GRAMMY winning artist, songwriter, producer, and owner of Avitone; Jody Watley is ranked by Billboard Magazine as one of the Greatest Dance Club Acts of All Time and hailed by Wax Poetics's Dean Van Nguyen as one of music's prominent visionaries whose influence remains a touchstone in contemporary music. In 2017, Jody Watley was an Honoree as "Crossover Music Icon" on the second year of the television broadcast Black Music Honors airing in September in syndication and October on the Bounce network. She is an original member of the group Shalamar and the new trio Jody Watley ft. SRL.

Jody Watley's groundbreaking career as solo artist kicked off with her debut album "Jody Watley" whose chart-topping lead single “Looking for a New Love” launched the Watley-penned catch phrase “Hasta la vista, baby,” into pop culture vernacular, garnered the prestigious "Best New Artist" award and countless nominations and hits that have followed over the course of decades in her career.