Cynthia Erivo, a singer and actress of Nigerian-British heritage, stands as an undeniable force in Hollywood, boasting an impressive array of accolades including an Emmy Award, Grammy and Tony Awards, and the distinction of two Oscar nominations to her name.

The actress has appeared on British television programmes such as Chewing Gum and The Tunnel. She is also a theatre performer. Her onstage roles include the role of Celie Harris in the Menier Chocolate Factory production of The Color Purple and Sister Mary Clarence/Deloris Van Cartier in the UK tour of the Sister Act stage musical. She made her Broadway debut in 2015 with the reprisal of her role as Celie Harris in the Broadway revival transfer of the production of The Color Purple. She then got numerous awards, including the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in The Color Purple. 

Erivo made her film debut in 2018 with the films Bad Times at the El Royale and Widows. In the same year, it was announced that she had been cast to play Harriet Tubman in the biographical film titled Harriet, which was released in 2019. However, as a result of the casting news, the actress received backlash from many Americans, with many arguing that Harriet Tubman was an American abolitionist and activist; therefore, an American actress should have been cast for that role instead of a non-American actress. That did not stop the actress from delivering a beautiful performance, which resulted in her receiving multiple award nominations and winning a few for her performance as Harriet. This was not the only time the actress received a negative reaction from Americans because of the roles she played. 

In 2021, the Nigerian-British actress got negative reactions from Americans after she had been cast to play the late Aretha Franklin in the third season of the National Geographic historic docuseries Genuis.  The third season was dedicated to the late iconic singer and songwriter Aretha Franklin who was also referred to as the “Queen of Soul”. Many Americans displayed dissatisfaction with the fact that a non-American actress had been cast to play Aretha Franklin, who was an American singer and songwriter. Nonetheless, the actress has built an impressive career in Broadway and Hollywood, which makes her a force to be reckoned with. And now, she wants her audience to see her in a different light. She has ventured into the music scene with the release of her debut album titled Ch.1, Vs. 1. The 12-track album is about the actress showing her audience the human parts of her that are not often seen. “In storytelling, chapter one and verse one is the way you always begin, and because I believe I’m a storyteller, that’s what I wanted to do with my music,” says Erivo. “That’s what this is about, just starting [and revealing] the human parts of me that you don’t often get to see.”