Antonique Smith

Singer and actress Antonique Smith is a multi-talented performer whose credits run from Broadway to film and television as well as to her own soulful R&B recordings. Born in East Orange, New Jersey in 1983, Smith made her acting debut with a small role on the Sidney Lumet-created television series 100 Centre Street in 2002. From there, she gained further notice starring as Mimi in the hit Broadway musical Rent from 2005 to 2007. Also in 2007, she appeared in director Julie Taymor's feature film Across the Universe. Two years later, Smith displayed both her vocal and acting abilities when she took on the role of rapper/singer Faith Evans in the Biggie Smalls biopic Notorious. The high-profile role garnered Smith a bevy of critical praise and led to other roles in such films as 2011's Abduction with Taylor Lautner and Alfred Molina and 2011's Yelling to the Sky opposite Zoë Kravitz and Gabourey Sidibe. In 2012, Smith launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund her debut full-length album. The following year, she released the single "Hold Up Wait a Minute (Woo Hoo)" online. ~ Matt Collar