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Lin Bo - Mr DJ (E7) Dessy Fitri - Di Akhir Garisan (G6) Nina Girado - Simula (E7) Nina Girado - I Don't Want To Be Your Friend (C#7) Nina Girado - Sayang Naman (C7) Nina Girado - (Untitled)(C7) Nina Girado - Foolish Heart (B6) Nina Girado - Biyahe Tayo (G#6) Nikki - Emotion (F6) Nikki - Pinta (F#6) Nikki - Caramu(E6) Nikki - Drama (E6) Nikki - Drama (E6)(Operatic Soprano) Nikki - Perang Atau Cinta (War or Love)(E6) Idayu - Tiada Lagi Tangisan (LIVE)(F#6) Idayu - Curiga (E6) Idayu - Kasih Yang Terpisah (B6,C7) Lani Misalucha - Loving You (LIVE)(A6) Regine - More Than Words Can Say (F6) Misia - Loving You (LIVE)(A6) Hazami - Kata (G#6) Hazami - Fantasia (F6) Ruffedge & VE - Khayalan (Fantasy)(G6) Ruffedge - Kerna (G6, A#6) Vitas - Opera 2 (A#6) (Russia) Vitas - Opera#1 (G6) (Russia)
Born in the Bronx, New York, New York to a jazz musician father and a schoolteacher mother, Mary was exposed to music from an early age. At the age of four, Mary's father, Thomas, left the family, leaving her mother Cora to raise Mary and her older sister Latonya alone. (On February 1, 2006, Mary revealed on The Oprah Winfrey Show that she was sexually assaulted as a child by a family friend.) A couple years later, Mary's family relocated to Yonkers, where they resided in one of the cities most dangerous housing projects. Music eventually became Mary's refuge, singing lead in her church's choir, and at seven she won a talent contest singing Aretha Franklin's "Respect."
While continuing to remain true to her love of music, as Mary entered her teen years, she began experimenting with recreational drugs and eventually dropped out of high school.
Music career
In 1988, at age seventeen, Mary recorded an impromptu cover of Anita Baker's "Caught Up In The Rapture" at a recording booth in a local shopping mall. Mary's mother's boyfriend at the time later played the cassette for a music industry contact, Jeff Redd, a recording artist and A&R runner for Uptown Records. Redd sent it to the president and CEO of the label, Andre Harell. At the time, the fledgling Uptown was home to a few noted hip-hop and R&B acts of the day, including Heavy D & the Boyz and Guy. Harrell met with Mary, and in 1989, she was signed to the label — becoming the company's youngest and first female artist.
After signing with Uptown, Mary's early years at the company were dormant as the label continued to focus most of its attention on its more established acts. In no hurry to make an instant star out of Mary, her first assignment came in 1991 when she sang the hook on "I'll Do 4 U" by rapper and label mate Father MC. Mary also appeared in the concert-themed music video, in the less than dazzling role of a back-up singer.
What's The 411?
The cover to 1992's What's The 411?
Uptown finally greenlit production for Mary's debut album in early 1992. Harrell assigned his young protégée, up and coming label exec., Sean "Puffy" Combs to help oversee the project. Also enlisted were some of the top R&B and hip-hop producers of the time, among them were Tony Dofat, Mark Morales (of The Fat Boys fame) and Mark C. Rooney, and Dave "Jam" Hall. Also included in the producers mix were Combs himself, and Donald "DeVante Swing" DeGrate (member of, and driving force behind, fellow Uptown act Jodeci). The latter association would introduce Mary to Jodeci group member Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey, with whom she embarked on a long and tumultuous unfaithful relationship.
On July 18, 1992, Uptown released What's The 411?. That summer, the album's debut single, "You Remind Me", was released to radio and eventually peaked at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and climbed to #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks. It was followed up that fall with "Real Love," which fared even better — becoming Blige's second #1 on the R&B singles charts and first top 10 pop single, peaking at #7 on the Hot 100. Both singles were also certified gold.
More 411 singles followed into 1993, including: "Reminisce" &mdash a cover of Rufus's "Sweet Thing" &mdash, and "Love No Limit." By the end of the year, What's The 411? had sold three million copies, and Mary had been crowned "The Queen Of Hip-hop Soul." The albums success spun off What's The 411? Remix, a remix album released in December that was used to extend the life of the 411 singles on the radio into 1994, while Mary prepared for her sophomore album.
