Screen veteran Viola Davis has had a phenomenal year, thanks to her role in “The Help.” Our August ESSENCE cover star, Davis has been nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress, and is currently enjoying the new found joy of mommy-hood after adopting daughter Genesis in October.
Kelly Rowland is the latest Destiny’s Child member to finally have her own breakout year after Beyonce. The singer sizzled with the hit song, “Motivation,” which topped R&B charts. Not to mention she became a judge on “X-Factor UK” and the face of Sean John’s “Empress” fragrance.
Hip hop’s own “Barbie” dominated the charts, and pop culture, in 2011. Her debut album “Pink Friday” was certified platinum in June. Her outfits from the video “Super Bass” were the most Googled Halloween costumes of 2011, according to the New York Post. To top it off she was named Billboard’s “Rising Star” of 2011.
Newcomer Dee Rees’ directorial debut “Pariah” was funded through donations from friends for less than $500,000. The film earned stellar reviews and a Breakthrough Director award for Ress at the 21st annual Gotham Independent Film Awards. “Pariah” is also nominated for two 2012 Independent Spirit Awards.
At just 30 years old, playwright Katori Hall made her Broadway debut with “The Mountaintop,” a fictional account of Rev. Martin Luther King’s final night in Memphis. The play stars Angela Bassett and Samuel L. Jackson. “It’s really been a life-changing experience to see wonderful actors do your work,” Hall recently told ESSENCE.com.
The British singer is one of the most talked-about artists of the year. Her accomplishments? Her album “21” sold over 3 million copies, going quadruple-platinum, she was nominated for six Grammys, and Billboard named her the Top Artist of the Year.
“Braxton Family Values” star Tamar Braxton may have a famous older sister (Toni Braxton), but she’s all reality junkies were talking about in 2011. So popular was Tamar that she scored her very own reality show.
A newcomer in the rap game, J.Cole made quite the debut when his album “Cole World: The Sideline Story,” which sold 218,000 copies during its first week and landed him at number one on Billboard charts. His effort also earned him a Grammy nomination for best new artist. Not bad for a newbie.
Jill Scott’s fourth album, “Light of the Sun,” became her first album to debut at number one on the charts. Go Jill!
The year’s most exciting new singer and songwriter (he wrote Beyonce’s “I Miss You” among others), Frank Ocean’s eclectic R&B earned him enough buzz to get a call from Jay-Z and Kanye West, who featured him on two songs on their hit album, “Watch the Throne.” Judging by the success of his mixtape, “nostalgia: ULTRA,” Ocean’s debut album in 2012 will be well worth the wait.