Cynthia Erivo is an English actress and singer. She gained recognition for starring in the Broadway revival of
The Color Purple from 2015 to 2017, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Erivo ventured into films in 2018, playing roles in the heist film
Widows and the thriller
Bad Times at the El Royale. For her portrayal of American abolitionist Harriet Tubman in the biopic
Harriet (2019), Erivo received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress; she also wrote and performed the song "Stand Up" on its soundtrack, which garnered her a nomination in the Best Original Song category.