With one of the most distinctive voices in the music world today, singer Macy Gray has straddled both the soul and R&B genres with great success.

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caption="Macy Gray is your Connector of the Day."]

Known for her raspy voice, Gray has released a total of five studio albums since 1999 and has been awarded five Grammy nominations and one win.

Born in Canton, Ohio in 1967, Gray got her foot wet in the music world by writing songs for a friend who wanted to record a demo.

Despite particularly not liking her own voice, Gray's performances at jazz clubs around Los Angeles garnered a lot of attention and record producers at Atlantic Records eventually signed her.

Gray's debut album "On How Life Is," released in 1999 and was both a commercial and critical success.

The second single on the album, "I Try," was a huge success and many fans will instantly recognize the soulful song as Gray's. "I Try" won the Grammy award for best female pop vocal performance the same year.

Gray's second album, "The Id," was another hit for the singer, peaking at number 11 on the Billboard charts in the U.S. and reaching number one in the UK.

Gray released a third and fourth studio album in 2003 and 2007 called "The Trouble with Being Myself" and "Big".

Today, Gray is out with her fifth album called "The Sellout."