Shanice

Shanice Lorraine Wilson-Knox (née Wilson; born May 14, 1973), better known simply as Shanice, is an American singer–songwriter, actress and dancer. Wilson had the Billboard hit singles "I Love Your Smile" and "Silent Prayer" in 1991 and "Saving Forever for You" in 1993. In 1999, Wilson scored another hit song, "When I Close My Eyes", which peaked at No. 12 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. Wilson is recognized for her coloratura soprano voice and her ability to sing in the whistle register.

Early life
Shanice was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and relocated to Los Angeles, California with her mother Crystal, and her aunt Penni. Her mother and aunt went to Los Angeles in pursuit of careers in the music industry. They shifted their focus to Shanice and formed the management company Crystal Penni to cultivate and promote her talents. Shanice was nine years old when she appeared in a Kentucky Fried Chicken commercial with the legendary jazz vocalist Ella Fitzgerald. In 1984, she was part of the regular cast in the first thirteen episodes of the children's program Kids Incorporated. Shanice competed on Star Search as an eleven-year old, and later signed with A&M Records.

Recording career
In 1987, at the age of 14, A&M Records released her debut album, Discovery. It produced two top-ten R&B hits, "(Baby Tell Me) Can You Dance" and "No ½ Steppin'". Wilson went on to sign a deal with Motown Records in the summer of 1990, releasing Inner Child in late 1991, which included her best-known hit single "I Love Your Smile". It reached the top ten in 22 countries, including the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album also featured a cover of Minnie Riperton's 1974 hit "Lovin' You", a rendition that brought attention to her three-and-a-half octave vocal range.

After Inner Child, Wilson continued to record albums, including 1994's 21… Ways to Grow with producer Rhett Lawrence a Los Angeles session musician and Earth Wind & Fire guitarist Dick Smith. This effort was followed by a move to LaFace Records in 1997, who later released the 1999 album Shanice. While she has not achieved significant commercial success with subsequent albums, she has contributed to various film soundtracks, such as Boomerang ("Don't Wanna Love You") and The Meteor Man ("It's for You"). Wilson also achieved success with her top-ten hit "Saving Forever for You", from the Beverly Hills 90210 Soundtrack. She also recorded "If I Never Knew You", a duet with Jon Secada, for the original soundtrack of Disney's 1995 film Pocahontas. Another song she recorded and released in 1995 while still with Motown was a cover version of "If I Were Your Woman" by Gladys Knight and the Pips while Tami Roman and her 90's R&B group quartet, Female was the backing vocals in the song, Roman was one of the four members. The song was released on the Panther soundtrack on May 2, 1995, earlier in the month before the Pocahontas soundtrack was released on May 30, 1995.

Shanice occasionally does background vocals for other artists; she can be heard on Toni Braxton's "Come on Over Here" and "Un-Break My Heart", as well as Usher's "Bedtime". In 2010 she performed vocals on the track "Behind the Mask", from Michael Jackson's posthumous album Michael. Wilson recorded the song "A Midnight Rendezvous" for the 2012 Kinect game  Rhythm Party. She also performed the English theme song for the video game The Bouncer, called "Love Is the Gift". Wilson returned to recording after a five-year hiatus and released her fifth studio album Every Woman Dreams on her own label Imajah (named for her two children). The album peaked at No. 30 on the R&B Albums Chart.

In 2019, Shanice returned with the new single "He Won't". In 2022, Shanice was selected to sing the theme song of the Sesame Street spinoff series Mecha Builders, alongside Eric Bellinger.

Acting and other appearances
In addition to singing, Wilson is also an actress, first appearing in season five of Family Matters episode "Rock Enroll". In 1997, she became the first Black performer to star in the role of Eponine in the musical Les Misérables on Broadway. In 2001, Shanice made an appearance on her husband Flex's show One on One as a singer also she starred in the made-for-TV movie  One Special Moment, an adaptation of Brenda Jackson's 1998 novel of the same name. In 2011, Shanice joined Niecy Nash and Frenchie Davis for the 21st Annual "Divas Simply Singing" HIV/AIDS charity event. Shanice and her husband, Flex, are starring in their own reality show Flex & Shanice, which premiered on November 1, 2014, on OWN.

Personal life
On February 19, 2000, Wilson married actor/comedian Flex Alexander. They have two children, daughter Imani Shekinah Knox (born August 23, 2001) and son Elijah Alexander Knox (born March 5, 2004). Wilson's given name "Shanice", an ad hoc combination of the name elements Shan- and -ice, first enters the official statistics of most popular given names in the United States in 1988, i.e. in the year after the singer's debut album; its popularity peaked in 1992, at rank 162 of most popularly given girls' names, after Shanice's biggest hit "I Love Your Smile" and again fell below rank 1000 by the year 2000.

Discography

 * Studio albums
 * Discovery (1987)
 * Inner Child (1991)
 * 21... Ways to Grow (1994)
 * Shanice (1999)
 * Every Woman Dreams (2006)

Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards) — or Grammys – are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry. The awards ceremony features performances by prominent artists, and some of the awards of more popular interest are presented in a widely viewed televised ceremony.

Soul Train Music Awards
The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show aired in national television syndication that honors the best in Black music and entertainment. It is produced by the makers of Soul Train, the program from which it takes its name, and features musical performances by various R&B and hip hop music recording artists interspersed throughout the ceremonies.