The cover to 1994's My Life.
My Life
On November 29, 1994, Uptown Records released Blige's second studio album, My Life. Darker, moodier, and slightly less uptempo than its predecessor; the set was again overseen by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs (currently calling himself "Diddy": Sean Combs) who, in spite of having left his post at Uptown Records to form his own label (Bad Boy), had an even bigger hand in the pot as he this time co-produced all but one of the albums tracks. At this time, Combs also took over Mary's manager.
Unlike What's The 411?, which featured no self-penned lyrics from Blige herself, this time her role was extended to include songwriter, as she co-wrote a healthy bulk of the material and based it on the happenings of her personal life — hence the title. Although overwhelmingly praised by both critics and fans, Blige also received some flack for the album being so sample-heavy.
The album's first single, "Be Happy," peaked at #29 on the Hot 100, and shot up to #6 on the R&B singles chart. In early 1995, it was followed up with a cover of Rose Royce's "I'm Going Down." Other My Life singles included: "You Bring Me Joy," "I Love You," as well as the heavily played (but never officially released as a single) album tracks, "Mary Jane (All Night Long)" and "My Life". The album proved to be yet another multi-platinum home-run for Blige, selling another three million. In spite of its success and her growing fame, Blige was in no mood to celebrate, as she later admitted she was simultaneously dealing with long time bouts with drug addiction, alcoholism and depression; in addition to an abusive relationship with Hailey, which all played into why Blige had earned a reputation in the industry for being a bitch.
Also in 1995, she extended herself to several outside projects: recording a cover of Aretha Franklin's classic "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" for the soundtrack to the hit FOXseriesNew York Undercover — and "Everyday It Rains" for the soundtrack to the hip-hop bio pic, The Show. Her biggest professional achievements came that summer when she scored a hit duet with rapper Method Man on his song, "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By" (which sampled the classic Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell's 1968 single, "You're All I Need To Get By"). Later in the year, she also recorded the Babyface penned and produced "Not Gon' Cry," for the soundtrack to motion picture, Waiting to Exhale. The platinum-selling single rose to #2 on the Hot 100 singles chart (#1 R&B) in early 1996, and became her biggest hit up to then. That year, Mary won her first Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for her collaboration with Method Man.
Share My World
The cover of 1997's Share My World.
On April 221997, MCA Records released Blige's junior effort, Share My World. After internal conflicts of interest with Puff Daddy, reportedly due to his managing his own label and budding career as an entertainer, the two dissolved their working relationship, which resulted in this being the first album in her career without Comb's involvement. To compensate for his absence, a bevy of high profile producers were recruited, including: Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Chucky Thompson, R. Kelly, Babyface, and most notably an up and coming Rodney Jerkins, who helmed a significant portion of the album.
Share My World, a noticeably more vibrant and optimistic toned set, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and spawned four hit singles: "Love Is All We Need" (featuring Nas), "I Can Love You" (featuring Lil' Kim), "Everything" and "Seven Days." Commercially it continued the vein of the two that came before it, going triple platinum and selling five million worldwide. In early 1998, Mary won an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album. The summer she embarked on the Share My World tour, which resulted in a gold-certified live album released later that year simply titled The Tour.
The cover of 1999's Mary.
Mary
On August 171999, Blige's fourth studio album simply titled Mary was released. A departure from her more familiar hip-hop influenced sound, this set featured a more earthy, whimsical and adult contemporary-tinged collection of songs, reminiscent to 1970s and early 1980s soul. Also featured on the album were high profile guests, such as: Aretha Franklin (who dueted with Mary on "Don't Waste Your Time"), Elton John (who played keys on "Deep Inside," which featured a sample of his 70s-era hit "Benny & The Jets"), Eric Clapton (who played guitar on "Give Me You"), and Lauryn Hill (who wrote, produced, and sang background on "All That I Can Say.") Blige also recorded a duet with George Michael called "As," which is featured on the UK release, but was left off of the domestic tracklist — reportedly because MCA felt that association with the openly gay and often controversial pop star wouldn't be in her best interest.
