ON STAGE AND OFF: Heather Headley - Homesick for Broadway and more... - nytimes.com

[macbeth]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 7:53am

https://www.broadwayworld.com/l.cfm?id=21430

We miss her too...

Posted: 2/13/04 at 8:56am

Okay, this from the woman who said, after leaving Aida), something about wanting to break free of Broadway and being "glad she had done it" but that it wasn't really where her heart was and she used it as a stepping stone.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 9:13am

Well, I love Heather but it's clear this is from a woman who just LOST 2 Grammy's. How quickly people change their tunes to fit their circumstances. She wouldn't be "missing" anything if she had won a little gold grammaphone.

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 9:32am

There was no way she could have won. Not a snowballs chance in hell against the more popular competition.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 9:36am

You are absolutely right. In a much earlier thread, I said the very same thing. I thought it was shocking that she was even nominated. Her fan base has not expanded beyond Broadway yet, hard as they have tried.

[Benzy92]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 9:38am

I love this woman so much. I hope she comes back VERY soon..

[crp2000]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 9:38am

Whether she used it as a stepping stone or not doesn't matter. What matters is that if she wants to come back, there are hundreds of producers & millions of fans awaiting her return. It's unfortunate that people continue to take her dreams of recording an R&B album comments out of context.
I wish her the best of luck and will be BREAKING MY NECK to get tickets to this One Night Only "Home" concert!

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 9:39am

I heard some clips from the CD and I don't know if its just the clips I heard or what, but she was not using those amazing pipes she's gifted with, so what's the deal? IF YA GOT IT FLAUNT IT BABY!

[Al Dente]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 9:43am

I think she belongs on Broadway. She is an original there, in the land of R&B, she's completely out of her element. The competition is too young, too hot and it has nothing to do with whether or not you have amazing pipes anymore. It's all about Ashanti and Beyonce' now. The days when it meant something to be a great singer/artist are coming to an end. It's more about how short your skirt is now and how good your butt looks in it. Btw, just to clarify, I'm NOT saying this is a good thing.

[crp2000]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 9:52am

i couldn't agree with you more. the industry is extremely saturated with light-skinned performers with long DREADFUL hair-weaves and no true vocal power!!
Heather was definitely ready for the R&B scene - however the R&B scene wasn't ready for her.

i hope her second album showcases her range more than the first. from what i've been hearing, that's exactly what Clive Davis intends to do.

[chinkie azn jai]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 10:21am

YAY hopefully ill get to see her when she comes back to broadway!

[DefyingGravity2]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 10:46am

Yeah, and maybe this time she won't be such a bee-otch when it comes to signing autographs and recognizing her fans.

[Corine2]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 10:56am

That is so true.
Why is Brittany the rage? Her body because she sucks in my opinion.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 10:58am

Jeez, not her too? Don't tell me, her "label" said she can't sign autographs, wink, wink, nudge, nudge.

[Sumofallthings]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 11:22am

tap tap pivot pivot step kick kick leap kick touch again
nudge nudge wink wink giggle giggle again

[Al Dente]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 11:24am

Now that was funny!

[Thetruth]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 3:52pm

Heather knew she wasn't going to win either of her categories. Her being nominated was truly an accomplishment for her. She was one of the most "slept on" new artists to come out in the last year or so. She's gaining fans and her audience is expanding outside of broadway. She definitly didnt make the best song choices for her CD and her first single wasn't a good lead in either. I'm still confused on whether "He Is" is about God or a man? When she came out with "I Wish I Wasn't" heads started to turn. This next CD is crucial for her. Right now, there is that vacant Whitney spot. Of course there will never be another Whitney Houston b.c. but somebody in that penumbra


If Heather is smart she'll do broadway and pop music. I'd actually like to see what she'd do with a dramatic role in a film.

[crp2000]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 4:59pm

Her next cd is definitely crucial - and i'm sure Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis are working on more material as powerful (if not more powerful) than 'I Wish'.

For the record - Heather is far from a b!tch!
I have several autographs and a photo taken with her. She's easily one of the sweetest people i've ever met.

[Kavana]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 5:49pm

Heather doesnt need to work with Jimmy Jam and Terry
thats her problem

[Al Dente]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 6:11pm

Exactly Kavana. If she could find a way to be as original in the music world as she was on Broadway, and stop chasing the trail that Lauren Hill and Erykah Baduh blazed, she'd be fine. She can't compete the way she's been presenting her style, thus far. You also can't compare her to a pre crack-head Whitney. Whitney Houston was a 20 year old Goddess with an *amazing* voice. There was no one like Whitney around at the time.

[Wicked_Elphie]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 7:22pm

I loovvvee Heather Headly and I don't care what it was that made her want to come back to Broadway I'm just glad that she does!!

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 2/13/04 at 7:31pm

When and if they ever make RENT into a film, I think Heather Headley would be a treat to see as Joanne Jefferson.

[Thetruth]

Posted: 2/14/04 at 2:25am

I wasn't comparing her to Whitney. I just said the spot was open. And I wasnt' exactly talkin about Whitney in her 20's. Granted, we don't know for sure when Whitney started using until it became more obvious. I was thinking along the lines of Whitney during the the time of Waiting To Exhale, The Preacher's Wife, The Bodyguard years as far as a career goal.

Yeah, I think she needs to stop all that Lauryn Hill chasing because I don't think that's anything original. It was her voice that carried her CD now she needs the material as well.

[Al Dente]

Posted: 2/14/04 at 2:58pm

My point is that, she was well on her way to being one of the most celebrated musical theater stars, with no signs of that slowing down, yet she chose to go in to a world that doesn't need, or necessarily, want her. She had a perfectly wonderful career on Broadway. I'm all for expanding horizons, but one Tony wasn't enough to fly the coop, so soon.

[DefyingGravity2]

Posted: 2/14/04 at 4:29pm

"For the record - Heather is far from a b!tch!
I have several autographs and a photo taken with her. She's easily one of the sweetest people i've ever met."

Well crp2000, next time you see your "sweet" friend Heather please tell her sweetness not to be such a rude bee-otch to her PAYING fans and take a minute to acknowledge them. It wasn't like there was even a crowd waiting for autographs that day she b!tched us. It would have taken two seconds to either sign something or to tell people that she didn't do autographs but was pleased that we had seen the show. H#ll, even a smile in our direction would have been okay. Yeah, I was left with the impression of sweetness just emanating from her. So pass our displeasure on to her sweetness, that is, if you can find the time between all the sucking up you no doubt do, you plug!