Adina Howard

R&B singer Adina Howard stirred up controversy with her 1995 debut single, “Freak Like Me,” a sex-positive anthem that paved the way for future generations of empowered female performers. • Growing up, Howard was a big fan of Madonna, a fellow Michigan native who wasn’t afraid to be aggressive or outspoken. • Howard’s overtly sexual 1995 debut single, “Freak Like Me,” reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Her album Do You Wanna Ride? went gold that same year. • In 1996, Howard contributed songs to several film soundtracks. “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” her Warren G collaboration for Supercop, reached No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Howard her second and final Top 40 pop hit. • She scored a minor R&B hit with 1997’s “(Freak) And U Know It,” the lead single off her second album, Welcome to Fantasy Island. Elektra Records shelved the project before it was released. The track “T-Shirt & Panties” wound up on the soundtrack for the 1998 film Woo. • After a hiatus from music, Howard returned in 2004 with The Second Coming, the third album she’d recorded but only the second to see release. • In 2010, Howard put music aside to focus on the culinary arts. She graduated from Le Cordon Bleu with a degree in cooking in 2012. • Howard released the album Resurrection in 2017. In February 2021, Welcome to Fantasy Island finally became available on streaming services.