Ashanti in Auckland

Ashanti is an American R&B singer, songwriter and actress born in Glen Cove, New York, in 1980. Her self-titled debut album introduced “Foolish,” “Happy” and “Baby,” while her vocals on Ja Rule’s “Always on Time” and Fat Joe’s “What’s Luv?” became central to her early catalogue. The Natural High Tour took Ashanti on the road with Ja Rule and Charli Baltimore in 2002. She sang “America the Beautiful” before Super Bowl XXXVII in San Diego the following year, then performed at the Philadelphia edition of Live 8 in 2005.