JODY WATLEYÂ self-titled solo debut album was released on February 23, 1987.
“It was her debut album, released by MCA Records although she had minor success in former group Shalamar, the impact of this album made Watley a cultural style icon in contemporary R&B, pop and dance music.
Its success culminated in Watley winning a GRAMMY Award for Best New Artist in 1988.Â
Jody Watley – Best New Artist 1988
The album also produced 3 iconic Top Ten singles on the US Billboard Hot 100 : “Looking for a New Love” (#2), “Don’t You Want Me” (#6) and “Some Kind of Lover” (#10), what’s more there were additional chart hit R&B and Dance “Still A Thrill” #8 Hot Dance Club Play #3 Hot R&B Hip/Hop, #56 Hot 100 & “Most Of All“ #11 R&B, #8 Hot Dance Club Play, #60 Hot 100
3 #1 Dance Singles “Looking For A New Love”, “Don’t You Want Me”, “Some Kind Of Lover”, #1 R&B Single “Looking For A New Love.”
Additionally, the album also features a duet with superstar George Michael “Learn To Say No”, in fact, she is one of only a handful of women and artists Michael recorded with.
Lastly, the Jody Watley solo debut album has now sold three million copies in the United States. Over four million copies have been sold to date worldwide. Watley co-wrote 6 of the 9 songs. Production by Andre Cymone & David Z., Bernard Edwards (CHIC, Robert Palmer & Power Station) and Patrick Leonard.Â
In addition, T-Boz from mega group TLC cites Jody Watley’s vocals on “Still A Thrill” as an influence on her finding her identity and singing in a lower register. The breakout single “Looking For A New Love” with it’s catchphrase “Hasta La Vista Ba-By” became a pop culture phenomenon after later being used by Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1991’s “Terminator – Judgement Day.”
The album came in 3 hues, black & white, purple and blue.
Hear Jody Watley’s thoughts on the 38th anniversary. Share your favorites from this debut and memories of your life in 1987-88 from this release on the Youtube channel video: Here
In 1987 after performing one of my hits from solo debut.. I think it was my second time from that album, chatting with Dick Clark on his American Bandstand. Music – Fashion – Jody Watley Style. I remember vividly Patti Labelle telling me at an American Music Awards “..a lot of people don’e get your style, but I do – It’s magazine baby, Magazine!”
Always be yourself whether people get you or not, has always been my thing.
Blessed to still be here – still a thrill being myself and doing what I love
The venerable Grammy winning artist Jody Watley achieves another milestone as “Waiting In Vain” eases into the Top 10 after 11 weeks on the Smooth Jazz Network Charts with nearly 600 spins this week. Peaking at 25 on Billboard, Watley says “I do music for the love, and not charts especially at this point in my career..that said it’s nice to still be able to have new benchmarks of achievement and not simply rest on my past accomplishments.”
iHeart Radio – Smooth Jazz Channel
WAEG-FM North Augusta, GA
WCHD-HD2 Dayton, OH
KWDR-FM Kennewick, WA
WKSC HD-2 Chicago, IL
KDXA HD-2 Des Moines, IO
KSOF HD-2 Fresno, CA
WSRW HD-2 Grand Rapids, MI
WMAG HD-2 Greensboro, NC
WLRQ HD-2 Melbourne, FL
WUBT-HD2 Nashville, TN
WMGF-HD2 Orlando, CA
KKCW HD-2 Portland, OR
WSNE HD-2 Providence, RI
WBTJ HD-2 Richmond, VA
KFBK-HD2 Sacramento, CA
KMJM HD-2 St. Louis, MO
KODJ HD-2 Salt Lake City, UT
KISC-HD2 Spokane, WA
COOL-FM Panama
KCCB-AM Corning, AR
WVSU-FM Birmingham, AL
KKLI-FM Colorado Springs, CO
WAJD-FM Gainesville, FL
WBHQ-FM Beverly Beach, FL
WSBZ-FM Walton Beach, FL
WUCR-FM Butler, FL
WCLZ-FM Portland, ME
WRMO-FM Bangor, ME
WHFC-FM Bel Air, MD
WLDR-FM Traverse City, MI
WVLY-FM Sundbury, PA
KQXT-FM San Antonio, TX
SmoothJazzFlorida.com
Smooth Jazz Florida Plus HD
Smooth Jazz Tampa Bay
Smooth Jazz Nox Miami
Smooth Jazz Tampa
Smooth Jazz Wave Boca Raton
Smooth Jazz CD101.9 New York
Smooth Jazz Mix New York
Radio Indigo Bangalore/Goa India 99.1
Aramco Saudi Arabia
CJCV-FM Winnipeg
Boracay Beach Radio – 97.3 FM Philippines
Smooth Jazz Top 20 Show Airplay iHeart Radio – Smooth Jazz Channel
CD101.9 New York
KCCB 1260AM Corning, AR
KDXA HD-2 Des Moines
KKCW HD-2 Portland
KKLI 106.3 FM Colorado Springs
KODJ HD-2 Salt Lake City
KSOF HD-2 Fresno
KWDR-FMÂ 93.5 and 102.3 Kennewick, WA
KZIZ-AM 1560 AM Seattle, WA
Radio Indigo Bangalore/Goa India 99.1
WAEG-FM 92.3 North Augusta, GA
WBHQ-HD-3 Beverly Beach, FL
WBTJ HD-2 Richmond
WCHB 1200 AM/ 99.9 FMÂ Detroit, MI
WCLZ 98.9 FM Portland, Maine
