Katrina C. Willis (born October 2, 1971) is a singer/songwriter, musician and producer. She was one of four co-writers of

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 ...

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-winning single "Wonderful". and

Luther Vandross Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...

's "Say It Now". With two others she wrote

The Temptations The Temptations is an American vocal group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1961 as The Elgins, known for their string of successful singles and albums with Motown from the 1960s to the mid-1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield ...

' "I'm Here", and was one of four co-writers of singer/songwriter-turned-Reality T.V. personality

Kandi Burruss Kandi Burruss (born May 17, 1976), known professionally by her mononym Kandi, is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She first gained notice in 1992 as a member of the multi-platinum R&B female vocal group Xscape ...

's solo debut single "

Don't Think I'm Not "Don't Think I'm Not" is the debut solo single of American R&B singer Kandi from her debut album, '' Hey Kandi...'' (2000). Kandi co-wrote the song with Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Katrina Willis, and Bernard Edwards Jr. and produced it alongs ...

". She also wrote movie soundtracks, including ''

Big Momma's House ''Big Momma's House'' is a 2000 crime comedy film, directed by Raja Gosnell, and written by Darryl Quarles and Don Rhymer. The film stars Martin Lawrence as an FBI agent who is tasked with tracking down an escaped convict and his loot, by goi ...

''.

Early life

Katrina C. Willis was born in

Kettering, Ohio Kettering is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. It is an inner suburb of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton. The city had a population of 57,862 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the most populous suburb in the Dayton metr ...

, the youngest of four children.

Career

In 1998 through Ian Burke's affiliation with

So So Def Records So So Def Recordings is an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, founded by producer Jermaine Dupri in 1993. Specializing in Southern hip hop, R&B, and bass music, the label has signed musical acts such as Bow Wow, Kris Kross, Xsca ...

founder

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 ...

and his publishing company Air Control Music, then

EMI Music Publishing EMI Music Publishing Ltd. is a British multinational music publishing company headquartered in London, owned by Sony Music Publishing. In May 2018, Sony Music Publishing agreed to increase its stake in EMI to 90%, pending regulatory approva ...

Executive Leotis Clyburn signed her to a co-publishing deal under EMI/Air Control Music (acquired in 2018 by

Sony/ATV Sony Music Publishing LLC (formerly Sony/ATV Music Publishing) is an American Music publisher (popular music), music publisher. Responsible for publishing the largest quantity of music, with over five million songs owned or administered as of en ...

.) As a writer with EMI Music Publishing/Air Control Willis had the opportunity to collaborate with various writers, artists, and producers. Willis's song "Just So You Know", co-written with Laney Stewart and Tab, was included on Kandi's 2000 album ''Hey Kandi...'' In 2004 she recorded and released her own album, through her own independent label Willisongs, Inc,. titled ''K. Willis & The Collection''

References

External links

Katrina Willis Discography

Katrina Willis Credits

Katrina Willis Musicians’ Galore Songwriters
*
KATRINA WILLIS Warner/Chappell Composer
{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, Katrina University of Cincinnati alumni 1971 births American rhythm and blues singers Living people