Jody Watley

Jody Watley is a GRAMMY® Award–winning Best New Artist and 3x nominee, multi-platinum singer, songwriter, producer, entrepreneur, and style icon.  

Renowned as one of the most defining female artists of the 80s and 90s with Top 10 hits including the iconic “Looking for a New Love,” “Don’t You Want Me,” “Friends” ft. Eric B. & Rakim, and the gold-certified “Real Love,” she has built a genre-spanning, critically acclaimed catalog across disco (as a original former member of the trio Shalamar), R&B, Pop, Dance, Jazz, Electronica — from the 1980s to today. Her latest release, Let’s Dance Vol. 1, reached #1 on iTunes Top Dance Albums in July 2025.

An award-winning songwriter (BMI Medal of Honor, Women’s Songwriters Hall of Fame), Watley is ranked by Billboard among the Top 25 Dance Artists of All Time and Top 65 Hot 100 Female Artists of All Time. Her honors include Black Music Honors Crossover Icon and the 2022 Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.

The former original Shalamar member and Chicago native is also celebrated as a fashion and cultural trailblazer, Watley has been featured in GAP & SAKS 5th Avenue ad campaigns, VOGUE, Harper’s Bazaar, Rolling Stone, People Magazines Most Beautiful Issue and more.  

A pioneer at the intersection of music and style, Jody Watley’s multi-decade, multi-generational career continues to evolve with a legacy of sound and a style that endures.