Tamyra Gray

Tamyra Gray warmed the hearts of Americans, and overnight, this Maryland native had become a star.

Tamyra was already used to making an impact. The third of twelve children, Tamyra was encouraged to pursue her passion for performing and showed early on that she had the proclivity and talent to wow a crowd. Appearing at the Kennedy Center with her choir in the fourth grade for a performance in front of President Reagan and Harry Belafonte and then later singing a rendition of En Vogue’s “Just can’t stay away” at a school talent show where her performance took the house down, and solidified Tamyra’s dream of music superstardom.

With the critical acclaim that followed her appearances on “American Idol”, Tamyra parlayed the attention into an acting career. Almost immediately, she caught the eye of David E. Kelly, who cast Tamyra in a recurring role on “Boston Public”. She continued honing her skill in guest starring roles on the situation comedies“Half and Half”, “All of Us”, and the W.B’s “What I Like About You”, along with another dramatic turn on the Fox drama “Tru Calling”. Gray made her Broadway debut as the lead in the Bollywood themed musical “Bombay Dreams” at the Broadway Theatre. Earlier this year, Tamyra made a jump to the big screen with a leading role in the critically aclaimed feature film, “The Gospel”.

Tamyra’s popularity and her ability to seduce an audience also caught the attention of major advertisers and landed her ongoing commercial projects with Coca-Cola and most recently for Swedish retailer H&M. H&M made her the face of their new clothing line &Denim where Gray was featured in a short film directed by David LaChapelle where her acting performance not only brings you to tears but her vocal rendition of “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” (from Dreamgirls) will leave you speechless.

While persuing her music and acting career, Tamyra also honed her writing skills and co-wrote the song “you Thought Wrong” for former Idol mate, Kelly Clarkson and the hit single “I Believe” for Fantasia, winner of the third Idol season.

Tamyra remains focused on her music and acting. She is currently working on a new album which is due to release in 2006. When asked about her vision for her career in music, Tamyra conjures the free spirited attitude of singers in the 1960’s and 70’s when artists and songs weren’t so rigidly categorized. “Back then, a great song could be heard on a variety of radio stations. Good music transcended genre and was just appreciated for what it was,” Gray explains. “If I can create some new songs with staying power, while helping younger people rediscover the classics, then I will have truly achieved something worthwhile”

What Tamyra Gray is too humble to say, is that her ability to capture an audience, whether it be singing on a stage, or through her acting on television and film, and to do so with such inimitable class and grace, already makes her an artist worthy of the highest esteem. Blessed with a superlative voice and the uncanny ability to be both transcendent and accessible, impassioned and beautiful, Tamyra Gray is a star in the truest sense of the word.