Sasha Allen
Encyclopedia
Sasha Allen is an American singer and actress with a career in the entertainment industry that spans over 10 years. Allen has made a career as a backing vocalist for the music industry's biggest stars, including Grammy Award winners Alicia Keys
, Christina Aguilera
, Usher
, John Legend
, and pop star Leona Lewis
.
Sasha was most recently seen as Dionne in the new West End production of the hit Broadway show "HAIR: The American Tribal Love Rock Musical" at the Gielgud Theatre in London
.
Sasha Allen was educated at LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts in New York
. At the age of 14, she was starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber
's Whistle Down the Wind
. While in high school, she was featured in commercial and print work, including advertisements in TIME Magazine for AT&T
, and a commercial with Michael Jordan
.
Her start in the music industry began at 17 when she was signed to Elektra Records
, working with producers Warryn Campbell
(Mary Mary
, Kanye West
) and J. Moss (Karen Clark Sheard
, Kiki Sheard). Later, she was signed by Arista Records
where LA Reid was president. Failed record contracts caused Sasha to pursue the other avenues of performing, such as acting, to expose her gifts.
Sasha Allen was cast in the cult film Camp
, starring as "Dee". The movie, produced by Danny DeVito
developed a huge following. Allen was spotlighted on VH1
's Born to Diva, a pre-American Idol talent reality TV show highlighting her talent.
Sasha has performed on several world tours and platinum albums, including Christina Aguilera
's Back to Basics Tour
and DVD (Back to Basics: Live and Down Under
), John Legend
's album Once Again
, and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds' album Playlist
. Allen was also the feature vocalist on Babyface's "Playlist" World Tour, singing the classic hit records alongside Babyface that he wrote and produced for Whitney Houston
, Toni Braxton
, Madonna
, and others. Sasha has also toured with Alicia Keys
, Leona Lewis
and John Legend
, performed with Usher and David Bowie
, and recorded with Celine Dion
. Allen's television work as a vocalist with musical director Rickey Minor garnered her performances with Jessica Simpson
, Patti LaBelle
, Yolanda Adams
, Fantasia
, Clint Black
.
Sasha Allen is currently finishing her debut album on her own Ladybug&Darling Music label, a collaborative venture with producer and arranger Rob Lewis (musical director, arranger)
.
Allen's music showcases her love for rock, soul and R&B. Her first single "Let's Fly Away", was released on July 4, 2008, and the follow-up, a cover of Joan Osbourne's "One Of Us", was released in September 2008. The remix for "Let's Fly Away", produced by Rob Lewis and TrakFire Productions climbed the dance charts, playing on radio and in clubs worldwide. The third single "It's All For You", is slated for release in Spring 2012. It is a heartwarming song written from the sadness that Allen felt being away from her daughter when she would be on the road.
Sasha Allen resides in New York, with her daughter, Sierra.
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
, Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
, Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
, John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
, and pop star Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
.
Sasha was most recently seen as Dionne in the new West End production of the hit Broadway show "HAIR: The American Tribal Love Rock Musical" at the Gielgud Theatre in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Sasha Allen was educated at LaGuardia High School of Performing Arts in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. At the age of 14, she was starred in Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
's Whistle Down the Wind
Whistle Down the Wind (musical)
Whistle Down the Wind is a musical based on the 1961 film Whistle Down the Wind with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Jim Steinman, known for his work with Meat Loaf and Bonnie Tyler.-Stage Premiere:...
. While in high school, she was featured in commercial and print work, including advertisements in TIME Magazine for AT&T
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications corporation headquartered in Whitacre Tower, Dallas, Texas, United States. It is the largest provider of mobile telephony and fixed telephony in the United States, and is also a provider of broadband and subscription television services...
, and a commercial with Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
.
Her start in the music industry began at 17 when she was signed to Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
, working with producers Warryn Campbell
Warryn Campbell
Warryn Campbell is an American record producer. He specializes in gospel music and R&B.-Career:His work includes production and songwriting credits for Kanye West, Alicia Keys, Xzibit, Yolanda Adams, Dayna Caddell, Mos Def, Missy Elliott, Kierra Sheard, Brandy, Dave Hollister, Men of Standard,...
(Mary Mary
Mary Mary
Mary Mary is an American gospel music duo, consisting of sisters Erica Atkins-Campbell and Tina Atkins-Campbell . The duo are often credited along with Kirk Franklin for broadening the fan base of urban contemporary gospel in the 2000s by introducing elements of soul music, hip hop, funk and jazz...
, Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
) and J. Moss (Karen Clark Sheard
Karen Clark Sheard
Karen Clark-Sheard is an American gospel four-time Grammy Award winning singer, musician, and songwriter. The youngest daughter of pioneering gospel choral director Mattie Moss Clark, Sheard began her career as a member of the Grammy-Award winning, gospel legendary female group, The Clark Sisters...
