“Stand up for yourself and fight for your right to be the artist that you want to be. There's plenty of pressure from outside; people tell you how to dress and how to sing or what to sing, but I always felt like if I'm going to fail or succeed, I want to do it on my own terms.”

American singer-songwriter

Tracy Chapman is an American singer-songwriter. She was signed to Elektra Records in 1987, and her self-titled debut album followed in 1988, making her a notable voice in late 20th century popular music. That first album became a commercial success after her performance at the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute concert. It earned six Grammy nominations and won three, including Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Fast Car," and Best Contemporary Folk Album. In 2025, the album was added to the National Recording Registry.