On December 141999 the Mary album was re-released as a double disc set. The second disc was enhanced with the videos for the singles "All That I Can Say" and "Deep Inside." The second disc also included two bonus tracks — "Sincerity (featuring Nas & DMX)" and "Confrontation."
Though the album was critically praised, becoming her most nominated release to date, and sold respectfully well (going double platinum and moving almost two million) — it wasn't as commercially successful as her prior albums, as all of the singles ("All That I Can Say," "Deep Inside," "Your Child," and "Give Me You") underperformed on the radio and charts. At this time, however, Blige and MCA seized the moment and tapped into niche club market by issuing club-friendly dance remixes of the Mary singles. In lieu of this, Mary scored a #1 hit on the Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart with "Your Child," which topped the chart for one week in October 2000.
Also in 2000, Mary released the overseas-only compilation, Ballads, which featured the best of Mary's ballad material. Blige also scored a hit duet with Wyclef Jean on the song "911," featuring on his album The Ecleftic: 2 Sides II A Book
No More Drama
The original cover of 2001's No More Drama.
On August 28, 2001, MCA released Blige's fifth studio album, No More Drama. The album's first single "Family Affair", produced by Dr. Dre, became Blige's first #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it sat for six consecutive weeks — becoming one of the years biggest songs, and the biggest hit of Blige's career. It was followed by the top 20 Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-produced title track (originally recorded for the Mary album), which sampled the famous piano theme to the daytime drama The Young and the Restless.
In spite of the huge boost that the album received thanks to its first two singles, its sales were underwhelming — forcing MCA to repackage and re-release the album on January 292002. The No More Drama re-release featured a brand new album cover, deleted three of the songs from the original track listing, while adding two brand new songs (one of which was the third single and top 20 pop hit "Rainy Dayz," featuring Ja Rule), plus two remixes — one of the title track, serviced by former mentor Puff Daddy (now known as "Diddy." Sean Combs ) The album went on to be certified double platinum, selling four million worldwide, and Mary won her second Grammy — Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the song "He Think I Don't Know."
Love & Life
The cover of 2003's Love & Life
On August 26, 2003; Mary's sixth album Love & Life was released by Geffen Records (which had absorbed her previous label, MCA). After breaking the ice with Diddy on the "No More Drama" remix; Mary, again, heavily collaborated with him for this set. Thanks to the history between them (which is generally regarded as their best work, respectively) and Mary having just come off of her successful fifth album, expectations were high for their "reunion."
Despite the album debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200, Love & Life's lead off single, the Diddy produced "Love @ 1st Sight" (which featured a rap cameo by Method Man), just barely cracked the top 10 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks — while altogether missing the top 20 on the Hot 100. The two following singles, "Ooh!" and "Not Today" fared worse. Although the album was certified platinum, it became Blige's lowest-selling and biggest commercial disappointment to date. Critics and fans alike largely panned the disc for its lack of consistency and noticeable attempts to recapture the early Blige/Combs glory.
Meanwhile, Mary and Diddy reportedly struggled and clashed during the making of this album. That, added to its luke warm public reception to Love & Life, contributed to the two once again parting company again when the project was completed.
The Breakthrough
The cover of 2005's The Breakthrough
In spite of buzz circulating in the summer of 2005 that Blige's next release would be a greatest hits retrospective aptly titled Reminisce, she and her label formally announced that an album of brand new material was, instead, on the way. On December 20, Geffen released Mary's seventh studio album, entitled The Breakthrough.
The inspiration for the title and tracks within in this album stem from the fact that she finally began to realize her self-worth. She realized that nobody cares; if she wanted to help herself get over the many problems that plagued her life, then it would have to come from within. Blige stated that she had to end the "pity party". In an interview with Oprah in May 2006, Mary explained the history and background that had encouraged her to realise this.
