She sang with an all-girl group called the Tiaras as a teenager. he had a top ten U.S. pop hit with her song "Piano in the Dark." Her song "Get Here" was a huge hit for Oleta Adams in 1991. She also co-wrote the music and lyrics for the 2005 musical The Color Purple, which was based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and presented by Oprah Winfrey.