Amber Riley

Born in Los Angeles in 1986, Amber Riley is best known for playing Mercedes Jones in Glee. She was cast in 2008, and starred in all six seasons of television series Glee. During the course of the show, she performed a number of solos including, "Bust Your Windows, “Try a Little Tenderness” and “I Will Always Love You” as a tribute to Whitney Houston. Her role in Glee won her a Screen Actors Guild Award.

She has worked with British pop group The Saturdays on their album Living for the Weekend, co-writing the song "Leave a Light On." She performed her debut single, "Colorblind" live on The Queen Latifah Show in 2014. Riley also performed the single on Glee. In 2013, she won the dancing competition Dancing with the Stars, partnering six-time champion, Derek Hough.

In 2016, Riley made her West End debut as Effie White in *Dreamgirls* at the Savoy Theatre .She played the role for a year, with Marisha Wallace then taking over the role.