, Kiki Sheard). Later, she was signed by Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
where LA Reid was president. Failed record contracts caused Sasha to pursue the other avenues of performing, such as acting, to expose her gifts.
Sasha Allen was cast in the cult film Camp
Camp (film)
Camp is a 2003 American independent musical film written and directed by Todd Graff, about an upstate New York performing arts summer camp. The film is based on Graff's own experiences at a similar camp called Stagedoor Manor. The film was released in 2003 by IFC Films.-Plot:The film centers on the...
, starring as "Dee". The movie, produced by Danny DeVito
Danny DeVito
Daniel Michael DeVito, Jr. , better known as Danny DeVito, is an American actor, comedian, director and producer. He first gained prominence for his portrayal of Louie De Palma on the ABC and NBC television series Taxi , for which he won a Golden Globe and an Emmy.DeVito and his wife, Rhea Perlman,...
developed a huge following. Allen was spotlighted on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Born to Diva, a pre-American Idol talent reality TV show highlighting her talent.
Sasha has performed on several world tours and platinum albums, including Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
's Back to Basics Tour
Back to Basics Tour
The Back to Basics Tour was the fourth concert tour by American recording artist Christina Aguilera. The tour supported her third studio album Back to Basics. It grossed over $90 million worldwide with 82 shows...
and DVD (Back to Basics: Live and Down Under
Back to Basics: Live and Down Under
Back to Basics: Live And Down Under is a concert tour DVD by American pop singer-songwriter Christina Aguilera.-Release:The DVD has been released February 4 in the UK and most of Europe while it hit stores on February 5 in the USA exclusively at Best Buy stores and BestBuy.com. The Australian...
), John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
's album Once Again
Once Again (John Legend album)
Once Again is the second studio album by American singer John Legend, issued by GOOD Music and Sony Music Entertainment on October 24, 2006...
, and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds' album Playlist
Playlist (Babyface album)
Playlist is the eleventh album by Babyface. It was the first longplay release on the newly re-launched Mercury Records label. The work consists of eight covers and two original compositions...
. Allen was also the feature vocalist on Babyface's "Playlist" World Tour, singing the classic hit records alongside Babyface that he wrote and produced for Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, Toni Braxton
Toni Braxton
Toni Michelle Braxton is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Braxton has won six Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and five Billboard Music Awards and has sold over 60 million records worldwide...
, Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, and others. Sasha has also toured with Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
, Leona Lewis
Leona Lewis
Leona Louise Lewis is a British singer and songwriter. Lewis first came to prominence in 2006 when she won the third series of the British television series The X Factor....
and John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
, performed with Usher and David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
, and recorded with Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
. Allen's television work as a vocalist with musical director Rickey Minor garnered her performances with Jessica Simpson
Jessica Simpson
Jessica Ann Simpson is an American recording artist, actress, television personality, and fashion designer whose rise to fame began in 1999. Since that time, Simpson has achieved many recording milestones, starred in several television shows, movies, and commercials, launched a line of hair and...
, Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
, Yolanda Adams
Yolanda Adams
Yolanda Adams is an American Grammy- and Dove-award-winning Yolanda Adams is an American [[Grammy Awards|Grammy]]- and [[Dove Awards|Dove]]-award-winning...
, Fantasia
Fantasia Barrino
Fantasia Monique Barrino commonly known as Fantasia, is an American R&B singer, Broadway and television actress who rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series American Idol in 2004. Following her victory, she released her debut single, "I Believe", which...
, Clint Black
Clint Black
Clint Patrick Black is an American country music singer-songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and occasional actor. Signed to RCA Records in 1989, Black made his debut with his Killin' Time album, which produced four straight Number One singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country...
.
Sasha Allen is currently finishing her debut album on her own Ladybug&Darling Music label, a collaborative venture with producer and arranger Rob Lewis (musical director, arranger)
Rob Lewis (musical director, arranger)
Robert Lyndel Lewis is a well-established American music arranger, music composer, record producer, musical director, film composer, musician, entrepreneur and philanthropist...
.
Allen's music showcases her love for rock, soul and R&B. Her first single "Let's Fly Away", was released on July 4, 2008, and the follow-up, a cover of Joan Osbourne's "One Of Us", was released in September 2008. The remix for "Let's Fly Away", produced by Rob Lewis and TrakFire Productions climbed the dance charts, playing on radio and in clubs worldwide. The third single "It's All For You", is slated for release in Spring 2012. It is a heartwarming song written from the sadness that Allen felt being away from her daughter when she would be on the road.
Sasha Allen resides in New York, with her daughter, Sierra.