Sunshine Anderson

Though she sang in musicals and talent shows throughout her childhood, Charlotte, NC native Sunshine Anderson was discovered while she was waiting in line in a cafeteria at North Carolina Central University, the institution where she earned a B.S. in criminal justice. A friend of producer/Soulife A&R Vice President Mike City heard Anderson humming while she waited and introduced her to City. After she graduated from college, Anderson moved to Washington, D.C., and took a government job in human resources, but eventually relocated to Los Angeles, where she worked with City on her debut and found a manager in critically acclaimed singer Macy Gray. Propelled by the single "Heard It All Before," Anderson's first album -- 2001's Your Woman -- reached number two on Billboard's R&B albums chart and eventually went gold, selling over 800,000 copies. Sunshine at Midnight, released on Mathew Knowles' Music World label and featuring assistance from Raphael Saadiq (as well as City), was released nearly six years later and did not fare nearly as well. With the exception of one track, Anderson's third album, The Sun Shines Again (2010), was produced entirely by City. ~ Heather Phares