Wynter Gordon dealt with a tough Queens upbringing by developing her talent for dancing, songwriting, and singing. She wrote her first song prior to becoming a teenager and attended LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. Later, working in music studios led to a major songwriting credit: the fittingly titled “Gonna Breakthrough,” a tune she co-wrote, was not just recorded by Mary J. Blige but positioned as the central track on the singer’s triple-platinum 2005 album, The Breakthrough. This led to a contract with Atlantic, as well as collaborations with Danity Kane, David Guetta, Jennifer Lopez, and Flo Rida. Gordon’s debut album, With the Music I Die, arrived in 2010. ~ Andy Kellman