Dani Stevenson

Dani Stevenson (born September 3, 1980) is an American contemporary R&B singer-songwriter. She is best known for her background vocals on Nelly's single, "Hot in Herre" and her own singles, "Honk Your Horn" (featuring Missy Elliott) and "Yo, Yo, Yo" which was featured in the film XXX starring Vin Diesel.

Dani Stevenson
Also known asDani Stevens, The Bride[1]
Born (1980-09-03) September 3, 1980
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
OriginHarlem, New York, U.S.
GenresR&B, jazz, soul, funk, hip hop
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, backing vocalist
Years active2001–present
LabelsUniversal, Elektra,[2] Starrlet Ent., Lovers Lane Entertainment

Early life

At the age of 12, Dani Stevenson moved from her hometown Atlanta, Georgia, to Harlem, New York. Upon her arrival in Harlem, she had deep aspirations of pursuing a music career. She went on to perform the National Anthem at a junior high graduation and appeared in various talent contests. In 1998, she performed at the Greenwich Village open mic circuit.[3]

Music career

By August 2001, Stevenson met up with producer Rhemario Webber through a mutual friend and the two teamed up to craft a 10-track demo. The result was a contract deal with Universal Records in February 2002.[3] After signing to Universal, the label suggested Stevenson to contribute vocals to labelmate Nelly's 2002 single, "Hot in Herre"; Stevenson agreed and collaborated with Nelly and producer Pharrell Williams. Stevenson recalled, "Nelly was writing lyrics in his two-way; Pharrell [from the Neptunes] wanted the song to be sexy. He sang it the way he wanted me to sing it, and then I just put my own little stamp on it. It only took about 15 minutes."[4]

Following the song's success, Universal Records gave her the go to prepare a debut album. Stevenson alongside Webber wrote 11 out of the 13 tracks and incorporated the 10-track demo to the debut.[5] The debut album was tentatively titled Is There Another?! and was scheduled for a release in March 2003.[6] The Missy Elliott–produced "Honk Your Horn" was released as the album's lead single on September 17, 2002.[7] Although it was released to the general public that year, it did not begin to chart until October 2003, a year following its original release. On August 6, 2002, the soundtrack to XXX was released and featured Stevenson's song, "Yo, Yo, Yo". The song would be released on April 29, 2003, as the second single from Stevenson's debut.[8] By 2004, Is There Another?! had passed its scheduled release date and its singles still failed to make a proper entry on the Billboard charts. As a result, Stevenson left Universal Records and her debut album was shelved.

In 2006, nearly two years after her departure with Universal, Stevenson contributed to Norman Hedman's Tropique's final studio album, Garden of Forbidden Fruit.[9]

In 2010, Stevenson inked a new deal with Starrlet Entertainment, and released the single "Wishing Well" alongside its music video on September 6 of that same year.[10][11] In 2011, Stevenson began working with Ruff Ryders rapper DMX. Stevenson contributed vocals to DMX and New Orleans rap group N.O.4's collaborative single, "Tell Ya Friends".[12] By December 2011, Stevenson was featured in the single's music video.[13] In 2012, Stevenson was featured on DMX's album, Undisputed, on the track "Sucka for Love".[14]

Discography

Singles
List of singles, with selected chart positions, showing year charted and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US 100 Sales US R&B Sales
"Honk Your Horn"[15][16]
(featuring Missy Elliott)		 2003 2448 Is There Another?!
"Yo, Yo, Yo"[17] 2004 —71
"Wishing Well" 2010 —— non-album single
"Take Your Girl" (featuring Beanz) 2020 ——
List of singles, showing year released and album name
Title Year Album
"Tell Ya Friends"
(N.O.4 featuring DMX and Dani Stevenson)		 2011 The Beginning

Album guest appearances
Year Title Album Artist(s)
2002 "Hot in Herre" Nellyville Nelly
"Yo, Yo, Yo" XXX —
"Headz Up" Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz Nappy Roots
2006 "Garden of Forbidden Fruit" Garden of Forbidden Fruit Norman Hedman's Tropique
2009 "Picture Perfect" Da Movement, Vol. 1 Phoenix, Justice aka Martini
2011 "I'll Still Be Here" Blaack History Blaack
2012 "Sucka for Love" Undisputed DMX

Music videos
Year Title Director(s) Ref.
2002 "Miss You" Darren Grant [18]
"Headz Up" — [19]
2010 "Wishing Well" Dani S. [11]
2011 "Tell Ya Friends" Francois Barthe & Jeff Adair [13]

Concert tours

Filmography
Year Title Episode Notes
2002 The Jenny Jones Show[21] 2632 Aired December 6, 2002; Stevenson performs "Yo, Yo, Yo"
2003 Marc Dorsey's R&B Live & Unplugged[22] Pilot Originally taped on April 2, 2003

References
  1. "Fine China". August 8, 2013. Retrieved October 7, 2013 – via YouTube.
  2. Conway, Corren. "The Vibe Spot." Vibe. February 2003: 142. Print.
  3. Kemp, Courtney. "NEXT > Dani Stevenson: The Hookup." Vibe. January 2003: 66. Print.
  4. Goodman, Nigel. "START > Famous Hookers." Vibe. December 2002: 92. Print
  5. "Davi Stevenson Biography". ARTISTdirect Music. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  6. "Rising R&B Stars Make Music Magic at Organic Soul Night in New York City." Jet. December 16, 2002: 53. Print.
  7. "Honk Your Horn – Dani Stevenson > Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  8. "Yo Yo Yo – Dani Stevenson > Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  9. "Garden of Forbidden Fruit – Norman Hedman > Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  10. "Wishing Well – Single by Dani Stevenson". iTunes Store. September 6, 2010. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  11. "Dani Stevens Wishing Well". September 6, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2013 – via YouTube.
  12. "N.O.4 f. DMX & Dani Stevenson – "Tell Ya Friends"". HipHop DX. HipHopDX.com. December 14, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  13. "N.O.4 "Tell Ya Friends" feat DMX and Dani Stevenson Prod. by Deezle". December 10, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2013 – via YouTube.
  14. Jeffries, David. "Undisputed – DMX > Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved March 27, 2013.
  15. "Hot 100 Singles Sales." Billboard. October 18, 2003: 59. Print.
  16. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales". Billboard. November 8, 2003: 24. Print.
  17. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales." Billboard. January 24, 2004: 20. Print.
  18. "Dani Stevenson during Filming of Miss You Aaliyah Tribute Video at..." Wireimage. wireimage.com. November 13, 2002. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  19. "Nappy Roots - Headz Up (Official Video)". YouTube.com. October 26, 2009. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  20. "3LW And Dani Stevenson at EllGirl Concert". rnbdirt.com. February 14, 2003. Retrieved March 29, 2013.
  21. "Jenny Jones – Episode Guide". MSN TV. Archived from the original on April 11, 2013. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
  22. Mitchell, Gail. "Rhythm, Rap, and The Blues > Screen Scene." Billboard. April 12, 2003: 15. Print.
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