Born and raised in North Philadelphia, Vivian Green started singing, playing piano, and writing songs during her childhood. She joined a short-lived group called Younique at the age of 13, and by 15 was striving to land a solo recording contract. After she turned down an offer from Columbia subsidiary Ruffhouse, she co-wrote "Dear God" for Boyz II Men's chart-topping third album, Evolution, and worked on material for Britney Spears' demo tape, while still in high school. After graduation, Green supported herself by performing at jazz clubs and singing with a wedding orchestra. She also backed other singers, and toured internationally with fellow Philly native Jill Scott, as documented by Experience: Jill Scott 826+. Meanwhile, Green recorded a demo of her own, assisted by Malik Pendleton and Eric Roberson, that resulted in a deal with Columbia proper.

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Since her debut single, "Emotional Rollercoaster" (2002), Vivian Green has built a generous catalog displaying undeniable versatility that belies her most common categorization. Traversing jazz, hip-hop soul, and house, among a greater number of styles, the nuanced but powerful singer's gradually expanding body of work is highlighted by the gold-certified A Love Story (2002) and the additional Top Ten R&B/hip-hop albums Vivian (2005) and Vivid (2015). The latter recording started a long-term creative partnership with producer and fellow songwriter Kwame Holland that has progressed with VGVI (2017) and Love Absolute (2020).

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To her credit, Green's first two singles from her 2002 debut album, "Emotional Rollercoaster" (written with Roberson and Osunlade) and "Fanatic" (a collaboration with Fred Kenney), respectively reached number one and 15 on Billboard's adult R&B chart, and thanks to club remixes had crossover success of similar rank on the dance chart. A Love Story, itself a number eight hit on the R&B/hip-hop chart, was certified gold the following May. Green then made big- and small-screen appearances, performing "Love for Sale" in the Cole Porter musical biopic De-Lovely and "Every Little Bit Hurts" (popularized by Motown's Brenda Holloway) in an episode of American Dreams. During this phase, Green also cut background vocals for studio projects by Darius Rucker and Kindred the Family Soul.

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During the second half of the 2010s, Green began and consolidated an alliance with veteran songwriter/producer Kwame Holland. Vivid, her lively first LP for Holland's Caroline-supported Make Noise label, earned her the highest placement on the R&B/hip-hop chart since her second album, reaching number ten upon its August 2015 release. Green and Holland continued to work closely, and in October 2017 returned with VGVI. Vivid and VGVI combined to yield four charting singles, including the Maze-referencing "Get Right Back to My Baby" and the Art of Noise-inspired "I Don't Know," both of which went Top Ten adult R&B.

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Credit - allmusic.com

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