Indeed a return to her prime, the lead off single "Be Without You" quickly raced up both the R&B and pop singles charts, topping the former for a record setting fifteen consecutive weeks. Meanwhile, the album simultaneously debuted at #1 on both the R&B albums and Billboard 200 albums charts, selling 727,163 copies in its first week — the biggest first-week sales for an R&B solo female artist in SoundScan history, the 5th largest first-week sales for a female artist and was the 4th largest debut of the 2005. Production on the album included Blige herself, Rodney Jerkins, will.i.am, Bryan Michael Cox, 9th Wonder, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Raphael Saadiq, Cool and Dre, Dre & Vidal, and includes a duet with U2 on the cover of the 1992 U2 hit, "One", which was released as the second single in Europe and Latin America, where has been a rough market for Blige. Nevertheless, "One" was voted in Britain as the song with the nation's favourite lyric: "One Life, With Each Other Sisters, Brothers".
Since The Breakthrough's release, it has sold over 2 million copies in the U.S and 3 million worldwide.
Brook Lynn
On a guest appearance for Busta Rhymes' "Touch It (Remix)", Mary revealed her alter ego, crazy rapper Brook Lynn. She claimed in an interview with MTV that she needed a way of topping Busta's manic performance without compromising the intelligent facade she has developed for herself. Brook is the anti-thesis of Mary: body-baring, boisterous, and in your face. of Brook Lynn is also featured in Mary's most recent hit, "Enough Cryin".
Influence and impact
Mary J. Blige performing at the National Mall at the NFL Kickoff Live 2003 Concert, September 4, 2003
Since emerging onto the scene in 1992, Blige has led a new path and ground for female artists to follow. Though she was not the first female artist to mix hip-hop and soul (as singers like Michel'le and Alyson Williams preceded her in that regard), few can dispute that her savvy mixture of hip-hop beats, street sensibility, soulful vocals, and glamorous sophistication have helped define what is now known as "Ghetto Fabulous," and christened her the subtitle of "The Queen of Hip-Hop Soul."
Blige's music has also been an inspiration for audiences, both male and female, urban and mainstream. She has also earned the respect of many her peers and elders, both in and outside of her own genre.
Mary asked Diddy and Mariah Carey to personally appear in her "No More Drama" video because she felt that they both had their fair share of drama in their lives.
Has a young brother named Bruce.
Credits her husband Kendu to helping her clean up her act.
Her video "Be Without You" was retired from BET's 106 & Park after 65 days of being on the video countdown.
"Vitas was singing Opera#2, showing his energetic whistling voice"
Vitas Bumac is a Latvian-born Russianpop singer, who first appeared in Russia in December of 2000 with his hit Opera #2, amazing the public with his energetic soprano voice.
Biography
Vitas was born on February 191981 in Latvia. He has done numerous creative works other than composing and singing his own songs, such as acting and designing clothes. He has produced 5 albums so far: 'Philosophy of a Miracle', 'Smile!','Mama','The Songs of My Mother' and 'Kiss as Long as Eternity'. He has also produced two singles: "Opera #2" and "Good Bye".
He has a distinct unique style in his songs and music videos. He produces music with a wide range of genres. Notably, his video for "Blessed Guru" has a very eccentric style. He has also made a mark on Russian television; however this information provided in English is very rare because he is not very well known globally. On the other hand, he is expected to become more recognized around the world as he is planning to sign contracts in countries/areas such as Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Vitas's producer, Poudovkin Sergey Nickolaevich, signed a contract in August 2005 with the Taiwanese record company "Avant Garden Records", they planned to release a Vitas album in Taiwan in September 2005. However, as of now (Nov 2005), there is no release of the album in Taiwan, Poudovkin has broken the contract without giving any explanation.
He has a distinct unique style in his songs and music videos. He produces music with a wide range of genres. Notably, his video for "Blessed Guru" has a very eccentric style. He has also made a mark on Russian television.
Vitas' soprano voice has been a very controversial issue in Russian media. It isn't a surprise for anyone in Russia that most pop artists not only hardly ever sing live, but also use someone else's voice (like Milli Vanilli). Obviously, Poudovkin and Vitas himself are denying these rumours. In concerts, he makes it pretty obvious that he is not lip syncing by moving the microphone away and towards his mouth as he sings.
With her classy, refined brand of romantic soul, Anita Baker was one of the definitive quiet storm singers of the '80s. Gifted with a strong, supple alto, Baker was influenced not only by R&B, but jazz, gospel, and traditional pop, which gave her music a distinctly adult sophistication. Smooth and mellow, but hardly lifeless, it made her one of the most popular romantic singers of her time.