WHFC91.1 FM Bel Air, Maryland
WKSC HD-2 Chicago
WLDR HD-2 Traverse City, MI
WLRQ HD-2 Melbourne
WMAG HD-2 Greensboro
WMJM HD-2 St. Louis
WRMO 93.7 FM Bangor Maine
WSJF-DBÂ Smooth Jazz Florida
WSNE HD-2 Providence
WSRW HD-2 Grand Rapids
WUCR 107.9 FM Lake Butler, Florida
WVLY 100.9 FM Sundbury/Selinsgrove, PA
WXCT 98.3 FM Grand Rapids, MI
ARAMCO Saudi Arabia
Boracay Beach Radio-97.3 FM Philippines
CJCV 99.1 FM Winnipeg, Canada
COOL-FM Panama
DeLite Radio UK The A-List
Bernie O’Brien Radio Warrington
MediaBase:
^ 36 48 JODY WATLEY-Waiting In Vain (’18) (Avitone) 30Â Â Â Â 25Â Â Â Â +5Â Â Â Â
^ 37 42 MICHAEL FIELDS JR-Lovette Road (Water From The Rock) 30Â Â Â Â 27Â Â Â Â +3Â Â Â Â
^ 38 36 TAKE 6-Change The World (SoNo Recording Group) 30Â Â Â Â 30Â Â Â Â 0Â Â Â Â Â
^ 39 61 GROOVE FREQUENCIES-Imagine This (B2J) 29Â Â Â Â 19Â Â Â Â +10Â Â Â
  40 19 SADE-Flower Of The Universe (Epic) 29    41    -12  Â
^ 41 30 MICHAEL J. THOMAS-My Love (Harbor Breeze) 28Â Â Â Â 8Â Â Â Â Â +20Â Â Â
^ 42 58 D’LAURENT SMITH-Hand In Hand f/Boney James (—) 28Â Â Â Â 21Â Â Â Â +7Â Â Â Â
^ 43 54 GREG ADAMS/EAST BAY SOUL-Look Book (Ripa) 28Â Â Â Â 22Â Â Â Â +6Â Â Â Â
^ 44 43 MADOCA-Surrender (City Sketches Inc) 27Â Â Â Â 26Â Â Â Â +1Â Â Â Â
^ 45 41 DONALD HAYES-What Dreams May Come (Grindhouse Music) 27Â Â Â Â 27Â Â Â Â 0Â Â Â Â Â
^ 46 40 NAJEE-Song For The Ladies (—) 27Â Â Â Â 27Â Â Â Â 0Â Â Â Â Â
  47 39 BLAIR BRYANT-Sun Chaser f/Darren Rahn (Innervision) 27    28    -1   Â
  48 38 ROBERTO VALLY-Birdland (Woodward Avenue ) 27    29    -2   Â
^ 49 86 NICK COLIONNE-Be Urself (—) 26Â Â Â Â 14Â Â Â Â +12Â Â Â
^ 50 50 JERMAINE MONDAINE-Going Higher (Water From The Rock) 26Â Â Â Â 23Â Â Â Â +3
Mar 2, 1988: the 30th Grammy’s were held in New York City Radio City Music Hall. #80s U2’s Joshua Tree won Album of Year. I won won Best New Artist.
It’s special then and now. As well to this very week have the Number Two Soul Single in the UK with my new group SRLOfficial and a Most Added Smooth Jazz Single on Billboard and Top 25 already on the Smooth Jazz Network To have this longevity is amazing and takes so much determination, hard work, tenacity and faith-resting on laurels is never for me. I am of gratitude and an abundance of enthusiasm for the gift of life and music to share with you! I hope I inspire you all to keep going authentically in your path being who you want to be
Decades of hits, influence in style, fashion meets music in early celebrity ad campaigns, high profile editorial features, the first artist to introduce the rap/sung formula Pop/R and B, Dance with Hip Hop Rap on the groundbreaking multi format Crossover hot “Friends” featuring Eric B & Rakim – a formula that continues to dominate commercial music and ended up with a category of its own at The Grammys by The Recording Academy in the 90’s to being ranked by Billboard Magazine as one of the Greatest Dance Club Artists Of All Time in 2016 and still going strong – Jody Watley is not only one of the music s most enduring and versatile stars as well she is one of Grammys Best New Artist success stories.
As a former Best New Artist recipient and nominee in 1988, here I am at The Grammy Awards in 1993 to present Best New Artist. The winner that year was Toni Braxton.
I’m wearing a Jody Watley designed original as most of you know I’ve been primarily self styled over the years and designed many of my outfits.
My career has evolved and continued as an artist, songwriter, producer and entrepreneur. Â I’ve endured many challenges and obstacles while holding on to being as true to myself and as authentic as I can be — not easy in this industry. As I’ve always said, I never wanted to be stuck in a box, the pop box or machinery of the industry to maintain a certain level of ultra commercial appeal. My influence continues as reflected in my bio and the range in genres reflected from my discography..winning the Best New Artist Grammy has always seemed to be a controversial, maligned and marginalized by some – for me it remains a blessing an unlikely achievement that I remain proud of and thrilled to have received ..read some of what it meant to me at the time: Billboard
“Grammy winners reveal what happened to their statues after the event.” Including Henry Rollins, OK Go, Alannah Miles, Jody Watley, and more: Read the article here: Â Spinner
Stylenote: I wore  a vintage turquoise cocktail dress and paired with a customized black leather biker jacket to give the outfit edge and of course my signature jumbo hoop earrings!
