Erica Campbell

Erica Monique Campbell (née, Atkins; born April 29, 1973) is an American Gospel singer and songwriter. Specialising in the urban contemporary gospel, Christian R&B, and contemporary R&B genres, she started her music career in the late 1990s with her younger sister, Tina Campbell, as part of the group Mary Mary.

Her debut solo album, Help (2014), reached the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart and won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album at the 57th Grammy Awards. The album's reissue, Help 2.0. (2015), included the gospel trap single "I Luh God", which reached number one on the gospel chart. She released her second album, I Love You, in 2023. Her 2024 collaborative track "One Hallelujah" alongside Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Israel Houghton, Jonathan McReynolds and Jekalyn Carr won the Grammy Award for Best Gospel Performance/Song.

In addition to her music career, Campbell has made appearances in the films Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993) and The Fighting Temptations (2003). Since May 2016, she has been the host of Get Up! Mornings with Erica Campbell with comedian Griff is currently distributed by Reach Media, the syndication arm of Urban One.

Early life

Campbell was born Erica Monique Atkins, on April 29, 1973, in Inglewood, California, the daughter of Eddie Aaron Atkins Jr. (1948–2013), originally from Merced, California, a pastor and minister, and Thomasina Andrea "Honey" Atkins (née Daniels), who is originally from Stamford, Connecticut. Her paternal grandparents are Eddie Aaron Atkins, Sr. and Lavada Cruthird, and her maternal grandparents are Tommy and Ruth Daniels. She had two older brothers, Andre Lavelle Atkins, who died at 6 years old from a combination of Down Syndrome, spinal meningitis, and a hole in his heart, and her other brother, Darrell Antoine Atkins, is living in Arizona. She has one older sister, Maliea Dionne Atkins, and five younger sisters, Trecina Evette "Tina" Atkins, Delisa Marie "Lisa" or "Wittle Wees" Atkins, Thomasina Andrea "Goo Goo" Atkins, Alana Ellesse "Lainz" or "Luv Luv" Atkins, and Shanta Nena Lavea Atkins.

Music career

Her music career started in 1998, with her younger sister, Tina Campbell, who formed half of the gospel music duo, Mary Mary. As part of Mary Mary, Campbell earned numerous Stellar Music and Dove Awards, four Grammy Awards, three NAACP Image Awards, two American Music Awards, a Soul Train Award and a BET Award. In 2008, Campbell recorded a solo track called "Stand" for the soundtrack to the independent film A Good Man Is Hard to Find. In 2011, Mary Mary received the ASCAP Golden Note Award for their extraordinary songwriting. Erica commenced her solo music recording career in 2013 by recording her first studio album, HELP, that released on March 25, 2014, with Entertainment One Music. This album was her breakthrough release upon the Billboard magazine charts, while it charted on The Billboard 200, Top Gospel Albums, and Independent Albums charts, where it peaked at Nos. 6, 1, and 2, respectively. Campbell won a Grammy Award for Best Gospel Album at the 57th edition of the event. The subsequent studio album, Help 2.0, was released on March 31, 2015, by Entertainment One Music. This album charted on the same charts, but at Nos. 120, 1, and 12, respectively.

In early April 2018, Erica and her husband, Warryn Campbell, were to star in their own reality show on TV One. The show will highlight Erica going back into the studio to record her new album. Also in 2018, Erica and her husband released a music video titled "All of My Life".

On September 23, 2022, Erica released “Positive”, and she released “Feel Alright (Blessed)” on January 13, 2023, from her second album, I Love You, which was released later that year.[1]

Personal life

In 2001, she married Warryn Campbell. The couple resides in Los Angeles together, with their three children.

Campbell is an honorary member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, having been initiated on January 15, 2023.