43 Facts About Macy Gray

1.

Macy Gray is known for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday.

2.

Macy Gray has appeared in a number of films, including Training Day, Spider-Man, Scary Movie 3, Lackawanna Blues, Idlewild, For Colored Girls, and The Paperboy.

3.

Macy Gray is best known for her international hit single "I Try", taken from her multi-platinum debut album On How Life Is.

4.

Macy Gray's stepfather was a steelworker, and her sister is a biology teacher.

5.

Macy Gray has a younger brother, Nate, who owns a gym in West Philadelphia and was featured on the season five finale of Queer Eye.

6.

Macy Gray was late developing and did not learn to hold conversation until just before her tenth birthday.

7.

Macy Gray attended school with Brian Warner although they did not know each other.

8.

Macy Gray attended more than one high school, including a boarding school which asked her to leave due to her behavior.

9.

Macy Gray attended the University of Southern California and studied scriptwriting.

10.

Macy Gray gave me all these jazz CDs and I studied all these different singers and I kind of taught myself how to sing for a gig, but I didn't take it seriously until later.

11.

Macy Gray then met writer-producer Joe Solo while working as a cashier in Beverly Hills.

12.

Macy Gray performed on "Love Won't Wait", a song on the Black Eyed Peas' debut album Behind the Front.

13.

Macy Gray worked on her debut album in 1999 with producer Darryl Swann.

14.

Macy Gray then collaborated with Fatboy Slim, the Black Eyed Peas, and Slick Rick, as well as acting for the first time, in the thriller Training Day.

15.

Macy Gray worked with Santana on the track "Amore ", for his album Shaman.

16.

In 2003, Macy Gray released her third studio album, The Trouble with Being Myself, to rave reviews.

17.

Macy Gray began 2007 by being kicked off-stage at a concert in Barbados for profanity, but she was not aware that it was against the law in that country.

18.

Macy Gray gave a public apology that night to avoid arrest.

19.

On July 7,2007, Macy Gray performed at the Brazilian leg of Live Earth at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

20.

In 2008, Macy Gray launched a new campaign under the name "Nemesis Jaxson", with the single "Slap a Bitch".

21.

Early in 2009, Macy Gray recorded the song "Don't Forget Me" for the soundtrack of Confessions of a Shopaholic.

22.

In 2011, Macy Gray signed a deal with 429 Records and started recording a series of covers for her next studio album Covered.

23.

On February 16,2012, Macy Gray participated in the Sanremo Festival as a guest, performing alongside Gigi D'Alessio and Loredana Berte.

24.

In 2016, Macy Gray's career continued with an album produced by Chesky Records, the record label founded by Grammy-nominated composer and musician David Chesky.

25.

Macy Gray sang the theme song for the Nickelodeon animated series As Told by Ginger, composed by Jared Faber and Emily Kapnek.

26.

Macy Gray performed the song on the short-lived UPN romantic comedy Second Time Around starring Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker in 2004.

27.

In 2006 Macy Gray appeared in the eighth season of Bravo's Celebrity Poker Showdown, playing for Habitat for Humanity.

28.

On September 28,2008, Macy Gray sang the American national anthem as part of the Israeli flag-raising ceremony at the Israeli consulate of Los Angeles.

29.

Also in 2008, Macy Gray collaborated with Australian DJ and singer Kaz James on the song "Can't Hold Back".

30.

In 2009, Macy Gray briefly competed in season 9 of Dancing with the Stars with professional partner Jonathan Roberts.

31.

In 2015, Macy Gray was featured on the song "Into the Deep" by Galactic.

32.

In 2016, Macy Gray was featured on the song "Leave Me Lonely" by Ariana Grande.

33.

In 2018, Macy Gray was featured alongside Dolly Parton on a re-recording of "Two Doors Down" for the Dumplin' soundtrack.

34.

In 2020, Macy Gray was featured on the single "Out Of Love" by Canadian band Busty and the Bass.

35.

The band released a notable cover of Macy Gray's "I Try" in 2016.

36.

In 2021, Macy Gray competed in season three of the Australian version of The Masked Singer as "Atlantis".

37.

On February 20,2022, Macy Gray performed The Star-Spangled Banner at the 2022 NBA All-Star Game.

38.

Macy Gray represented her home state of Ohio at the 2022 America Song Contest with the song "Every Night".

39.

Macy Gray was married to Tracy Hinds, a mortgage broker, for about two years, but they divorced prior to her rise to prominence.

40.

Macy Gray opened the Macy Gray Music Academy in 2005.

41.

Macy Gray went on to state that she did not support the inclusion of transgender women in women's sports.

42.

Macy Gray's suggestions included two additional stars for Washington, DC and Puerto Rico, the white stripes to be recolored off-white and the stars to be given a variety of colors.

43.

Macy Gray won five of seventeen nominations, including Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and Brit Awards.