She was born in Los Angeles, California, the oldest of five siblings, but grew up in Detroit, Michigan, after her family moved there.
[1] She began singing as a child, and in the early 1970s made her first recordings, as Sandra Richardson.
[3] After changing her name to Sandra Feva, she gained national attention as a background vocalist with Aretha Franklin, Prince, and George Clinton.
As a solo act she had her first hit single in 1979 with her version of "The Need to Be", and released several albums, including Kick it Out, The Need to Be (1979), Savoir Faire (1981), and Fever All Through The Nigh (1989).
[5] She had a stroke in 2000, which ended her music career, and in 2009 became a minister in the Third New Hope Baptist Church in Detroit.