Stephanie Dorthea Mills, born on March 22, 1957, in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, is a renowned American singer, songwriter, and actress. Mills began her professional career at the tender age of nine with a role in the Broadway musical "Maggie Flynn." Her early exposure to music was rooted in gospel, as she sang at Brooklyn's Cornerstone Baptist Church.

Mills gained significant attention after winning Amateur Night at the Apollo Theater for six consecutive weeks at age eleven, which led to her opening for the Isley Brothers. In 1973, she released her first single, "I Knew It Was Love," under Paramount Records, but it was her role as Dorothy in the Broadway musical "The Wiz" from 1974 to 1979 that catapulted her to stardom. The song "Home" from the show became her signature song and a Number 1 U.S. R&B hit.

Her career flourished in the 1980s with five Number 1 R&B hits, including "I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love," "I Feel Good All Over," "(You're Puttin') A Rush on Me," and "Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel)." Mills received a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance in 1981 for her hit "Never Knew Love Like This Before." Her albums "What Cha Gonna Do with My Lovin," "Sweet Sensation," and "Stephanie" achieved gold or platinum status.

Mills's personal life includes marriages to Jeffrey Daniel, Dino Meminger, and Michael Saunders, and she has one child. Her enduring influence in R&B and soul music was recognized by Billboard in 2025, naming her one of the "75 Best R&B singers of All Time." Her career, spanning over four decades, continues to inspire new generations.