Biography
Baker was born January 26, 1958, in Toledo, OH, and raised in nearby Detroit, where she grew up listening to female jazz singers like Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson, and Ella Fitzgerald. At age 12, she began singing a gospel choir, and by age 16 she was performing with several local bands. In 1975, she successfully auditioned for Chapter 8, one of Detroit's most popular acts at the time; the group eventually signed with Ariola and released an album in 1979, but were immediately dropped when the label was acquired by Arista (which didn't care for Baker's vocals). Chastened, Baker worked low-paying jobs in Detroit and eventually found steady work as a receptionist at a law firm. In 1982, Otis Smith -- an executive who'd worked with Chapter 8 -- contacted Baker about recording for his new label Beverly Glen. Happy with her employment benefits and skittish over the experience with Arista, Baker was reluctant at first, but eventually flew out to the West Coast to record her debut album, The Songstress, in 1983. Though it didn't gain quite enough exposure to become a hit, it did help Baker build a strong fan base through word-of-mouth and she was signed by Elektra in 1985.
Working with producer Michael J. Powell (an old Chapter 8 cohort), Baker released her major-label debut Rapture in 1986. It was a platinum, Grammy winning smash, appealing to both urban and adult contemporary listeners and producing two all-time quiet storm classics in "Caught Up in the Rapture" and "Sweet Love." Baker toured the world in 1987 and her guest appearance on the Winans track "Ain't Got No Need to Worry" won a Grammy. Her equally stylish follow-up album, Giving You the Best That I Got, appeared in 1988, spawning more staples in the title track and "Just Because." "Giving You the Best That I Got" also won Baker two more Grammys, for Best Female R&B Vocal and Best R&B Song. For her third Elektra album, Baker decided to handle a greater share of the songwriting, hence the title Compositions, which was released in 1990 and featured even stronger jazz inflections than Baker's previous work (not to mention all live instruments).
Following Compositions, Baker took a break from recording and touring; after having her first son in 1993, she returned to the studio to craft Rhythm of Love, which was released in 1994. In the years that followed, Baker was mostly silent, despite her fans' clamoring for a jazz album; instead, she raised her family and became embroiled in contract disputes with Elektra, which eventually led her to move to Atlantic. She began working on a new album in 2000, but had to start over from scratch due to defective recording equipment that made the original tracks unsalvageable. In 2004 it was announced that she had signed with Blue Note and still working on her new album. In the meantime, the Atlantic imprint Rhino released Night of Rapture: Live, a 1987 concert originally available on video. Baker finally returned to the studio in 2003 and issued My Everything, her first album in 10 years. Two years later she released her first holiday album, Christmas Fantasy. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper (born June 22, 1953), better known as Cyndi Lauper, is an Americanpopsinger and actress whose melodic voice and wild costumes have come to epitomize the 1980s, the decade in which she first came to fame.
Cyndi Lauper was born in Brooklyn, New York to Swiss German-American Fred Lauper and SicilianItalian-American Catrine Dominique. She began her career in a cover band, but soon began performing her own songs - though she almost quit singing altogether due to strained vocal cords in 1977). By 1980 she'd released a rockabilly album on Polydor with the band Blue Angel. Despite much critical acclaim, the album "went lead" as Lauper says, and the band split as Lauper filed for bankruptcy.
In 1983 she started dating her manager David Wolff with whom she released She's So Unusual, a worldwide hit which made Lauper a household name. A mixture of teen-friendly pop-rock and edgier, almost punky sounds, the album's biggest hit, "Girls Just Want To Have Fun", quickly established itself as a female anthem. Lauper won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the Grammy Awards of 1984 for her work on the album. Cyndi Lauper was the first female artist to have four consecutive Hot 100 Top 5 hits from one album, She's So Unusual.
The album also included "She Bop", a paean to female masturbation, and the romantic ballad "Time After Time", an instant "standard" which has since been covered by over 70 artists (most notably Miles Davis). Lauper was popular with teenagers, in part because of her quirky image which took the popular late 1970s punk look and marketed it to a mainstream audience. At this stage of her career, it was predicted that she would surely outlast Madonna.
