Wayna  Wayna (real name Woyneab Miraf Wondwossen) is an R&B/soul singer and songwriter who was born in Ethiopia and raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. She worked as a writer for the Clinton White House before releasing three solo albums, garnering three Billboard-charting singles and a Grammy nomination. She currently tours as a vocalist with musical icon Stevie Wonder." Wayna was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and immigrated to the United States with her mother at the age of three. She was raised in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. and began singing and acting as a child, performing in theater productions like "Annie" and "Damn Yankees," and touring with the children's musical review company, "Song Inc." As a young adult, Wayna began absorbing the works of artists who would later become her musical influences: Minnie Riperton, Billie Holiday, Sting, Stevie Wonder and Donny Hathaway among them. While in college, Wayna was crowned Miss Black Unity of the University of Maryland, earning a one-year tuition scholarship at the 17th annual pageant. She also studied and performed as a soloist with the University of Maryland Gospel Choir under the direction of Valeria Foster. But it was after being invited to perform at her University's annual "Tribute to African Women, that Wayna ended up writing her first original piece performed to an audience. "It was a watershed moment for the artist" that inspired her to continue songwriting. After earning a bachelor's degree with a double major in English and Speech Communication, Wayna began working as a Writer in the Clinton White House, where she served for 3 years, writing Presidential proclamations and messages on women's issues, race relations, and international policy. She later worked with leaders of the Ethiopian business community, including Noah Samara (founder of World Space) and Dosho Shifferaw (creator of the Bowflex) as the Executive Director of the Ethiopian American Constituency—a political action committee serving the Ethiopian-American community. Wayna's debut alum, Moments of Clarity, Book 1 was released in November, 2004 under her own production company, Quiet Power Productions and C-Side Entertainment. The album featured production from celebrated Ethiopian producers and arrangers, Abegaz Shiota and Thomas Gobena, as well as DC-based hip hop and R&B producers, James McKinney, Kev Brown, DJ RoddyRod, and Grammy nominated producer, Kokayi.