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
Thank U
Michelle Williams Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To see me waiting up for you
There's something I gotta say
Never in my life
Could I have ever imagined that
That love was ever gonna feel this way
And I never ever felt so special
And I'm so much better
Pray for forever
Baby I owe it all to you
[Chorus]
I wanna thank you
For staying out late all the time
While you were out getting yours
Boy I was getting mine
I wanna thank you
For the times you cheated on me
Cause I almost loved you forever
Never would have found someone better
I wanna thank you, thank you
For loosing me
I wanna thank you, thank you
For loosing me
Don't look surprised
You really think I was so blind
I wouldn't notice the signs
And it was you, uh
Who gave me all the time to find
All the love that you ain't giving me no more
And I never ever felt so special
Never knew it could feel so good inside
I'm so much better
Pray for forever
So before I say goodbye to you
[Chorus]
I wanna thank you, thank you
For loosing me (thank you baby)
I wanna thank you, thank you
For loosing me (oh)
I've never been so sincere
Cause all the things you did
Made everything so clear
Baby I understand
I wanna find a real man
If it wasn't for you
I wanna thank you
For leaving me alone at night
I wanna thank you
For not coming up with better lies
Cause he loves me better
Than you could ever
And I owe it all to you
[Chorus: x2]
I wanna thank you, thank you (I wanna thank you, thank you)
For loosing me
I wanna thank you, thank you (I would never love him)
For loosing me
The song "Thank U" by Michelle Williams is a powerful breakup anthem that conveys a message of gratitude towards a former lover who did the singer wrong. The lyrics reveal that the singer, despite being hurt and cheated on, is thankful for the experience as it allowed her to find love again with someone better. The opening lines of the song, "I bet you're surprised, to see me waiting up for you. There's something I gotta say," immediately sets the scene for a heartfelt confession.
The first verse highlights the singer's gratitude towards the former lover, expressing that she never believed love could feel this way. It's an acknowledgment of the happy moments they shared, but also the pain and hurt that followed. However, the chorus delves deeper into the heart of the song where the singer thanks the former lover for staying out late all the time, cheating on her, and ultimately for losing her. This may appear sarcastic at first, but the lyrics reveal that these actions helped her find true love, which would have never happened if they had remained together.
The second verse is a continuation of the thank you's as the singer thanks the former lover for giving her the time and space to find the love that he couldn't offer her. She emphasizes how special and fulfilling it feels, and how much better she is now than before. The bridge ends the song with the singer expressing the lessons she learned from the relationship and how it enabled her to find a real man who loves her better than the former lover ever could.
Line by Line Meaning
I bet you're surprised, uh
You must be surprised to see me waiting up for you.
To see me waiting up for you
Surprised to see me waiting for you as you wouldn't think that I would still care.
There's something I gotta say
I need to tell you something important.
Never in my life
I have never felt this way before.
Could I have ever imagined that
Never thought that what I feel could be possible.
That love was ever gonna feel this way
Never expected love to feel so real and intense.
And I never ever felt so special
I have never felt so unique and loved before.
Never knew something good be so true
I never knew that something good like this could be real and true.
And I'm so much better
Thanks to you, I am a better person and I have learned a valuable lesson.
Pray for forever
I hope this feeling lasts forever.
Baby I owe it all to you
I am grateful for everything you did to me, and I attribute my growth to you.
I wanna thank you
I am thankful to you.
For staying out late all the time
Thank you for neglecting me and staying out late every time.
While you were out getting yours
Thank you for cheating on me while you were doing your own thing.
Boy I was getting mine
While you were cheating on me, I was getting my life on track.
For the times you cheated on me
I am thankful for the times you cheated on me.
Cause I almost loved you forever
Because of your actions, I am happy that I did not love you forever.
Never would have found someone better
If it wasn't for you, I would have never found someone better.
For loosing me
Thank you for losing me.
Don't look surprised
Do not act surprised.
You really think I was so blind
Do you really believe that I did not see what was happening?
I wouldn't notice the signs
I noticed the signs and knew what was happening.
And it was you, uh
It was you who allowed me to discover things on my own.
Who gave me all the time to find
Thank you for allowing me the time to explore and find what I was looking for.
All the love that you ain't giving me no more
I found the love that you were not giving me anymore.
Never knew it could feel so good inside
I did not know that I could feel this happy and content inside.
So before I say goodbye to you
Before I bid you farewell,
I've never been so sincere
I have never been more earnest or genuine.
Cause all the things you did
Because of everything you put me through.
Made everything so clear
It made me see everything with so much clarity.
Baby I understand
I understand now.
I wanna find a real man
I want to find someone who treats me right and is faithful.
For leaving me alone at night
Thank you for causing me to spend lonely nights.
For not coming up with better lies
I appreciate that you did not come up with better lies.
Cause he loves me better
He loves me better than you ever did.
Than you could ever
You could never love me better than he does.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: TREASURE LEHN DAVIS, JAMIE JONES, JACK KUGELL, JACK DAVID KUGELL, JASON PENNOCK, REO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Damiona's Place 95 😘
This sound is so her. I know gospel is her heart but this pop r&b is so good❤
Naki Parirenyatwa
This woman can sing !!! She sang the hell outta this track !!!
Jeff the Gent
Lyrically and vocally, “Thank U” is just perfect! I love the sarcastic thank-yous along with the very specific reasons given. 😄
Excellent job on the lyrics by Treasure Davis, Jamie Jones, Jack Kugell, D'Myreo Mitchell and Jason Pennock. ✍🏽 The melodic groove is so infectious too, as produced by Jones, Kugell, Pennock and REO. 🎼
Also, Michelle really puts her soul into the vocal, making me convinced that she really is telling off a cheating 🤡. She shows great range on the lead and backing vocals! 🎤
Coko Fans [Music for God]
Hot!!!!! Sing it, 'Chelle Girl!!!!!! I LOVE you, Boo! 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