Boasting a five-octave range, which she handles with beauty and ease, Shanice began her career scatting with the late great legendary Ella Fitzgerald for Kentucky Fried Chicken at the tender age of 8 years old and became the grand champion of Star Search at the ripe age of eleven. Her first album was released at age fourteen garnering 2 top ten hits on the Billboard R & B chart but it was her worldwide smash, “I Love Your Smile,” a top 5 hit in twenty-two countries that brought Shanice a Grammy nomination, Germany's Golden Lion Award and international stardom! “Saving Forever For You” from the Beverly Hills 90210 soundtrack followed, peaking at #5 on the Billboard top 100. With her incredible vocal mastery, Shanice would set the standard that many young singers would follow. She has collaborated with the likes of Kenny Loggins on his “Live in the Redwoods” album singing the duets “Love Will Follow” and “I Would Do Anything.” She is featured on Kenny Babyface Edmonds’ MTV Unplugged project, singing “Breathe Again.” Shanice also performed the duet, “If I Never Knew You” in English and Spanish with Latin pop star John Secada, on the multi-platinum “Pochahontas” soundtrack as well as performing heart melting renditions of “The Prayer”, live in both English and Italian, with Josh Groban. Shanice also performed background vocals on Michael Jackson songs, “Keep the Faith”, “Will You Be There?” as well as backgrounds along with Michael and adlib in the vamp of “Behind the Mask” from his posthumous CD. Along with her successes is her thirty-year record-breaking Billboard chart of her first single “When I Close My Eyes” on her self-entitled album on LaFace records which jumped from 91 to 16 in one week!
Not only has Shanice made history on the recording end, cast by Richard Alexander for Cameron Mackintosh, she became the first African American to star as Eponine in the hit Broadway production of "Les Miserables" where she was warmly received in her incomparable portrayal! In 2000, Shanice married actor/comedian, Flex Alexander. They went on to produce and star in their hit reality show “Flex and Shanice” which ran for three seasons on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Shanice’s career was documented on TV One’s “Unsung”, garnering record-breaking activity on social media. Maintaining her versatility, on the acting front, Shanice has appeared in Hallmark’s, “To Her With Love”, in a re- occurring role on “Stuck With You” on the All BLK Network, in addition to appearing in Jill Scott’s, “First Wives Club” on BET. Shanice is currently starring as Michelle Obama in the musical “44”, written and directed by Eli Bauman. Always a lover of the art of makeup, she has also launched her vegan Lipstick Line, “Smile by Shanice” She continues to tour throughout the country and abroad.
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