Vanessa Williams Releases Mesmerizing ‘iLike Moonlight’ Ahead Of New Album

Legendary, award-winning star of stage, screen, and music, Vanessa Williams, has announced new details about her highly-anticipated new album, “Survivor,” set for release on August 23rd via Mellian Music/Mod Squad, LLC.

The 14-track album, which marks her first new release in 15 years, is an exciting, genre-defying collection of songs that reflect Williams’ rich and diverse musical catalogue. “Survivor” will be available as a digital album in Standard audio and also in Dolby Atmos immersive audio across all streaming platforms.

“Survivor” is an eclectic collection of songs that embraces my musical past and brings that history into the present and the future,” Williams shares. “It absolutely represents me musically and has something to say. I wanted to remind my loyal fans that I’m still here, don’t count me out and to bring my music to a whole new generation that might know be better for my stage and television roles.” She adds, “Playing with all of the different styles of music I’ve loved to perform over the years is just who I am as an artist, which I really attribute to my parents, who were music teachers. I listened to everything growing up and that has always inspired my diverse musical tastes.”

The announcement comes alongside the release of her newest track, “iLike Moonlight,” and its accompanying music video, which provides another glimpse into what fans can expect from the new music.

The sensual, smooth R&B-inspired ballad is the third song to be released off the forthcoming album.

“I haven’t forgotten about all of my ballad loving fans & my new single, “iLike Moonlight” totally proves that! “iLike Moonlight” is a smooth sultry mid-tempo ballad that touches all the right spots; blending Pop, Hot AC & Soul.”

Written by DeValle Groove Hayes, Loris Holland and Amber Mitchell, “iLike Moonlight” was the inspiration of veteran songwriter and producer, Loris Holland, known for his work with Celine Dion, Anita Baker, and Mariah Carey. “Loris was phenomenal,” Williams adds. “The song is very dreamy and kind of percussive and sexy.”

Holland is equally effusive about collaborating with Williams. “I grew up next to a 5-mile-wide river in the Amazon basin, moonlight hitting the water was always magical to me, always felt like the twilight zone,” states Holland, who was born in British Guiana. “This song was written for Vanessa, who is the queen of beauty and sparkle…I just envisioned her on the beach glittering like an emerald in the moonlight, soaking up the Caribbean breeze…and the idea for ‘iLike Moonlight’ was born. Her sultry, smooth, gorgeous tone and excellent melodic execution was the perfect marriage to the rhythm that brought this song to life.”

The song went through several transformations with Holland eventually bringing in his proteges – New York-based pianist Amber Noelle Mitchell and Texas-based producer DaValle “Groove” Shereef – to strike the perfect chords along with executive producer Tony Prendatt, a Grammy Award winning engineer, who was also involved in finalizing the track. “More work went into that song than any song on the album,” he says. “And all the work was worth it. I think it’s a classic.”

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Over the course of her illustrious four-decade career, Vanessa Williams has made her mark on stage, screen, and on record. The former Miss America, has racked up over 212 million digital streams, recorded eight albums , and has six R.I.A.A.-certified gold or platinum albums and singles to her credit. She’s earned 13 Grammy® Award nominations ( including Best New Artist, and Record of the Year). She has placed 13 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart.

“Save the Best for Last” was No. 1 for five weeks in 1992. She’s also scored 15 Billboard R&B chart singles (three No. 1’s “Dreamin’,” “Save the Best for Last,” and “Running Back to You.” She’s also found a rhythm on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart with six Top Ten singles, including “The Right Stuff” and “You Are Everything .” Williams has also hit the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart with No. 1 songs, “Save the Best for Last” and “Love Is,” a duet with Brian McKnight; and the Top Ten classics, “The Sweetest Days” and “Colors of The Wind.”

Williams has been equally successful on the big and small screens. She’s done over 100 episodic television appearances on sitcoms, drama series, and variety shows. There have been a dozen telefilms such as Perry Mason: The Case of the Silenced Singer, Stompin’ at the Savoy, and Keep the Faith, Baby where she portrayed Jazz pianist, Hazel Scott. There has been another dozen theatrical films such as Soul Food (for which she won an NAACP Image Award for Best Actress), Shaft, Eraser, and Hanna Montana: The Movie. She enjoyed greater success when she was cast as Wilhelmina Slater in the ABC sitcom, Ugly Betty, for which she won three consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy series. Then, she portrayed vixen Renee Perry in Desperate Housewives and most recently as the voice of Captain Beakman in the animated series, T.O.T.S.

Williams has also enjoyed great success on the stage. She made her Broadway debut as Aurora (a role originated by Chita Rivera) in the 1994 musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman. She won a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress (Musical) for reprising Bernadette Peters’ iconic role as The Witch in the Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. She co-starred as Jessie Mae Watts in the 2013 revival of Horton Foote’s Trip to Bountiful alongside Cicely Tyson, and she starred in the musical, After Midnight, in 2014. She’s also starred in theatrical productions of Sondheim on Sondheim, Anyone Can Whistle, and Showboat. Williams received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2007.