Natalie Renee McIntyre, better known by her stage name Macy Gray, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, actress, and voice actress, who is famed for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday and Betty Davis.
For Disney, she played the sleepy Frenchwoman in the 2004 film Around the World in 80 Days and Rhonda in the Disney Channel sitcom That's So Raven. She also voiced Trixie's Grandmother and Ms. Jenkins in the Disney Channel animated series American Dragon: Jake Long and Kara Karaoke in Big City Greens.
She was born in Canton, Ohio and began piano lessons at age seven. A childhood bicycle mishap resulted in her noticing a mailbox of a man named Macy Gray; she used the name in stories she wrote and later decided to use it as her stage name. She was late developing and did not learn to hold conversation until just before her tenth birthday. She attended several schools before going to the University of Southern California and studied scriptwriting. While there, she agreed to write songs for a friend for a demo session, but the vocalist failed to appear, so Gray recorded them herself.
She later landed a deal with Epic Records and released her debut album On How Life Is, which included the smash hit "I Try", gaining a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. She continues record, tour, and receive award nominations.
While her songs have appeared in films, Gray has also acted in several as well, such as Training Day, Spider-Man (2002), Scary Movie 3, Lackawanna Blues, The Crow: Wicked Prayer, and Idlewild. Her television credits include Ally McBeal, MDs, American Dreams, Duck Dodgers, Blue's Clues, 1-800-Missing, Fuller House, and The Real Housewives of Potomac.
