Faith Evans
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. Born in
Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along Interstate 4, I-4 east of Tampa and southwest of Orlando, Florida, Orlando, it is the List of municipalities in Florida, most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 ...
, and raised in
New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, she relocated to
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
in 1991 in pursuit of a recording career. Evans initially performed as a backing vocalist for R&B singers Al B. Sure! and Christopher Williams, and by the age of 20, signed with
Puff Daddy Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, Combs worked as a ...
's
Bad Boy Records Bad Boy Entertainment, doing business as Bad Boy Records, is an American independent record label. The label was founded in 1993 by rapper and record producer Sean Combs. During the mid-1990s, the label signed hip-hop and contemporary R&B, R&B a ...
as the label's first female artist in 1994. Following her uncredited appearance on labelmate the Notorious B.I.G.'s single " One More Chance", she released her debut studio album, ''
Faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...
'' (1995), to critical acclaim and moderate commercial reception. Evans then guest performed alongside 112 on
Puff Daddy Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, Combs worked as a ...
’s 1997 single " I'll Be Missing You," which won Best Rap Performance at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards and became the first hip hop song to debut atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Her second and third albums, '' Keep the Faith'' (1998) and '' Faithfully'' (2001), peaked at numbers six and 14 on the ''Billboard'' 200, respectively, and saw further critical praise. Evans parted ways with Bad Boy in favor of
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
in 2003. Her fourth album, '' The First Lady'' (2005) peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 and topped the US
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
chart, while her fifth album, '' A Faithful Christmas'' (2005)—a
holiday album Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of carols, may employ lyrics about the nativity of J ...
—failed to chart and served as her final release on a
major label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and t ...
. After a hiatus, she released her sixth album, '' Something About Faith'' (2010) independently, followed by her seventh album, '' Incomparable'' (2014). With a career spanning three decades, Evans has sold over 20 million records worldwide. Outside of recording, Evans is known as the widow of rapper Christopher "the Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, whom she married on August 4, 1994, after meeting the rapper at a Bad Boy photoshoot. The turbulent marriage resulted in Evans's involvement in the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry—which dominated much of
hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...
's mainstream coverage at the time—and concluded with Wallace's unsolved drive-by murder on March 9, 1997. Also an actress and author, Evans made her screen debut on the 2000 musical drama '' Turn It Up'' by Robert Adetuyi. Her 2008 autobiography, ''Keep the Faith: A Memoir'', was released by
Grand Central Publishing Grand Central Publishing is a book publishing imprint of Hachette Book Group, originally established in 1970 as Warner Books when Kinney National Company acquired the New York City-based Paperback Library. When Time Warner sold their book publis ...
and won a 2009 African American Literary Award for the Best Biography/Memoir category.


Biography


1973–1994: Early life and career beginnings

Evans was born on June 10, 1973, in
Lakeland, Florida Lakeland is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. Located along Interstate 4, I-4 east of Tampa and southwest of Orlando, Florida, Orlando, it is the List of municipalities in Florida, most populous city in Polk County. As of the 2020 ...
, to an
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
mother, Helene Evans, a professional singer. Her father, Richard Swain, was a musician of English and possible Italian descent who left before Evans was born. Evans has said "I've heard people mumble something about him being Italian, but I don't know for sure". A half-year later, 19-year-old Helene returned to
Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...
, and left Faith with her cousin Johnnie Mae and husband Orvelt Kennedy, the
foster parents Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family member ...
of more than 100 children they raised during the time that Faith lived with them. Faith had known Johnnie Mae and Orvelt Kennedy as her grandparents. It was not until a couple of years later that Helene's career floundered and she tried to take Evans back home. Faith, however, was afraid to leave what she had "been used to," and instead, Helene relocated next door. Raised in a Christian home, Evans began singing at church at age two. At age four, she caught the attention of the congregation of the Emmanuel Baptist Church in Newark when she sang
The 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American vocal group. Their music encompasses sunshine pop, pop soul, and psychedelic soul. They were an important crossover music act of the 1960s and 1970s, although both praised and derided for their particular music ...
's song " Let the Sunshine In". While attending University High School in Newark, she sang with several jazz bands and, encouraged by Helene, entered outside pageants, festivals and contests, where her voice would be noticed and praised. After graduating from high school in 1991, Evans attended
Fordham University Fordham University is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in New York City, United States. Established in 1841, it is named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the Bronx in which its origina ...
in New York City to study marketing but left a year later to have daughter Chyna with music producer Kiyamma Griffin. In 1993, she relocated to Los Angeles, where she worked as a backup vocalist for singer Al B. Sure!, when she was noticed by musician Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs. Impressed with her, Combs contracted her in 1994 as the first female artist to his Bad Boy Entertainment record label.


