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 singer, actress, and model. She was the lead singer for the Prince-mentored female trio Vanity 6, which recorded the 1982 R&B hit "Nasty Girl".

Early life

Vanity was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, the daughter of a German mother and a black father. She is the sister of Canadian model Patricia Matthews. Growing up in Niagara Falls, Matthews came from what she described in interviews as a "broken home". Her parents divorced when she was young, and her mother plunged into alcoholism and depression. Matthews' father was very 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.

Early career

With Diana Ross as an idol, Matthews dreamed of becoming a Hollywood star. She first began doing local beauty pageants before moving to Toronto, where she modeled.