Grammy award-winning Chrisette Michele Payne (born c. 1982), known professionally as Chrisette Michele, is an American R&B singer on the Def Jam Recordings record label. She has been featured on such popular hiphop albums as Jay-Z's Kingdom Come and Nas' Hip Hop Is Dead. She sings in a jazz style reminiscent of past singers such as Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Surrounded by music since she was a small child, singer, songwriter and composer