Williams rose to noteriety when she joined Destiny's Child, one of the most successful female groups of all time with whom she earned a Grammy Award for "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" for single "Survivor".
Raised in a Christian family, Williams learned to sing in her church's choir. She later sang in a musical quartet called United Harmony alongside sister Cameron. After attending Auburn High School and being a part of the C.A.P.A (Creative And Performing Arts) program there, she pursued a degree in criminal justice at Illinois State University before leaving to pursue a career in music. Whilst touring as a backing vocalist for R&B star Monica, the opportunity arose for Williams to join Destiny's Child in 2000.
After the release and promotion of the grammy-nominated Destiny's Child album Survivor, Williams became the first member to release a solo studio album in 2002. Her debut, Heart To Yours , shot up to #1 on the Billboard Gospel Chart, where it spent a total of 46 weeks and also peaked within the top 20 of the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums before being listed at #6 on the year-end Gospel Albums chart. Also a critical success, the album won Williams an award for "Best Gospel Act" at the 2003 MOBO Awards. Billboard ranked Williams as the #5 Top Gospel Artist of 2002. Williams then made her acting debut in the Broadway hit, Aida, replacing R&B singer Toni Braxton; making her the first and only member of Destiny's Child to appear on Broadway.
Following the success of her debut, Michelle released her sophomore album, entitled Do You Know, in 2004 which peaked at #3 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart, #2 on the Billboard Gospel Chart and was well received by critics who lent particular praise to her songwriting ability.
In 2006, she made her television debut in the UPN comedy Half & Half, where she played the role of Naomi. In 2007, Williams returned to theatre, starring in the first US national tour of The Colour Purple alongside LaToya London and Stephanie St. James, which earned her a nomination for "Best Lead Female Actress" at the 18th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards.
Williams released her third (and first commercial pop) album, Unexpected in 2008. The highly-anticipated and critically-acclaimed pop debut features singles; "We Break The Dawn" which peaked at #47 in the UK, #38 in Hungary and #4 on the US Dance chart; "The Greatest", which topped the US Billboard Dance chart; and "Hello Heartbreak". In 2009, "The Greatest" was listed at #39 on the decade-end, 2000-2009 Billboard Dance chart, one place behind "Lose My Breath" which Williams released as a member of Destiny's Child.
In 2009 she starred in the hit West-End production of Chicago, making her the first African-American to be cast in the lead role. The following year she replaced Ashlee Simpson in the Broadway production of the legendary musical before beginning an engagement at the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles. She further pursued acting in 2011, originating the lead role of Lena Summer in David E. Talbert's What My Husband Doesn't Know, which was released on DVD the same year.
In 2011, Williams released a collaboration with dance artist Ultra Naté titled "Waiting on You" which became her third top 20 entry on the US Billboard Dance chart where it peaked at #11.
In 2012, it was announced Williams had signed with Light Records/eOne. In 2013, Williams joined the US national tour of three-time Tony Award-winning musical Fela! and reunited with Destiny's Child at the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show.
In 2013, it was announced that Williams will star in her own reality show titled My Sister's Keeper, produced by eOne, to coincide with the release of her fourth solo album.
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2 The actress Michelle Ingrid Williams (Marilyn Monroe ) features on the soundtrack of the film My Week with Marilyn singing It's a Wrap, I found a Dream, That Old Black Magic and a medley of 'When love goes wrong, Nothin' Goes Right' & 'Heat Wave'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Week_with_Marilyn#Music
Do You Know
Michelle Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I hate to see you cry,
Seems like your world is torn apart
Just know that God is faithful
He'll heal your wounded heart.
[Hook:]
He knows the things that lie ahead, to come your way
Believe in what he says
[Chorus:]
Do you know he is here
He will never (neva let you down)
Hold on be strong
He will do, do just what he says oh ohhh
[Verse 2]:
I hate to see you cry, cry heyy yeahh
Seems that you fall (no oh)
Just know that God is faithful, faithful
He'll guide you through the storm
[Hook:]
He knows the things that lie ahead to come your way
He's standing on his promises
Believe in what he says
Do you know he is here
He will never (neva let you down)
Hold on, be strong
He will do, do just what he says ayyyyyy hayyyyyyy
[Brigde:]
Oh, let him in
Into your heart
He's knocking at your door
So let him in
so lift up your head oh ho (lift up your head)
up to the sky
for in him he has the power to change your life
Yeahh, he will never let you down
hold on,
be strong, yeah yeah
Do you know (do you know)
he is here (he is here)
He will never (neva let you down)
Hold on be strong
He will do,
Do you know (do you know)
he is here (he is here)
He will never
Hold on be strong
Hold on, hold on, hold on
The song Do You Know by Michelle Williams is a powerful ballad that speaks about having faith through difficult times. The lyrics address an unknown person who is going through tough times and feeling discouraged. The opening lines, "I hate to see you cry, seems like your world is torn apart," show empathy towards the person's struggles. The lyrics then turn to a message of hope, stating that God is faithful and will heal the person's wounded heart. The chorus emphasizes the message of faith and perseverance, encouraging the person to hold on and be strong, while reminding them that God will never let them down.
