Dante Thomas

Dante Thomas, born January 7, 1978, in Sacramento, California, and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, is an American R&B and pop singer who achieved international fame in 2001 with his debut single "Miss California," featuring former Fugees member Pras Michel. Straight out of high school, Thomas left Utah for New York City without knowing a soul, spending his first night on a bench at the Port Authority bus station while pursuing his musical dreams. In New York, Thomas was discovered by Donovan Thomas and Doug E. Fresh, and at the Hit Factory studio he crossed paths with Pras, for whom he auditioned with a Stevie Wonder song. "Miss California" became a massive international hit, topping the charts in Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, and served as the lead single from his debut album "Fly." Though it only peaked at number 85 on the US Billboard Hot 100, the track's success in Europe made Thomas a recognizable name worldwide.