D'Atra Hicks

With a voice destined to be heard by millions, D'Atra Hicks was born in Harlem, New York City in 1968. She began singing in her grandfather's church choir as a child, and by her early teens, Hicks and her sister Taral had formed a singing group called The Hicks Sisters. The pair recorded a demo, which eventually made it to the ears of Broadway producers, who offered Hicks the lead role in the play "Mama I Want to Sing!" Hicks joined the cast of the show in 1985. It soon became a major hit, and Hicks continued with the production for the next five years, even as she signed a solo recording deal with Capitol Records and released a self-titled album in 1989. After appearing as a stand-in in the musical "Smokey Joe's Cafe," Hicks began collaborating with Tyler Perry, appearing in his touring stage play "Madea's Family Reunion" in 2002. She would appear in a number of Perry's other plays including "What's Done in the Dark" and "Laugh to Keep from Crying." Eventually, Hicks' fame and experience in the realm of African American theater led to her appearing prominently on the Bravo reality series "Your Husband is Cheating on Us" (Bravo, 2018-).