1994–2001: ''Faith'', Biggie, ''Keep The Faith'', motherhood and marriage

Newly contracted to
Bad Boy Records Bad Boy Entertainment, doing business as Bad Boy Records, is an American independent record label. The label was founded in 1993 by rapper and record producer Sean Combs. During the mid-1990s, the label signed hip-hop and contemporary R&B, R&B a ...
, Evans was asked by executive producer Combs to contribute backing vocals and co-write tracks for
Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Qu ...
's '' My Life'' (1994) and Usher's self-titled debut album (1994) prior to starting work on her debut studio album ''
Faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...
''. Released in North America on August 29, 1995, the album was a main collaboration with Bad Boy's main producers, The Hitmen, including Chucky Thompson and Combs, but it also resulted in recordings with Poke & Tone and Herb Middleton. ''Faith'' became a success based on the singles " You Used to Love Me" and " Soon as I Get Home". The album was eventually certified
platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...
with 1.5 million copies sold, according to
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
. A year before, on August 4, 1994, Evans married rapper and labelmate Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, after having met him at a Bad Boy photoshoot. The couple had one child together, Christopher George Latore Wallace Jr. After allegations of an affair with
Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...
, Evans became involved in the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry which dominated
rap music Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...
at the time. Wallace was murdered in a yet-to-be-solved drive-by shooting in Los Angeles, California, in March 1997. During early 1997, after her separation from Wallace, but before his death, Evans's friend
Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...
introduced her to record company executive Todd Russaw. Faith began dating Russaw during her and Wallace's separation and after Wallace died, Evans became pregnant by Russaw. The couple had their first son Joshua on June 10, 1998 (her 25th birthday). During the summer of 1998, Evans and Russaw were married, and on March 22, 2007, they had their second son Ryder Evan Russaw. After Biggie's murder on March 9, 1997, Combs helped Evans produce her tribute song named " I'll Be Missing You", based on the
melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...
of
The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...
's 1983 single "
Every Breath You Take "Every Breath You Take" is a song by the English rock band the Police from their album ''Synchronicity'' (1983). Written by Sting, the single was the biggest US and Canadian hit of 1983, topping the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart for ei ...
". The song, which featured Combs, Evans, and the all-male group 112, became a worldwide number-one success and debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart during 1997, scoring that for eleven weeks. It won Puffy, Evans and 112 the 1998 Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. The next year, she received another two Grammy nominations for "
Heartbreak Hotel "Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being g ...
", a collaboration with singers
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...
and
Kelly Price Kelly Cherelle Price (born April 4, 1973) is an American R&B and gospel singer. Beginning her career in 1992, Price originally performed backing vocals for Mariah Carey on multiple songs, including Carey's ''Billboard'' Hot 100-number one sin ...
, that scored number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Two years in the making, Evans's second studio album, '' Keep the Faith'', was released by Bad Boy Records on October 27, 1998. Almost entirely written and produced by her, Evans considered the album difficult to complete as she had initially felt discouraged about the progress. Upon its release, however, the album earned generally positive reviews by music critics, with
Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
noting it "without a doubt a highlight of 1990s soul-pop music". Also enjoying commercial success, it eventually went platinum and produced the top ten singles " Love Like This" and "All Night Long" (released on March 30, 1999) prompting Evans to start an 18-city theater tour with
Dru Hill Dru Hill is an American R&B boy band, whose repertoire included soul, hip hop soul and gospel music. The group was founded in Baltimore in 1992 by Tamir "Nokio the N-Tity" Ruffin, and as of 2023, is still active. Dru Hill recorded seven top 40 ...
and Total the following year.


2001–2007: ''Faithfully'', legal issues, Capitol Records and ''The First Lady''

