Wanya Morris

Wanyá Jermaine Morris (/ˈwɑːnjeɪ/ WAHN-yay) (born July 29, 1973) is an American singer, best known as a member of the R&B group Boyz II Men.

Morris attended William Levering Elementary School in Roxborough, Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA).

Among other television appearances, he competed during the twenty-second season of Dancing with the Stars.

Boyz II Men

In 1987, Morris, who sang in the school's choir along with the members of Boyz II Men (then called Unique Attraction), joined the group and became a permanent member as a freshman. After signing to Motown in 1991, they released their debut album, Cooleyhighharmony. Boyz II Men would quickly start to climb music charts with songs such as "I'll Make Love to You" (1994) and "Water Runs Dry" (1995). In 1996, the group released the single "One Sweet Day" with Mariah Carey.

Shortly after the success of "I'll Make Love to You", Morris appeared in the group Black Men United, performing with Boyz II Men for the single "U Will Know" (1994). The song was originally featured on the Jason's Lyric soundtrack, written by future neo soul musician D'Angelo and produced by Brian McKnight.

Boyz II Men are best known for their vocal harmonies. Morris sings tenor vocals in the group. He still tours with Boyz II Men as of 2025.

Television and film

Morris was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 22 of Dancing with the Stars on March 8, 2016. He was partnered with professional dancer Lindsay Arnold. Morris and Arnold made it to the semifinals of the show, but were then eliminated and finished the competition in fourth place overall, despite having the highest accumulative average at the time of their elimination.

Additional television and film appearances include: the music documentary film Happy on the Ground (2013), The Odd Couple (2016), Whose Line is it Anyway? (2017), Hollywood Darlings (2017), To Tell the Truth (2017), Long Shot (2019) and Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (2021), among others.

Morris appeared in the Christmas special, A Very Boy Band Holiday, in December 2021. In March 2022, he performed during I Can See Your Voice.

In September 2024, Morris appeared on an episode of Pawn Stars, in which he was asked to authenticate a vinyl copy of Cooleyhighharmony that was signed by the band, as well as a sheepskin jacket that was worn by Michael McCary on the album's cover.

Personal life

Morris was in a professional and romantic relationship with Brandy Norwood during the 1990s, while she was a minor. Morris married Traci Nash in May 2002. They had six children together, including four sons who are in a R&B boy band called WanMor, and two daughters (their eldest born in November 1999). Morris and Nash separated in 2019, after an affair with Amber Reyes contributed to the split. That same year, Morris had a marriage ceremony with Reyes while still legally married to Traci Morris. Celebrities such as Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Boyz II Men member Shawn Stockman attended the wedding. Wanya was not officially divorced from Traci until June 26, 2023.

Discography

Boyz II Men

Albums

Singles

Other works

Singles

• "Brokenhearted" with Brandy from Brandy (1994)
• "I'll Be There" with Mariah Carey from Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden (1995)
• "Let It Out" with Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes from Eye Legacy (2009)

Unofficial solo projects

• Millennium Renaissance (compilation) (2000)
• Unreleased (mixtape) (2007)

Other appearances

• "Come for More" (song from Uninvited Guest film as Mo) (2001)
• "Happy in Hell" (song with Colt Ford from Declaration of Independence album) (2012)
• "Blow My Load" (song with Tyler the Creator, Dâm-Funk and Syd from Cherry Bomb album) (2015)
• The After Party (band with NSYNC’s Joey Fatone and AJ McLean & Nick Carter of Backstreet Boys) (2021)

External links

• November 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
• at IMDb
• at Allmusic