Stephanie Dorthea Mills (born March 22, 1957) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. She gained prominence for her role as Dorothy Gale in the original Broadway production of the musical "The Wiz" from 1974 to 1979. The song "Home" from the show later became a number one U.S. R&B hit and is considered her signature song. During the 1980s, Mills had five number one R&B hits, including "Home", "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love", "I Feel Good All Over", "(You're Puttin') A Rush on Me", and "Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel)". She won a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Never Knew Love Like This Before" in 1981. Her albums "What Cha Gonna Do with My Lovin'", "Sweet Sensation", and "Stephanie" achieved gold or platinum status through 20th Century Fox Records. In 2025, Billboard named her one of the 75 best R&B singers of all time. Mills was born to Joseph and Christine Mills and raised in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. She sang gospel music as a child at Brooklyn's Cornerstone Baptist Church. She began her professional career at age nine in the Broadway musical "Maggie Flynn" and won Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater six weeks consecutively at age eleven. She later opened for the Isley Brothers. Mills released her first single, "I Knew It Was Love", with Paramount Records in 1973 and was later signed to Motown, where her first two albums did not produce hits. Her career advanced when she portrayed Dorothy in "The Wiz", and her performance of "Home" was later covered by Diana Ross for the film adaptation. Mills signed with 20th Century Fox Records in 1979, releasing the album "What Cha Gonna Do with My Lovin'", which included the hits "Put Your Body In It", "You Can Get Over", and the title track, achieving her first gold record. This was followed by "Sweet Sensation" in 1980, which featured "Never Knew Love Like This Before", reaching number 12 on the R&B chart and number 6 on the pop chart, and number 4 in the UK. In 1981, her album "Stephanie" included the hit "Two Hearts" with Teddy Pendergrass. Her 1983 album "Merciless" featured a cover of Prince's "How Come You Don't Call Me Anymore?" and the number three dance chart hit "Pilot Error". In 1984, "The Medicine Song" reached number 29 in the UK, number one on the U.S. dance chart, and number eight on the R&B chart. Mills returned briefly to theater that year in a touring revival of "The Wiz". In 1985, her recording "Bit by Bit (Theme from Fletch)" appeared in the film "Fletch" and charted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, Billboard Hot 100, and dance charts. Mills returned to the top of the R&B chart in 1986 with "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love". Her 1987 album "If I Were Your Woman", released on MCA Records, included hits such as the title track, "I Feel Good All Over", and "You're Puttin' a Rush on Me", and achieved platinum status. That year she appeared on the NBC TV special "Motown: Merry Christmas", performing "Christmas Everyday". Her 1989 album "Home" featured the title track and "Something in the Way You Make Me Feel", another platinum-certified release. Mills released "Something Real" in 1992 and a Christmas album before leaving MCA. She reprised the role of Dorothy in a 1993 revival of "The Wiz", which ran for 28 performances. In 1994, she released the live gospel album "Personal Inspirations" on GospoCentric Records, produced by Donald Lawrence, which included a gospel version of "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love". In 1997, Mills starred in the lead role of "Children of Eden" in New Jersey. She appeared on the TV series "Sunday Best" in 2007 and discussed her record label, JM Records, on "The Yolanda Adams Morning Show". She released the independent album "Born for This" in 2004, including the single "Can't Let Him Go". A career-spanning greatest hits compilation, "Gold", was released by Hip-O/Universal Music. In 2012, Mills released the single "So In Love This Christmas". In 2015, she was cast as Aunt Em in the NBC live musical production of "The Wiz". In 2018, she publicly criticized singer Sam Smith on social media regarding comments about Michael Jackson and accusations of cultural appropriation. In 2021, Mills participated in a Verzuz battle with Chaka Khan, performing hits from their respective discographies. In 2024, she returned to Broadway after forty years, playing Missus Hermes in the musical "Hadestown". Studio albums Movin' in the Right Direction (1974) For the First Time (1975) Love Has Lifted Me (1976) What Cha' Gonna Do with My Lovin' (1979) Sweet Sensation (1980) Stephanie (1981) Tantalizingly Hot (1982) Merciless (1983) I've Got the Cure (1984) Stephanie Mills (1985) If I Were Your Woman (1987) Home (1989) Something Real (1992) Personal Inspirations (1994) Born for This! (2004)
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