June is Black Music Month. This month we celebrate all that is Black music as music is such a huge part of our culture. From Jazz to Rock to Gospel to Hip-Hop and R&B, Black singers and musicians have shaped the fabric of music as we know it today. Most genres of music were created by Black people. Singers of the past, present, and future voice the soundtrack of our lives. But did you know some of them attended HBCUs? In honor of Black Music Month, we want to highlight some singers who attended HBCUs.

Fantasia

American Idol winner, chart-topping singer, and Hollywood and Broadway actress are just a few accolades of the immensely talented Fantasia Burrino-Taylor. As if she wasn’t already extraordinary enough, she decided to add to her greatness by becoming a student at Central State University.

She enrolled at Central State University last spring with the goal of earning her degree in business. In an interview with People magazine Fantasia shared her motivation to pursue higher education.

“I’m a businesswoman now and I desire to continue to sharpen my sword and better my craft,” telling PEOPLE, “I want to break generational curses. When it comes to my family, my girls, my children, I want to show them that no matter what she’s been through, you can always get back and go after it again, and that’s what I am doing.”

We first met Fantasia back in 2004 when she won season three of American Idol. Since winning she has been on the fast track to success and hasn’t stopped since. She has sold over three million records worldwide and has numerous accolades including a Grammy Award, three Billboard Awards, and five NAACP Image Awards. She made her Broadway debut as Celie in the Color Purple. She also reprised her role as Celie last year in the film adaptation.

Being at an HBCU is the perfect fit for Fantasia as she was inducted as an honorary member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Incorporated in 2022. We wish Fantasia the best in completing her degree. She is proof that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.

Lionel Richie

Did you know that The Commodores met at Tuskegee University? And one of the most notable members is the multifaceted, Lionel Richie. He’s a singer, songwriter, record producer, television personality, and one of the most talented musicians the world has ever seen.

Richie who is a native of Tuskegee, Alabama attended Tuskegee University on a tennis scholarship. While at Tuskegee, Richie was heavily involved on campus.

While attending Tuskegee he was a member of the marching band, the Marching Crimson Pipers, and a member of Kappa Kappa Psi, a national honor band fraternity. Richie graduated from Tuskegee with a bachelor’s degree in economics with a minor in accounting.

The founding members of the Commodores met as freshmen at Tuskegee after merging two former student groups the Mystics and the Jays. The Commodores were signed to Motown Records in 1972. Some of their biggest hits include Easy, Three Times a Lady, Night Shift, and Brick House. Richie left the group to pursue his solo career in 1982.

As a solo artist, Richie released several hits including Stuck on You, Truly, and All Night Long. He has sold over 100 million records and has four Grammy Awards. Richie is currently a judge on American Idol and has been since 2018.

K. Michelle

The next person on our list is…very special (see what we did there). Kimberly Michelle Pete better known by her stage name K. Michelle is a singer, songwriter, and television personality whose versatility is unmatched.

But before she blessed our screens with her notorious comebacks on VH1’s Love & Hip Hop Atlanta this southern bell was your average FAMU Rattler. She earned a scholarship to FAMU on a music scholarship. She won them over by yodeling during her audition. During her freshman year, she earned the title of Freshman Attendant of the Homecoming Court. She is also a fall 2001 initiate of the Beta Alpha chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.

Michelle briefly stopped attending classes to give birth to her son Chase in 2004. She later returned to FAMU to finish her degree. She graduated with honors and was even accepted into numerous law schools but did not attend to focus on her passion and pursue music full-time.

She was briefly signed to Jive Records and put out her first R&B charting single, “Fakin It” featuring Missy Elliot. Once her deal with Jive Records ended Michelle joined the cast of Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta. She left Atlanta after two seasons and later joined the Love & Hip Hop New York franchise for season four.

Some of Michelle’s hits include V.S.O.P, Love Em All, Not a Little Bit, and Either Way. She has headlined six of her tours including her most recent I’m the Problem Tour named after her sixth studio album.

Michelle has always been vocal about her love of country music. Stating that the reason that she never pursued a career in country music is because she felt that “a Black woman like herself could never have a career singing country. She never gave up on her dreams and announced that her country album can be expected to be released sometime this year.

SZA

I wonder if there are any HBCUs on Saturn? We bet SZA would know. Solana Rowe better known as SZA is a multi-talented singer-songwriter.

We all must try things before we find what fits us best. Before settling at Delaware State University, she attended three separate colleges. While at Delaware State SZA studied marine biology but eventually dropped out her last semester to work various jobs.

SZA first gained recognition with two of her self-released Eps See.SZA.Run and S. After releasing Drew Barrymore, the lead single from her upcoming album Ctrl she was signed to RCA Records in 2017. Ctrl debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 charts. The album single Love Galore later when certified platinum. Ctrl was named the best album of 2017 by Time.

Since her time at Delaware State SZA has accumulated much success. She has worked with various artists such as Drake, Travis Scott, Ty Dolla Sign, Doja Cat, and Summer Walker. In December 2022, SZA released her second studio album, SOS. Which spent seven weeks at the top of the Billboard 200 album chart in the US, becoming the longest-running number-one woman album of the decade and the first R&B album to spend its first seven weeks atop the chart since Whitney Houston's Whitney in 1987.

She has four Grammy Awards, four Billboard Music Awards, and numerous others. SZA is currently on her highly anticipated SOS Tour. Her third studio album, Lana, is scheduled to be released this year.

Yolanda Adams

When discussing the contributions to Black music and the genre of Gospel as a whole we mustn’t leave out the great Yolanda Adams. Known as the “Queen of Contemporary Gospel Music”, the “First Lady of Modern Gospel”, and dubbed by Variety as the “Reigning Queen of Urban Gospel”, Yolanda Adams is one of the best singers to ever touch a microphone.

It seems like Houston is the breeding ground for amazing entertainers whether they’re singers, rappers, songwriters you name it. Yolanda Adams graduated from Texas Southern University. After graduating she began her career as a schoolteacher and part-time model. She eventually quit her job as a teacher to perform full-time as a lead singer.

Adams broke through to the mainstream when she gained attention outside the urban contemporary gospel arena with her album Mountain High…. Valley Low in 1999 on Elektra Records. Numerous mainstream artists and producers helped produce this album including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Warryn Cambell, and Keith Thomas.

In addition to releasing over ten studio albums, Adams crossed over to radio host. The Yolanda Adams Morning Show was aired in over 26 radio markets within two years. The syndicated show aired for 10 years before ending in 2016.

Adams has four Grammy Awards, seven NAACP Image Awards, and sixteen Stellar Gospel Music Awards. She is also the first Gospel artist to win an American Music Award. Adams was inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2022.