasn't"); and won Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards for R&B/Soul Album of the Year and Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist.  Several hard-working years followed, which included a performance cameo in the 2004 movie Havana Nights; Heather's song ("Represent, Cuba") was the centerpiece of the soundtrack album. 

        Heather returned in January 2006 with In My Mind, her long-awaited second solo album, once again working with an A-list of producers, among them Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Shep Crawford, Warryn Campbell, and Lil' Jon.  The opening title tune single became Heather's first #1 hit, topping the Dance chart at #1.  Since the album's release, Heather has maintained her profile as a touring and recording artist.  In 2006, on The Kennedy Center Presents: The 2006 Mark Twain Prize, honoring playwright Neil Simon (televised on PBS), Heather sang the Hal David-Burt Bacharach song "I'll Never Fall In Love Again," from Simon's Broadway show Promises, Promises.  Heather also presides over her March of Dimes educational campaign "I Want My 9 Months."