Born & Raised:

Born: May 22, 1979 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Raised in Philadelphia.

Early Life:

Vivian Green was raised in the northern end of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the East Oak Lane neighborhood. Before she was a teenager, she became interesting in singing and playing the piano. After receiving early training as a classical pianist and vocalist, she recorded demos of her own original songs throughout her teens.


She also later gained work and life experience by performing in jazz clubs, at weddings and during corporate functions, covering songs by Chaka Khan, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand and Aretha Franklin, among others. She received her first professional songwriting credit when Boyz II Men recorded her song "Dear God" for their platinum-selling 1997 album Evolution.

Singing Career:

Vivian's big break as a singer came at the age of 19, when she was hired as a backup singer for Jill Scott and went on an international tour with Jill in the late 1990s. She subsequently signed a recording contract with Columbia Records/Sony Music, and her debut album, A Love Story, was released in November 2002. The album went gold in the U.S., selling over half a million copies, and generated the hit single "Emotional Rollercoaster." Her sophomore album was not as successful and she parted ways with Columbia/Sony in 2006. As of mid-2012, Vivian has released a total of three albums, the most recent of which came out via E1 Music.

Family Matters:

Vivian has a younger brother, Solomon Green, who's a songwriter and aspiring rapper. He co-wrote four songs that appeared on her 2010 album Beautiful.
She's also the mother of a son named Jordan, whom she had with her ex-boyfriend, drummer Erik Tribbett. Jordan, who was born underdeveloped and weighing just three pounds in 2005, has struggled with various health issues most of his young life. As of mid-2012, she's raising her son as a single parent in Philadelphia and is not in contact with her son's father.

Acting Roles:

Vivian made her film debut in the Cole Porter biopic De-Lovely in 2003, where she portrayed legendary Jazz singer Billie Holiday and sang Billie's classic song "Love for Sale."
In 2005, Vivian played the role of 1960s Soul singer Brenda Holloway in one episode of the first season of the NBC TV series "American Dreams."

Notable Quote:

"With everything I've been through with my son, I have no other way to be than positive. There is nothing worse than your child being diagnosed with anything, so anything else is a piece of cake. I really like myself now and I'm proud and happy knowing that I was able to get through it by trusting in God." -- Vivian Green to essence.com in April 2010.

Discography:

2012: The Green Room
2010: Beautiful
2005: Vivian
2002: A Love Story