Evans's third album on the Bad Boy label, named '' Faithfully'' (2001), involved her working with a wider range of producers, including
The Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...
,
Mario Winans Mario Mendell Winans ( Brown; born August 29, 1974) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer from South Carolina. An extended member of the Winans musical family, he is best known for his 2004 single " I Don't Wanna Know" (f ...
, Buckwild, Vada Nobles, Cory Rooney, and others. Her first project with husband Todd Russaw as executive producer and creative partner, the album scored number 14 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart and number two on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
chart, eventually being certified platinum, but yielded moderately successful singles, with the
Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...
-written " I Love You" becoming the only top twenty entry. Released amid Bad Boy Records' transition from distributor
Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...
to Universal, Evans felt ''Faithfully'' received minimum assistance by the company, and during 2004, she finally decided to end her business with Bad Boy as she was convinced Combs couldn't improve her career any more due to his other commitments. In January 2004, Evans and Russaw were arrested and charged with possession of
marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
and
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
and an improper tag violation during a traffic stop in Hapeville, a suburb of
Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...
. After leaving Bad Boy Entertainment, Evans contracted with
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
, becoming the first
contemporary R&B Contemporary R&B (or simply R&B) is a popular music Music genre, genre, originating from African Americans, African-American musicians in the 1980s that combines rhythm and blues with elements of Pop music, pop, Soul music, soul, funk, Hip-hop, ...
artist to do so, and started work on her fourth studio album '' The First Lady'', named after her nickname on her former label. As opposed to having an in-house team of producers who supplied most of the previous material, she and Russaw were able to gain more creative control of the album and consulted producers such as Bryan-Michael Cox,
Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...
, Mike Caren,
Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...
, and Chucky Thompson to contribute to it. Upon its release in April 2005, ''The First Lady'' scored at number two on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming Evans's best-charting album to date. It was eventually certified gold by the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
. At the end of the year, Evans released '' A Faithful Christmas'', a
holiday album Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of carols, may employ lyrics about the nativity of J ...
of traditional
Christmas song Christmas music comprises a variety of Music genre, genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas and holiday season, Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of Christmas ...
s and original tracks. The effort became her last release on Capitol Records, as the company was bought in 2007.


2005–2012: Hiatus, arrest, divorce and ''Something About Faith''

Following a five-year hiatus, Evans created her own record label imprint in 2010. She named the imprint Prolific Music Group and hired top talent to build the record label from scratch. Evans began recording songs with
Keyshia Cole Keyshia Myeshia Cole (née Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, television personality and actress. Dubbed by critics as the " Princess of Hip-Hop Soul", she is known for her soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics. Bor ...
, Redman,
Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
and
Raekwon Corey Woods (born January 12, 1970), better known by his stage name Raekwon ( ), is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as a founding member of the hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, which achieved mainstream success following the release of the ...
, among others for the label's freshman album. Evans signed a deal with
independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...
E1 Entertainment later that year. Her fifth studio album, '' Something About Faith'', was released on October 5, 2010, in the United States, where it debuted and peaked at number fifteen on the ''Billboard'' 200 and number one on the Independent Albums chart. ''Something About Faith'' has spawned the leading single " Gone Already", which spent over thirty-three weeks on the US ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, where it peaked at number twenty-two. In August 2010, Evans was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor drunken driving, after being stopped at a checkpoint in
Marina del Rey, California Marina del Rey ( Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The eponymous harbor is a major boating and water recreation destination of the Greater Los Angeles ar ...
. In 2011, Evans filed for divorce against Russaw. The couple agreed to spend 13 weeks in a drug-treatment program in exchange for halting any further prosecution of their drug-possession case. In May 2011, Evans and Russaw announced they were getting a divorce, and stated they would like to keep it quiet for their children's sakes.


2012–2016: ''R&B Divas: Atlanta'' and ''Incomparable''

In 2012, Evans co-executive produced and became a cast member on the TV One reality show '' R&B Divas: Atlanta'' alongside fellow R&B singers
Nicci Gilbert Nicci Gilbert is an American R&B singer. She is mainly known for being the lead vocalist of an American female R&B girl-group Brownstone who rose to fame in the mid 1990s best known for their 1995 hit single " If You Love Me", which was nominat ...
, Syleena Johnson,
Keke Wyatt Ke'Tara Shavon "Keke" Wyatt (born March 10, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter and TV personality. After performing in a number of girl bands and working as a songwriter during her teenage years, in 2000 she garnered national attention after ...
and Monifah. The show offered an inside look at how the singers balance their music careers and personal lives as they work towards producing an Evans-led compilation album, '' R&B Divas'' (2012), in memory of
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...
. Broadcast to rating records for the network, the series produced a spin-off titled '' R&B Divas: Los Angeles'' and was renewed for two further seasons. Evans, who left the show following its second season, earned a Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album at the 55th awards ceremony. In August 2013, Evans confirmed she had begun work on her seventh studio album '' Incomparable'', with contribution from Chucky Thompson,
Mike City Michael Flowers, known professionally as Mike City (born December 2, 1970), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for producing the singles " I Wish" for Carl Thomas, " Heard It All Before" for Sunshine Ande ...
,
Keke Wyatt Ke'Tara Shavon "Keke" Wyatt (born March 10, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter and TV personality. After performing in a number of girl bands and working as a songwriter during her teenage years, in 2000 she garnered national attention after ...
, B.Slade and Karen Clark Sheard of The Clark Sisters. " I Deserve It", a record featuring recurring collaborator
Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...
and her protégée Sharaya J, was released on August 25, 2014, as the album's lead single and peaked at number 19 on ''Billboard''s
Adult R&B Songs The Adult R&B Songs chart (formerly called Adult R&B Airplay) is an airplay chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on urban adult contemporary radio stations, whose playl ...
chart. ''Incomparable'' was released on November 24, 2014, by Prolific Music Group and
BMG Rights Management BMG Rights Management GmbH (also known simply as BMG) is an international music company based in Berlin, Germany. It combines the activities of a music publisher and a record label. BMG was formed in October 2008 after Bertelsmann sold its st ...
. It debuted at number 27 on the US
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip-hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...
and number 17 on the US
Independent Albums The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' mag ...
chart.