The bridge of the song speaks about the importance of letting God into your life in order to experience the power of his love and his ability to transform one's life. The song ends with a repeated plea to hold on and be strong, emphasizing the importance of faith in difficult times.
Overall, Do You Know is a powerful and uplifting message of faith and perseverance through difficult times, delivered with an emotional and soulful vocal performance by Michelle Williams.
Line by Line Meaning
I hate to see you cry,
The singer empathizes with the person and feels bad seeing them in distress.
Seems like your world is torn apart
The person's life may seem chaotic and stressful at the moment.
Just know that God is faithful
The singer believes that God is always there for the person, and can be trusted.
He'll heal your wounded heart.
Their emotional pain and suffering can be addressed by God's love and healing.
He knows the things that lie ahead, to come your way
God is aware of the challenges and obstacles that the person may encounter in the future.
He's standing on his promises
God is reliable and true to his word.
Believe in what he says
Having faith in God's guidance and encouragement can help the person through tough times.
Do you know he is here
God is present and always around the person.
He will never (neva let you down)
God is dependable and will not abandon the person when they need him.
Hold on be strong
The person is encouraged to persevere through their hardships and remain resilient.
He will do, do just what he says oh ohhh
God will keep his promises and will follow through on what he says he will do.
Seems that you fall (no oh)
The person is struggling and experiencing setbacks or hardships.
He'll guide you through the storm
God is capable of leading the person through challenges and difficult times.
Oh, let him in
The singer encourages the person to open themselves up to God's guidance and presence.
Into your heart
The person is urged to let God into their life and heart.
He's knocking at your door
God is constantly reaching out to the person and offering his help and support.
So let him in
The artist implores the person to let God into their life and accept his guidance and love.
So lift up your head oh ho (lift up your head)
The person should hold their head high and remain optimistic, even when times are tough.
up to the sky
The singer suggests that the person turn their gaze upwards towards God for guidance and support.
for in him he has the power to change your life
God has the ability to inspire positive change in the person's life and outlook.
He will do,
God will follow through on his promises to the person.
Hold on be strong
The person is encouraged to remain resilient and persevere through tough times.
Do you know (do you know)
The singer wants the person to be aware of God's presence and support in their life.
He will never
God will always be there for the person.
Hold on be strong
The person is once again urged to remain resilient and persevere through their hardships.
Hold on, hold on, hold on
A final reminder for the person to stay strong and endure through their struggles.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JERMAINE DUPRI, MANUEL LONNIE SEAL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Karicoproductionz
What's wrong with this world? Only because an artist decides to stop singing secular music , and become a gospel singer it's bad?, God bless you Mitchell!! It's amazing to see someone leave their life of sin for Jesus. THE KING OF KINGS! Keep making music so people can feel his presence with your music!!
@soulnurturer1175
exactly
@treblazer
even while she was in Destiny's Child God was still her priority and made that clear she is an amazing person and artist in general and i hope she keeps doing gospel
@chilliharris2963
I think that this is beautiful, she went from Destiny's child, singing about sex and relationships, now she's a successful gospel singer
@limian1
***** true that and more people will be more interested in that than in her gospel work. (though it might just be me, can't say for sure. lol)
@GalacticStarpower
Amen 2 that 💯💯💪💪
@theshadestartsnow9818
she was a gospel singer first, she grew up in the church and was singing with a gospel group with her sisters, her brother acutally produced this song as well. she was ALWAYS about her faith
@MWforreals
Michelle God says if you stand for him He'll stand for u...Keep the faith
@MichaelAlexander1967
Such a pure presentation with that angelic voice. A real life "Charlie's Angel"! Keep blessing us Michelle, your voice is so soothing... it has that innocent tone needed to touch people & remind us of what it was like when we 1st talked with God. Beautiful work!
@kirsteenlemalu329
The world is corrupted and I truly believe that we are in our last days. Artists like Michele who has transitioned from Destiny's Child to Gospel is beautiful. This is what we need to pray for... that many of today's artists begin coming to the Truth.