Cynthia Erivo’s music education and evolution, from 1. Growing up listening to Nigerian music at family gatherings → 2. Discovering her voice through singing along to Brandy, Monica, and TLC → 3. Joining the choir in high school and going to university for music psychology → 4. Working as an usher in a local theater and realizing that she had to perform → 5. Honing her skills as a musician and actress, embracing vulnerability → 6. Performing as Aretha Franklin and studying her ability to communicate complex musical feelings without knowing how to read music

Cynthia Erivo is a GRAMMY, Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress, singer, author, and producer, as well as an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and SAG nominee. Since bursting onto the West End and Broadway stages in “The Color Purple,” she has taken the world by storm. Erivo is currently in production on Universal’s film adaptation of the hit musical WICKED, where she will star as Elphaba opposite Ariana Grande’s Glinda in the highly anticipated film from director Jon M. Chu. She was most recently seen starring in Disney+’s PINOCCHIO as the Blue Fairy opposite Tom Hanks, Keegan Michael Key and Luke Evans. She will next be seen in Netflix’s LUTHER where she will star alongside Idris Elba and Andy Serkis in the feature film installment, which continues the story of the acclaimed BBC crime series. Erivo can also next be seen in the film DRIFT directed by Anthony Chen, where she stars in and produced. Drift follows a young Liberian refugee named Jacqueline (Erivo) who has barely escaped her war-torn country to a Greek island. The film had its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22nd, 2023. 

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