2016–present: ''The King & I'', and ''The Masked Singer''

In 2016, Evans announced that she was finishing a posthumous Notorious B.I.G. album titled '' The King & I'', featuring duets with her late husband. The album was released on May 19, 2017. On July 17, 2018, she married producer and '' Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'' star Stevie J. The couple released the song "A Minute" on July 27, 2018. Between 2015 and 2019 Evans appeared in several episodes of '' Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'', and '' Leave It to Stevie'' alongside then-friend Stevie J. In May 2020, Evans was arrested for felony domestic violence against Stevie J. She was released on bond and the charges were later dropped. In 2021, Stevie J filed for divorce. The divorce was finalized in 2023. In 2021, Evans competed in season six of '' The Masked Singer'' as "Skunk". She was unmasked during the Group A Finals where she made references to the loss of The Notorious B.I.G. and her son being autistic.


Other ventures


Acting

Having previously appeared in
stage play A play is a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between characters and is intended for theatrical performance rather than mere reading. The creator of a play is known as a playwright. Plays are staged at various levels, ranging ...
s as a teenager, Evans began acting with a supporting role in director Robert Adetuyi's 2000 music drama '' Turn It Up'', featuring Pras Michel from The Fugees, Jason Statham and
Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known for blending gangsta rap with pop rap, pop and contempo ...
. Released to generally negative reviews from critics, who noted it "patently absurd in both the details and larger aspects", the indie film had a short play and became a financial disappointment, gaining US$1.24 million during its U.S. run only. During 2003, Evans acted in the
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
-produced
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...
''
The Fighting Temptations ''The Fighting Temptations'' is a 2003 American musical comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn, written by Elizabeth Hunter and Saladin K. Patterson, and distributed by Paramount Pictures and MTV Films. Cuba Gooding Jr. plays a man who returns to ...
'' in which she appeared in a brief but major role portraying a single mother and night club singer. Filmed in
Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee ...
, and headed by Cuba Gooding Jr. (her character is his mother) and
Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most culturally significant figu ...
, the film garnered mixed reviews by critics, but scored top three of the U.S. box office, resulting in a domestic gross of US$30.2 million. In addition, Evans recorded a contemporary
cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of
Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...
's 1978 success " Heaven Knows" for the film which her character performs during one of the first in sequence in the film. The accompanying soundtrack scored the top twenty of the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200. In 2004, Evans earned a brief guest stint on the UPN situation comedy '' Half & Half''. In 2009, Evans announced that she had been working on a synopsis for her own situation comedy that would be based largely on her life but with a more comedic aspect. It is unknown whether she has officially pitched the sitcom to any television networks, as of 2024. Evans has had cameos on the reality show '' Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta''.


Florence Ballard biopic

In November 2010, several sources stated that Faith would portray
Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...
star
Florence Ballard Florence Glenda Chapman (''née'' Ballard; June 30, 1943 – February 22, 1976) was an American singer and a founding member of the Motown vocal female group the Supremes. She sang on 16 top 40 singles with the group, including ten number- ...
of
the Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...
in an upcoming biopic, ''Blondie: The Florence Ballard Story''. With the blessing of Ballard's three daughters, Faith later appeared on ''
The Wendy Williams Show ''The Wendy Williams Show'' (often shortened to ''Wendy'') is an American Broadcast syndication, syndicated talk show created and hosted by Wendy Williams, and produced by Wendy Williams Productions, along with Perler Productions. The show was d ...
'' to promote this role. In July 2014, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' reported that the movie, thought to be titled "Blondie", was in fact a con artist's scam.


