Naturi Naughton
Naturi Naughton
Naturi Cora Maria Naughton is an American actress and singer-songwriter. Naughton was one-third of the R&B trio 3LW and is best known for her roles in Fame, Notorious, where she portrayed the iconic role of Lil Kim, and The Playboy Club. Naughton was a series regular in season one of the Lifetime television drama series The Client List as Kendra. Naughton currently stars in the hit Starz drama Power as Tasha St. Patrick...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionR&B Singer
Date of Birth20 May 1984
CityEast Orange, NJ
CountryUnited States of America
Naturi Naughton quotes about
I feel the most vulnerable when I'm in love.
Never compromise and sell yourself short.
Hold your dreams, don't ever let it go
I work out and go to the gym, but I still enjoy my soul food and snacks. But I'm a pretty petite young woman, and I just do everything in moderation and make sure that I just keep everything together.
I want to be back on Broadway one day. That's a dream of mine. There's nothing like live theater, and I think it's so important for me to be able to be on stage with an audience that responds.
I was excited to play Lil' Kim and I wanted to do the role justice. I worked really hard on that role, whether it was performing the rhymes, studying the dialect, her swagger and her stage performances. I wanted people to see my range and stretch my wings as an actress.
Starting in music, where I get a chance to connect with the lyrics of a song, I learned so much about performing on stage and connecting to your audience and to what you're singing about. Singing is very emotional. Every song has its own purpose.
As a black actress you've got to work doubly hard. But it doesn't ever get me to the point where I give up on myself. It just motivates me to be more prepared, focus and disciplined. That's why I care so much about doing black films and making sure that we represent and are represented correctly.
When you're singing, it can be looked at as a monologue, in a way. If it's about telling a story and connecting with your audience, you can do that through song, through dialogue, or through a monologue. That's what's special about being an entertainer.
I definitely feel like, as a singer, I've been able to transition into acting because I always saw them in the same vein. It's all about connecting and telling a story.
When I was young, I was always telling my parents and telling everybody that I was going to be a singer and an actress when I grew up. I took classes. I was in dance lessons. I took singing lessons. I was in the plays. I took acting lessons. I did different things that continued to keep me ready for this opportunity and ready for all the things that are happening now.
One thing I'm passionate about is directing. I've always wanted to direct.
I don't just want to be a cute girl in a comedy or the actress who just does the same thing over and over again. I want to play roles that are distinct. I want to have a more varied career like actresses Viola Davis or Angela Bassett - those are the people that I grew up watching and admiring.
Singing is my passion and something that I still love to do and I'm always going to want to do it.