Grammy winner Jody Watley, singer/songwriter/producer/businesswoman, is one of the architects of 21st century pop music and style aesthetics.

From her groundbreaking marriage of rap & R&B (1987’s “Friends,” a collaboration with hip-hop legends Eric B. & Rakim a pairing that is the first to garner R&B/Hip-Hop, Pop and Dance into the Top 10 in all formats) to her vision-forward marriage of personal branding of high fashion, street fashion and music in the ‘80s (long before it became the norm), the first showcasing of voguing by a major pop star, showing the relationship between high fashion and club culture, showcasing high fashion in music videos way before it was the thing to do, creating a space where B-boys, drag queens and trans people are all in harmony to her fusion of jazz and underground club culture with keen pop instincts, and the ease with which she crossed and still crosses genre, Jody Watley forged the template that is now everybody’s playbook.

In 2018 Watley was listed in Billboard Magazine as one of the Top 25 Dance Artists of All Time and in the Top 60 Hot 100 Artists of All Time.

Winner of the Best New Artist Grammy in 1987, Jody Watley’s entire career has been about looking forward, drawing inspiration from personal heroes like Grace Jones, David Bowie, Diana Ross and jazz great Nancy Wilson – iconoclasts who were always ten steps ahead of the pack. The Chicago native’s eclectic repertoire – R&B, hip-hop, House, jazz, pop, drum & bass, ambient, spoken-word – is built on a positive vision and a strong taste for artistic and aesthetic risk.

Her self-titled 1987 solo debut – a showcase for her vocal chops and songwriting skills – was a beats & grooves tribute to her club kid roots, from the underground spots she frequented as a teenager to her stardom (while still a teen) as one of the most popular dancers in the history of iconic TV show “Soul Train.” It yielded the chart topping hits “Looking for a New Love” (which launched the Jody-penned phrase “Hasta la vista” into popular vernacular, becoming so huge that Arnold Schwarzenegger jacked it for his signature line in the movie The Terminator), “Don’t You Want Me,” “Most of All,” “Some Kind of Lover” and “Still a Thrill,” whose video was the first (and as yet unmatched) time a pop star flexed their skills at waacking, the underground Los Angeles dance that is a sibling to both breakdancing and voguing.

1989’s Larger Than Life, her blockbuster sophomore album, yielded the hits “Real Love” (whose influential music video – nominated for seven MTV Video Music Awards – was her second collaboration with acclaimed film director David Fincher, the first being her sleek video for “Most of All”), as well as the sultry Top 10 ballad “Everything.”

Like many artists who top the charts, Watley soon found herself stymied by the limited vision of her label, who wanted to shoehorn her into formula of conventional hit-making. The albums Affairs of the Heart (1991) and Intimacy (1993) displayed her deepening songwriting skills and singing prowess, as well as her assured experimentation with layered musical textures, but label support was missing-in-action. The powerful, beat-driven spoken-word track “When a Man Loves a Woman” from Affairs sparked controversy for addressing AIDS and domestic violence long before they were topics of national conversation, and her skittish label turned its back on the track and album. Though Watley’s artistry continued to deepen and grow, she was hamstrung by her label’s lack of support and their adherence to the same narrow definitions of success that saw her leave iconic R&B group Shalamar at the height of its popularity in 1983. Her own definition of success centered then and now on artistic growth and freedom, not simply replicating whatever was or is hot at the moment.

After breaking from the majors and starting her own label Avitone Recordings in 1995, starting with the bold anthem "Affection" banned on certain mainstream stations because of the lyrics "It doesn't matter if you're young or old, straight or gay - everyone needs to feel loved." Jody Watley has always been at the forefront of equality and support of the LGBT community.

Watley began collaborating with a Who’s Who of visionary producers and remixers, many of whom were longtime fans and jumped at the chance to work with her: 4 Hero, King Britt, Kenny “Dope” Gonzalez & Little Louie Vega, Mark de Clive Lowe, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, Ron Trent, Moto Blanco, and Alex Di Ciò. Thanks to her non-stop touring, her global fan base remains as fervent as ever and they’ve made chart and club hits of Ms. Watley’s indie and critically acclaimed albums – Affection (1995), Flower (1998), The Saturday Night Experience (1999), Midnight Lounge (2001), and The Makeover (2006) – and 2014 EP Paradise.

For the past five years, the ever multi-tasking ,Watley has focused on both her thriving solo career and the group project “Jody Watley featuring SRL.” Much like Prince had The Revolution, NPG, and Third Eye Girl (among many other projects and aliases) as extensions or branches of his music and creativity, Jody Watley feat. SRL allows her another outlet for her artistic expression, and has produced two Top 5 UK Soul Chart Hits with "The Mood" and "The Passion" in 2018, while also releasing the solo jazz bossa nova single "Waiting In Vain" a surprise Top 10 Smooth Jazz Hit adding to an already eclectic and ongoing repertoire of music.

What links “Waiting” to the rest of Ms. Watley’s far-ranging and impossible to pigeonhole catalogue (which has seen her hit the charts in every decade of her career, from 1977’s Uptown Festival album with Shalamar to 2018’s “Waiting in Vain” single) is the sincerity and honesty from which it springs.

“Everything I’ve ever done has been to be distinctively Jody Watley,” says the pop icon herself, “from my first solo album through right now. Everything that I will ever do always has to be authentic to me, work that I can always be proud of first and foremost. It’s not so much about, ‘Oh, this is going to be popular,’ or ‘Oh, this is going to be a big hit.’ It’s always been so personal to me, everything that I do. And the fans can feel that. They connect with the honesty.”

6 Top 10 Hot 100 Singles, 15 top 40 Top 100 Singles, 13 Number 1 Dance Singles

As the consumate live music artist Jody Watley's ecelectic catalog offers the options: Full with her dynamic rhythm section and dancers (includes solo classics, current hits, choice Shalamar classics, SRL); Packages Jody Watley 80's and 90's only (Freestyle, Rewind and Retro Festivals) and the more niche Soul/Jazz  (combo sets with a trio of musicians and her jazzier leaning catalog).

Watley's award and nominee tally include, One of Billboard Magazine's Top Female Artists of All Time, One of Billboard Magazine's Top 25 Dance Artists of All Time,  Grammy's, American Music Awards, MTV Awards ("Real Love" directed by David Fincher remains one of MTV's Most Nominated of All Time), NAACP Image Award Nominee, Billboard Life Achievement In Dance Music.

Featured The Historic The Black Issue, VOGUE Italia 2008

People's Magazine 50 Most Beautiful

Harper's Bazaar Magazine America's 10 Most Beautiful

GAP, first celebrity ad campaign

LA Eyeworks, first celebrity ad campaign

Dance to Fitness, First Number 1 Fitness Video by a woman of color and recording artist

SPUR Japan, first woman of color to appear on the cover of a Japanese fashion magazine for the lauch of SPUR.

Fashion layouts include: Rolling Stone, Harper's Bazaar, Saks Fifth Avenue Fall Catalog.