From 1984 to 1985, she appeared as herself in a number of WWEprofessional wrestling events, where she supposedly was the manager of Wendi Richter. This cross-promotion arranged by David Wolff and Vince McMahon also lead to a number of professional wrestlers appearing on her early videos. She later described the period as fun, but a distraction to her musical ambitions, and largely stopped her WWE appearances after 1985.
In 1986, after recording the song "The Goonies 'R' Good Enough" for the 1985 film The Goonies, Lauper released her second album, True Colors. Revealing a more mature sound and sensibility, it reached number 4 on the Billboard 200. The title song went on to become her second Platinum number 1 hit. She also sang the jaunty theme song for the series, "Pee-wee's Playhouse" as well. The album sold 12 million copies worldwide.
In 1987, Cyndi traveled all the globe with the True Colors World Tour.
In 1988 she appeared as the female lead in the quirky comedy Vibes, which was poorly received by critics and a commercial flop. Her soundtrack contribution, "Hole In My Heart (All the Way to China)", also flopped.
Lauper's third album, 1989's A Night to Remember, though critically well-received, was not as commercially successful as its predecessors, spawning just one hit, "I Drove All Night", which was originally penned for Roy Orbison. Orbison's version was not released until 1992, three years after Lauper's version and four years after Orbison's death. "A Night To Remember" sold 5 million copies.
Lauper took a break from singing at this point, but didn't disappear from show business, and in 1993 she played Michael J. Fox's secretary in Life with Mikey. She released the critically acclaimed album Hat Full of Stars in the same year, but once again sales were poor. With a smooth new R&B sound and production by Junior Vasquez, she tackled such topics as spousal abuse and abortion.
In 1995 Lauper won an Emmy award for "Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series" for her portrayal of wealthy contessa Marianne Lugasso in Mad About You. She also released 12 Deadly Cyns... and Then Some, a greatest hits compilation that included two new tracks, one of which was a reworking of her first big hit, newly christened "Hey Now (Girls Just Want To Have Fun)". The album was released under a number of different titles, packaging and track listings around the world. "Twelve Deadly Cyns" sold over 10 million copies worldwide and she began a world tour to promote the album.
Her 1997 album Sisters of Avalon brought her back into the limelight. With subject matter even more adult than before, it was quickly embraced by the gay community for its dance and club stylings. The topicality of the album also contributed to its "pink" appeal: the song "Ballad of Cleo and Joe" addressed the complications of a drag queen's double life, while "You Don't Know" tackled the thorny issue of coming out. The album's singles were remixed to great acclaim, and Lauper began performing as a featured artist at gay pride events around the world.
In 1999 she co-headlined a tour alongside Cher, and contributed a cover version of The Trammps's classic "Disco Inferno" to the soundtrack of the film A Night at the Roxbury, the remixed version becoming a club hit. She also garnered critical plaudits for her roles in several independent films including The Opportunists (with Christopher Walken).
In 2001 Lauper prepared an album, Shine, which saw her returning to her early pop/rock sound without losing the "maturity" she had embraced on later records. Just weeks before the album's scheduled release, however, her label, Edel America Records, folded, and the tracks were leaked to the public. Although a five song E.P. of the same name was made available through her website and at Tower Records, the full length album concept was scrapped.
She undertook her second co-headlining tour with Cher in 2002.
In 2003, an EP of remixes from the unreleased Shine album was sold on the Edel America Records website. Additionally Lauper's former label Sony issued a new greatest hits CD entitled The Essential Cyndi Lauper. She then re-signed with Sony/Epic Records, the label that made her a star, and a new album called Naked City was in the works.
In November 2003 an album of standards was released entitled At Last (formerly Naked City), which became a top 40 hit in the U.S. and Australia. It showed off her skills as a unique interpreter and critics agreed the Lauper's voice - always a force to be reckoned with - was even stronger at age 50 that it had been in her heyday. In March of 2004 the full length Shine album was finally released, though exclusively in Japan. She was nominated for a 2005Grammy award for "Best Instrumental Composition Accompanying a Vocal" for her interpretation of the song "Unchained Melody" on the At Last album.
