With a raspy voice and a New York accent, Heather Headley is a Trinidad-born Broadway star set to release her third album, her first gospel recording, Jan. 13.
Headley has appeared in starring roles in Broadway shows like The Lion King and Aida (the Tim Rice-Elton John version), and is now set to release Audience of One (5-09992-26512-2-8, EMI Gospel/EMI CMG), a return to her gospel roots.

In talking about her musical career, Headley is a strangely private person for someone in such a public industry. But the bright lights are nothing new. She was born a pastor’s kid and has always had to deal with the scrutiny that comes from being in the spotlight.

“It’s a lot of pressure, especially growing up on a small island in the Caribbean,” said Headley, 34. “There are some (pastor’s kids) who rebel … but I always wanted to learn from someone else’s mistakes, not make mistakes of my own.”
Perhaps that explains why it’s taken Headley so long to release a gospel album—she wanted to make sure she got it right.

“I always kind of made a deal with God that when He thought I was ready to do it, I would do it,” she said. “I wasn’t going to go into this spiritually unready. … I wasn’t going to go to churches and sing to people and minister to people and be a complete mess.”

Headley labored over the album, paring the set list down to 10 songs from the approximately 60 from which she started. The results are an eclectic mix of contemporary pop, gospel and praise & worship, from “Here I Am to Worship” and “The Power of the Cross” to “Running Back to You,” a song originally sung by Commissioned, when Fred Hammond was a part of the group.

To order Audience of One, visit www.emicmgdistribution.com or call 800-877-4443.