Bio
Ashanti is an American recording artist, record producer and actress who rose to fame in the early 2000s. She is most famous for her eponymous debut album, which featured the hit song "Foolish", and sold over 503,000 copies in its first week of release throughout the U.S. in April 2002.
Ashanti is a native of Glen Cove, Long Island. Ashanti burst onto the music scene with her 2002 smash hit debut album self titled Ashanti.
Her first week showing set a sound scan record as the most albums sold by any debut female artist in the chart's history, granting her a spot in the Guinness book of world records.
With her song, Foolish, Ashanti also secured the #1 top spot on SIX Billboard Charts simultaneously including Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, The Billboard 200, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles and Tracks, Hot 100 Airplay, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Hot 100.
Foolish stayed on the billboard charts for 11 consecutive weeks. She made Billboard history by having her first three chart entries land in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time. She is the first female to accomplish this feat, previously only attained by the Beatles.
That year she was awarded 8 Billboard Awards. Her album Ashanti topped the Billboard Album Chart and also won the Grammy for Best Contemporary R&B Album. In addition, that year she won 2 American Music Awards and the Soul Train Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the year Award.
Her follow-up release, Chapter II, debuted in the number 1 slot for two consecutive weeks on the Billboard Album Chart and spawned two Top-10 singles.
In addition to her Grammy, she's also received Multiple Soul Train Awards, A MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Award, A Comet Award (Grammy Equivalent in Germany), Lady of Soul Awards a Teen Choice Award and Nickelodeon's Kid Choice Award, along with many other nominations including an MTV movie award nomination and an NAACP Image Award Nomination for her role as Kera in Coach Carter.
Ashanti's other albums include Ashanti's Christmas, Concrete Rose, a remix album titled, Collectibles by Ashanti and she was the Executive Producer on her last album The Declaration which was released on her Label Written Entertainment distributed by Universal Records.
It featured producers and Artists, Babyface, LT Hutton, Diane Warren, Nelly, Jermaine Dupri, Pharell, Robin Thicke, Brian Cox and Neffu to name a few. The first single off of The Declaration, The Way That I Love You won the Music Choice Video of the Year Award in 2009.
Ashanti is the CEO of her Own Label Written Entertainment where she is the first artist off of this label. Ashanti made her directorial debut for her video The Woman You Love featuring Busta Rhymes off of her label Written Entertainment.
Ashanti made her telefilm debut helming The Muppets' Wizard of Oz, opposite Miss Piggy and Kermit. She also starred in the Disney animated series The Proud Family.
She got her start in acting on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and portrayed Dionne Warwick on American Dreams. She has also played herself and performed on the hit TV series Vegas.
She appeared as the special guest for the successful ABC network TV show Extreme Makeover Home Edition and was the special guest performer on the Biggest Loser on NBC as well.
In her feature film debut Coach Carter, she co-starred with Samuel L. Jackson in the #1 box office hit (MTV/Paramount). Ashanti's other films include yet another #1 box office hit, Resident Evil Extinction, where she starred as Nurse Betty opposite Milla Jovovich (Sony Screen Gems).
Previously, she starred in the hugely successful John Tucker Must Die (Twentieth Century Fox) alongside Jessie Metcalfe. She can be seen as an Indian Songstress who sings in Hindi and English as she dances in the Bollywood film, Bride & Prejudice with Aishwarya Rai (Miramax/Casablanca).
Ashanti wrote the title track for the film Dream House produced by Morgan Creek starring Daniel Craig that was released September 30, 2011 under her Label Written Entertainment. The name of the song is Never too Far Away.
The film received Oscar buzz via Variety Magazine. She will also write on the score and sound track of the new film Tupac also produced by Morgan Creek.
She wrote her first book of poetry through Hyperion titled Foolish/Unfoolish: Reflections on Love which is currently in its eighth edition and is also an Audio Book/Spoken Word.
Ashanti made her theatre stage debut with the starring role as Dorothy in the Broadway Tony Award winning adaption of The Wiz. She also participated in the 5th Anniversary of the Broadway smash Wicked alongside Joy Behar and sang Defying Gravity.
She was a part of the 70th Anniversary of the Classic Wizard of Oz at Tavern on the Green where she sang the Judy Garland version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. She released her version of the song in iTunes again under her Record Label Written Entertainment.
Ashanti is an entrepreneur: she has her own fragrance, Precious Jewel sold at Wal-Mart and other fine stores as well as a Dietary Supplement Vitamin called Ashanti's OPC-3 Beauty Blend.
Her endorsements include Herbal Essences, where she is the first African American to land a national campaign, Candies Apparel, as well as MUDD Jeans, DELICIOUS CURVES and Johnson&Johnson Body Care.
Ashanti has performed before Presidents and Royalty. She has performed duets with the likes of Pattie Labelle, Smokey Robinson, Ronald Isley, Stevie Wonder and Kenny Chesney to name a few.
She has appeared on shows ranging from Oprah, Ellen, Jay Leno, David Letterman, Regis & Kelly, Live With Kelly and Michael, Saturday Night Live, The View, Jimmy Kimmel, Conan O'Brien, BET 106 & Park, MTV TRL, VH1 Hip Hop Honors and Fuse TV among others.
She has performed on virtually every music awards show from the Grammys to the American Music Awards, the MTV Video Music Awards, MTV Europe Awards, VMAs Japan, The BET Awards, The World Music Awards, The Much Music Awards, the Soul Train Awards, Teen Choice Awards and the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.
She is an American favourite, singing the National Anthem and God Bless America for major events including the World Series and the NBA Finals Play off Series as well as performing for the NBA All Star Game.
She executive produced her first television special on ABC/Family in 2004. Ashanti also partnered with Warren Miller to shoot a pilot for a docudrama which she executive produced.
In 2012, she was also an executive producer of Fuse News, on FUSE TV the national music television network of the Madison Square Garden Company.
In 2013 she began starring in season 7 of the hit Lifetime series Army Wives with ABC Studios.