In 2004, Lauper was invited to perform at the Nobel Peace Concert, in Oslo. She performed on stage 3 times during the concert. Her most notable performance of the evening was the timeless classic, "Time After Time", which included Chris Botti and Arvid Solang. The trio were accompanied by a full orchestra.
In November of 2005 Lauper released The Body Acoustic, an album which featured acoustic reinterpretations of tracks from her back catalog as well as two new songs. Featuring guest appearances by artists such as Shaggy, Ani DiFranco and Sarah McLachlan, the collection debuted and peaked at #112 on the Billboard chart and upon its UK release in March 2006, accompanied by a promotional tour, it entered at UK #55, becoming her first UK chart album for nine years and her biggest chart success in the UK for 12 years. Lauper continues to tour the world performing live, and is noted as an energetic live performer. She maintains a devoted fanbase and lives in New York with her husband, and their child.
Church was born in at Llandaff, Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales. She was raised Catholic by her Welsh-Maltese mother, Maria, after her natural father, Stephen Reid, walked out on them when she was about a year and a half old, had her first taste of stardom when she performed "Ghostbusters" at a holiday camp in Caernarforn at the age of 3, and had to be dragged from the stage when she refused to leave. Her big break came at the age of 11 when she sang "Pie Jesu" on the television show Talking Telephone Numbers in 1997, closely followed by her show-stealing performance on ITV's Big, Big Talent Show in 1998. This led to concerts at Cardiff Arms Park, Royal Albert Hall and the opening spot for Shirley Bassey in Antwerp. She only acquired her last name at the age of six when James Church, himself divorced, married her mother and adopted her. To this day the subject of her natural father remains a sore subject and she will not discuss him.
Classical career
Charlotte was then introduced to the Cardiff-based impresario, Jonathan Shalit, who later became her manager, and negotiated a record contract with Sony BMG. Her breakthrough album, Voice of an Angel, showcased her unique voice in a collection of arias, sacred songs, and traditional pieces that sold millions of copies worldwide and made her the youngest artist with a No. 1 selling album to date.
Church later appeared on numerous PBS specials and television commercials, most notably in the acclaimed Just Wave Hello campaign for the Ford Motor Company. The song appeared on her self-titled second album, which included another array of operatic, religious, and traditional tracks.
In 2000, she released Dream a Dream, an album of Christmas carols. Church has been represented in the press as an opera singer; but she has never sung in any opera performances, only recordings (and those of excerpts, usually edited and engineered to fit her range). However, up until 2001, she had recorded only two pop (or classical crossover songs) - "Just Wave Hello" and "Dream a Dream."
In 2001, Charlotte Church added some pop, swing, and Broadway to her classical repertoire with her album Enchantment. That same year, movie-going audiences heard Church for the first time in the 2001Ron Howard film A Beautiful Mind. Since Celine Dion was not available to perform the film's end title song, "All Love Can Be" (Dion was beginning her concert engagement in Las Vegas), composer James Horner enlisted Charlotte to handle the vocals, and the song was re-written to Church's vocal range. Charlotte also handled other vocal passages throughout the score.
In 2002, at the age of 16, Charlotte Church released a best-of album called Prelude, to mark her departure from classical music.
That year ended with her involvement in the Royal Christmas tour alongside Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, however, same had mixed success, as she was late to join it due to an alleged ear infection which prevented her flying, and the tour was dogged every step of the way by reports of her bad behavior, including snarling "Fuck this, I didn't agree to no meet and greet. Hello?" before storming off when asked to meet fans. Plummer and Andrews were not impressed by her at all.
Pop career
Charlotte made her first venture out of classical music in February 2003 providing haunting vocals for Jurgen Vries (aka DJ and producer Darren Tate's) single "The Opera Song". She was credited on the sleeve as CMC. The track reached #3 in the UK charts.
In 2005, she issued her first pop album Tissues and Issues and the first four singles have all been at least moderately successful in the UK with "Crazy Chick" reaching #2, "Call My Name" reaching #10, "Even God" reaching #17 and "Moodswings" reaching #14. Although these were released in Australia as well, they failed to reach the same level of success there, and in March 2006 it was announced that there would not be a US release of same nor any US release until a No. 1 hit was obtained.