Writing

Evans released her autobiographic book called ''Keep the Faith: A Memoir'' on August 29, 2008. Written with Aliya S. King, it detailed the singer's life, but also discussed Evans's controversial relationship with her late husband, the Notorious B.I.G.:
"I want people to understand that although he was a large part of my life, my story doesn't actually begin or end with Big's death. My journey has been complicated on many levels. And since I am always linked to Big, there are a lot of misconceptions about who I really am. It's not easy putting your life out there for the masses. But I've decided I'll tell my own story. For Big. For my children. And for myself."
In its initial release, ''Keep the Faith: A Memoir'' landed in the Top 20 on New York Times Best Seller's List two weeks in a row. The book received the 2009 African American Literary Award for Best Biography/Memoir.


Philanthropy

In 2014, Evans showed support for Little Kids Rock by donating items for auction to raise money in support of music education in public schools.


Artistry

Evans said that some of her biggest musical influences and favourite singers are gospel singer Karen Clark-Sheard (whom she has been often likened to),
Shirley Murdock Shirley Murdock (born May 22, 1957) is an American R&B singer-songwriter. She is best known for her guest appearance alongside Charlie Wilson on Zapp and Roger's 1986 single " Computer Love", as well as her 1986 single, "As We Lay". The latt ...
,
Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...
, Anita Baker and
Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...
. Evans is noted for her "urban-edged honeyed
soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...
." Her vocal range extends from the low note of C#3 to high soprano C#6 . ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' writer Craig Seymour called her "angelic yet hearty soprano" as showcasing emotion that is defined by Evans' personal experiences of tragedy, love, pain and heartbreak.


Discography

* ''
Faith Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, faith is " belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion". According to the Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, faith has multiple definitions, inc ...
'' (1995) * '' Keep the Faith'' (1998) * '' Faithfully'' (2001) * '' The First Lady'' (2005)'' * '' A Faithful Christmas'' (2005) * '' Something About Faith'' (2010) * '' Incomparable'' (2014) * '' The King & I'' (with The Notorious B.I.G.) (2017)


Tours

* Keep the Faith Tour (1999) * The First Lady Tour (2005) * Something About Faith Tour (2010–11) * An Evening with Faith (2012) * Faith Evans Live (2013) * Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour (2016–17)


Filmography

*2000: '' Turn It Up'' *2003: ''
The Fighting Temptations ''The Fighting Temptations'' is a 2003 American musical comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn, written by Elizabeth Hunter and Saladin K. Patterson, and distributed by Paramount Pictures and MTV Films. Cuba Gooding Jr. plays a man who returns to ...
'' *2009: '' Notorious'' *2011: ''Soul Kittens Cabaret'' *2020: ''True to the Game 2: Gena's Story''


Television

*2012: '' R&B Divas: Atlanta'' (Executive Producer & Main Cast) *2013: '' R&B Divas: Los Angeles'' (Executive Producer) *2015: '' Real Husbands of Hollywood'' (Guest Star) *2015; 2016—19 '' Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta'' (Guest Star & Main Cast) *2016: '' Stevie J & Joseline: Go Hollywood'' (Guest Star) *2016: ''
RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...
'' (Guest Judge, " RuCo's Empire") *2018: ''
Luke Cage Lucas "Luke" Cage, born Carl Lucas and also known as Power Man, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr. in 1972, he was the first Af ...
'' (Singer at club in " Code of the Streets", " The Main Ingredient") *2021: '' The Masked Singer'' (Herself/Skunk)


Awards and nominations


Notes


References


External links


Official website
* *
Faith Evans interview by Pete Lewis, 'Blues & Soul' November 2010''Vibe'' interview, 2005
{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Faith 1973 births Living people Actresses from Newark, New Jersey African-American women singer-songwriters American women singer-songwriters African-American record producers Record producers from Florida African-American Christians American soul singers American women hip-hop singers American people convicted of drug offenses Bad Boy Records artists Capitol Records artists American people of English descent American people of Italian descent Grammy Award winners for rap music Singer-songwriters from New Jersey University High School (New Jersey) alumni Musicians from Lakeland, Florida Singers from Newark, New Jersey American sopranos Actresses from Florida Singer-songwriters from Florida 20th-century African-American actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century African-American actresses 21st-century American actresses American film actresses Fordham University alumni The Notorious B.I.G. American contemporary R&B singers American women hip-hop musicians American women record producers American women autobiographers American autobiographers Singer-songwriters from New York (state) 20th-century African-American women singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century African-American women singers 21st-century American women singers