A Charlotte, NC native Sunshine Anderson was discovered while she was waiting in line in a cafeteria at North Carolina Central University, A friend of producer/Soulife A&R Vice President Mike City heard Anderson humming while she waited and introduced her to City. Propelled by the single “Heard It All Before,” Anderson’s first album — 2001’s Your Woman — reached number two on Billboard’s R&B albums chart and eventually went gold, selling over 800,000 copies.
Sunshine at Midnight, released on Mathew Knowles’ Music World label and featuring assistance from Raphael Saadiq (as well as City), was released nearly six years later. With the exception of one track, Anderson’s third album, The Sun Shines Again (2010), was produced entirely by City.