Tony Award winner Heather Headley will release her debut solo recording this fall for RCA Records.

A spokesman for RCA confirmed that the "very tentative" release date for Headley's R&B CD is Oct. 8. Entitled "This Is Who I Am," Headley's debut recording features 12 tracks produced by some of the record industry's top producers, including Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, who have worked with Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston; Dallas Austin, who has produced for TLC and Toni Braxton; and Shep Crawford, who has produced songs for Houston and Deborah Cox.

Headley, who earned a Tony Award for her performance in the title role of Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida, co-wrote several of the songs on "This Is Who I Am": "Fallin' for You," "Sunday" and "Sista Girl." Jamaican dancehall master Chuckie Star joins Headley on "Fallin' for You." About her song selections, Headley says, "My brain has to connect with my heart and my voice. It's a simple test — I know in 12 bars if I can sing the song or not."

Headley, who is accustomed to performing before live audiences, said that studio recording posed a challenge. "It's so meticulous," she explains. "I would have to close my eyes and picture an audience." Headley also adds, "I want this to be an album people can listen to now and ten years from now, something that can exhilarate people and help them through these uncertain times."

The young singer-actress, who also starred on Broadway as Nala in The Lion King, is planning a concert tour to promote the new recording. "I can't wait to tour," Headley says. "I'll drive the bus myself." The complete track listing for "This Is Who I Am" follows:
"He Is"
"Nature of a Man"
"Fallin' for You"
"I Wish I Wasn't"
"Fulltime"
"Like Ya Use To"
"Always Been Your Girl"
"Sunday"
"Four Words from a Heartbreak"
"Sista Girl"
"Why Should I Cry"
"If It Wasn't for Your Love"

—By Andrew Gans