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Jamaican singer, songwriter and human

rights activist Diana King celebrates her 49th birthday today, November 8.

Born in the old capital, Spanish Town in 1970, King shot to international stardom with her chart-topping hit Shy Guy in 1995.

Balancing her soulful R&B vocals on a rebellious reggae beat, Shy Guy stands as Diana King’s most successful song – peaking at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Shy Guy, the lead single from her debut Tougher Than Love album, went on to sell over 5 million copies worldwide and was served as a mainstay addition to the original 1995 Bad Boys movie soundtrack.

In an emotional June 2012 post, King came

out as a lesbian via Facebook. While she admitted she had known of her

sexuality since her 20s, she said it took her a decade for her to be

comfortable, out of fear of backlash towards her son and daughter.

“I answer now, not because it’s anyone’s business but because it feels right with my soul and I believe by not answering or hiding it all these years somehow makes it appear as if I am ashamed of it or that I believe it is wrong,” she remarked.

Six months later, King was honoured for her bravery in December 2012 as she was presented with the prestigious Vanguard Award at the Out Music Awards in Las Vegas.

View this post on Instagram ?‍? AS AN ARTIST WHO IS LGBTQ, BORN and RAISED IN JAMAICA I NEVER THOUGHT I’D EVER SAY “MY WIFE” IN THIS LIFETIME. I AM COMPLETELY and SINCERELY GRATEFUL TO ALL WHO FOUGHT and CONTINUE to FIGHT WORLDWIDE FOR OUR DESERVED EQUALITY and HUMAN RIGHTs. MY TRUE PERSONALITY IS INTROVERTED and PRIVATE, TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM the ME ON STAGE. ITs A CONSTANT BATTLE BETWEEN WHAT TO SHARE PUBLICLY or NOT. MY HANDs R SHAKING AS I WRITE THIS POST. FOR ME ITS A SIGN THAT I AM ABOUT TO EXERCISE COURAGE because THEY SHOOK LIKE THIS WHEN I CAME OUT IN 2012. I’M SHARING THIS because I STRONGLY BELIEVE VISIBILITY IS VITAL for CHANGE! AND LIFE IS SHORT, SO I’M GONNA LIVE IT … AUTHENTICALLY • I’s MARRIED NOW CELIE! LOVE WINs! ?????? #TheKINGs #WebsterKing #KingMij GRATITUDE_/|_ @dianakingdom @mijjymijj #justmarried #Jan12 #gratitude #visibilityIsVital #blackceramic #lgbtlove #marriedartists #lgbt #jamaicanlesbian #lgbtq #history #herstory #lgbtqjamaican #blacklove #lesbianlove #queerlove #lovewins #ilovemywife #WIFEYA post shared by KING (@dianakingdom) on Jan 13, 2018 at 3:07pm PST

King stands to this day as the first

Jamaican artist to ever publicly come out and states it’s one of her proudest

moments.

Happy birthday, Diana, from all of us at BUZZ!