Ashanti Biography

(Singer-songwriter and Actress Know for Her Hit Song "Foolish")

Birthday: October 13, 1980 (Libra)

Born In: Glen Cove, New York, United States

Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and actress. The Grammy award winner rose to fame around the new millennium with the hit album “Ashanti” and the song “Foolish”. The album was the biggest sensation during that time and more than 5 lakh copies were sold. Ashanti was even registered in the Guinness Book of World Records for her debut album’s sales numbers. She was a part of the glamor industry from an early age, and worked in music videos and television commercials but she rose to fame with her contemporary R&B debut album. Her writing ability is also no less; her written song and singing for Jennifer Lopez “Ain’t it Funny (Murder Remix)” took the song to number one spot on the Billboard top 100. Ashanti was even honored with the title of “Princess of Hip Hop & R&B” by her company. She won eight Billboard awards along with two American Music Awards for the tremendous success of her album. Her stint as an actress in ‘Bride and Prejudice’ (2004), ‘About Time’ (2013) are worth mentioning.

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Quick Facts

Also Known As: Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas

Age: 43 Years, 43 Year Old Females

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Nelly

father: Ken-Kaide Thomas Douglas

mother: Tina Douglas

siblings: Kenashia Douglas

Born Country: United States

African Americans African American Women

Ancestry: Dominican American, Chinese Australian

City: Glen Cove, New York

U.S. State: New Yorkers

Childhood & Early Life
Ashanti was born on October 13, 1980, in the City of Glen Cove in Nassau County, near Long Island, New York. Her mother TinaDouglas was a former dance teacher while her dad Ken-Kaye Thomas Douglas was a former singer.
She was named after the Ashanti Empire of Ghana, where women held due power, and her mother wanted Ashanti to pursue the same virtue and gain power. Her mother enrolled her to a dancing school and she mastered dance forms like jazz and ballet.
Her singing ability surfaced much later. The singer’s first performance was a church choir, which she sang at the age of just three. Her singing potential was first recognized by her mother when she was singing Mary J Blige’s ‘Reminiscence’ at the age of twelve. Her mother pursued her for talent shows which later brought her recognition, and there has been no looking back since then.
During her high school days, Ashanti focused on writing songs and exploring her potential for writing stories, which could connect to the audience. She was also part of the English club which laid the foundation for writing poetry. The powerful and soulful voice that she possessed was noticed by industry experts, and she was offered her first singing contract with Jive Records at the age of fourteen.
Later, she signed with Epic records but that contract lasted just for a year due to management issues. She got admission in Hampton University in Virginia on a track scholarship, which she later dropped to pursue her singing career.
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Career & Later Life
Ashanti always wanted to pursue music career, but the path to success was not that easy. Her stints with Jive Records and Epic didn’t fare well, whic did not help her career.
Later, she joined AJM Records, which ultimately helped her getting noticed by Irv Gotti, the multi-platinum producer of Murder Inc. He recognized her true potential of writing and singing and gave her a platform to showcase her talent to the music industry. This contact brought Ashanti her first musical act as a guest vocalist on the song “How we Roll” by Big Pun. The song was a huge success which made an entry to the top of BillBoard charts 2001. After this success, she signed a contract with the Murder Inc. and started off working for her debut album.
Prior to the release of her album, Ashanti collaborated with many artists to make her presence felt in the industry. She joined rapper Ja Rule for the song “Always on Time” and sung in the chorus for Fat Joe’s single “What’s Luv”. The name and fame achieved by these songs inspired, Ashanti to come with her solo track “Foolish”. The success of these songs was such that it appeared in the top 10 of Billboard Hot 100 list. The songs “Always on Top” and “What’s Luv” took away the top two spots which made Ashanti the first female singer to hold these two prestigious positions in America. The singer also sang the “Fast and Furious” title track.
Her debut album “Ashanti” in 2002 turned out as the biggest milestone in her career. It sold more than 500,000 copies in its maiden week, which set a Soundscan record of maximum sold out debut album of a female singer.
The success of the album continued with her next album ‘Chapter II’ in the year 2003. The next album was also placed at the number 1 slot in the Billboard 200 category. This was followed by two not so successful albums - ‘Concrete Rose’ (2004) and ‘The Declaration’ (2008).
Currently, she features as a leading actor in the Army Wives series produced by ABC and is also working on an untitled album.
Major Works
The major works of Ashanti include her debut album “Ashanti”, which kick-started her career with a bang and won her many accolades including the prestigious Grammy awards.
The Songs such as “Always on Time;” “How We Roll;” “What’s Luv” were part of the Billboard top 100 and contributed immensely to her career. Ashanti has even sung the title track of ‘Fast and Furious’.
The singer is also known for ‘The Braveheart’ (2014) depicting heart-wrenching single "Never Should Have” and "The Woman You Love" featuring Busta Rhymes and "That's What We Do" featuring R. Kelly.
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Awards and Achievements
She has won eight Billboard awards, one Grammy Award, the Soul Train Aretha Franklin Award and two American music awards, for her debut album. Along with her Grammy, she has also received a MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Award, a Comet Award (Grammy Equivalent in Germany), Lady of Soul Awards, a Teen Choice Award and Nickelodeon's Kid Choice Award.
She has also won several nominations, which include an MTV movie award nomination and an NAACP Image Award nomination for her role as Kera in "Coach Carter."
Personal Life & Legacy
Not much is known about Ashanti’s personal life. Ashanti was known to be dating rapper-singer, Nelly, in 2003, but later in 2007, the two separated.
Trivia
She wrote all the 12 tracks of her self-titled debut album
She featured at a number 13 position on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list.
Her songs "Foolish", "Always On Time", and "What's Luv" appeared in the top 10 all in one week.
Ashanti is the first R&B singer to join Murder Inc. Records.
She was born half African-American, half Chinese
She geatured at number 81 position in FHM's "100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005" special supplement.

See the events in life of Ashanti in Chronological Order

How To Cite

Article Title
- Ashanti Biography
Author
- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
Website
- TheFamousPeople.com
URL
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/ashanti-9481.php

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