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Denise Katrina Matthews (born January 4, 1959), better known as Vanity, but sometimes credited as Denise Matthews-Smith or D.D. Winters, is a Canadian-born former singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and model from the 1980s until the early mid-90s. She was the lead singer for the female trio Vanity 6, which recorded the 1982 R&B hit "Nasty Girl". Vanity was born Denise Matthews in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Her mother was of German descent and her father was African Canadian. She is the sister of Canadian model Patricia Matthews. Growing up in Niagara Falls, she came from what she described... MORE

Denise Katrina Matthews (born January 4, 1959), better known as Vanity, but sometimes credited as Denise Matthews-Smith or D.D. Winters, is a Canadian-born former singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and model from the 1980s until the early mid-90s. She was the lead singer for the female trio Vanity 6, which recorded the 1982 R&B hit "Nasty Girl". Vanity was born Denise Matthews in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Her mother was of German descent and her father was African Canadian. She is the sister of Canadian model Patricia Matthews. Growing up in Niagara Falls, she came from what she described as a "broken home". Her parents divorced when she was young, and her mother suffered from alcoholism and depression. Matthews' father was abusive towards her and her sisters. As a child, along with her sisters and step siblings, she regularly moved back and forth between her father and stepmother, mother and grandparents. With Diana Ross as an idol, Matthews wanted to become a Hollywood star. She began entering local beauty pageants before moving to Toronto, where she modeled. She won Miss Niagara Hospitality in 1977, and went on to compete for Miss Canada in 1978. At the age of 19, she moved to LESS