Generations of Vocal Artistry: Few artists in the entertainment industry embody versatility, longevity, and purpose-driven artistry quite like Stephanie Spruill. Over a remarkable five-decade career, the Los Angeles native has built a global reputation, not only as one of the most recorded and in demand background vocalists in modern music history, but also as a singer-songwriter, percussionist, vocal arranger, motivational speaker, and founder of Spruill House Music, Inc. School of Voice & Artist Development. Having toured and/or recorded with everyone from Michael Jackson, Julio Iglesias, Donna Summer, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston to Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Olivia Newton-John, Glen Campbell, Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand, Chaka Khan, and Ricky Martin (to name a few), Spruill continues to evolve while carrying her immense experience forward into new generations of artistry.
A Full-Circle Moment: One of the most meaningful chapters of Spruill’s extraordinary journey came recently through her work on the hit Michael Jackson biopic Michael, where she spent four and a half years coaching her longtime student Juliano Valdi (Young MJ) and doing vocal coaching with Jaafar Jackson at the Hayvenhurst Studio to authentically capture the legend’s signature tone, phrasing, pitch, and emotional essence. She also coached the actors who portrayed The Jackson 5. The project created a profound full circle moment for Spruill, who originally worked closely with the Jacksons decades ago, adding her vocals to classics like “Can You Feel It” and “Heartbreak Hotel,” and playing the tambourine on “Dancing Machine.” “When Michael called me to organize and direct the adult and children’s choir for ‘Can You Feel It,’ which featured my soprano background vocals, none of us could have imagined I would later help bring his voice and spirit to life for a whole new generation,” she says.
Artist Development with Purpose: Long before “artist development” became an endangered concept in the music business, Spruill recognized the importance of preparing performers not only technically, but emotionally, spiritually, and professionally. Through her internationally respected school and her book 17 Points to Longevity in Show Business—which is part of her curriculum—she has mentored singers, actors, speakers, and creatives from around the world, helping them develop confidence, focus, diction, stage presence, and authentic artistic identity. Her students have included international recording artists, actors, and public figures from throughout the world—from Romania, Russia, Spain, Mexico, and Japan to Hollywood. “Every business is show business,” she says. “You have to know how to present yourself, communicate, and connect.”
Strength Through Reinvention: Even profound personal loss has only deepened Spruill’s sense of mission. After losing her Altadena home, studio, memorabilia, and all of her instruments and treasured artifacts in the recent L.A. fires, she chose to focus not on devastation but renewal. “God is good because I’m here and I’m alive,” she says. “All those things came from me, and I can generate more.” That resilient philosophy continues to guide her life and work as she balances family, performing, teaching, coaching, and creating new music. “It is my mission to reach the world over and touch everyone with all the artistry in me,” Spruill says. “I have discovered that God and art are the links that bring me closer to my divine purpose.”
Contact Stephanie Spruill, 626-797-2429
