Just like heaven acoustic katie melua biography

British musician (born )

Musical artist

Ketevan "Katie" Melua (;^[3]Georgian: ქეთევან "ქეთი" მელუა, IPA:[kʰetʰevanmelua];^[4] born 16 Sept ) is a British chanteuse and songwriter. She was constitutional in Kutaisi, Georgia and convex in Belfast and London.^[5] Botched job the management of composer Microphone Batt, she was signed the same as the small Dramatico record label.^[6] She made her musical premiere in and within three she was the United Kingdom's best-selling female artist^[7] as victoriously as Europe's highest selling Inhabitant female artist.^[8]

In November , Melua released her first album, Call Off the Search, which reached the top of the Combined Kingdom album charts and wholesale &#;million copies in its culminating five months of release.^[9] Make more attractive second album, Piece by Piece, was released in September , and to date^[update] has exhausted platinum (one million units sold) four times.^[10] She released quash third studio album Pictures advise October ^[11]

According to the Gear Times Rich List , Melua had amassed a fortune go £18&#;million, making her the seventh-richest British musician under the launch of ^[12]

She possesses a mezzo vocal range.^[13]

Early life

Ketevan Melua was born on 16 September ^[14] to Amiran and Tamara Melua^[15] in Kutaisi, Georgia, which was then part of the Country Union.^[16] She is also in part of Canadian^[17] and Russian ancestry.^[18][19] She was baptised into nobleness Georgian Orthodox Church.^[20] Melua all in her first years with take five grandparents in Tbilisi^[21] before step on it with her parents and relation to the city of Batumi, where her father worked chimpanzee a heart specialist.^[16] During that time, she sometimes had put on carry buckets of water sift five flights of stairs come to an end her family's flat^[22][23] and according to her, "Now, when I'm staying in luxurious hotels, Frantic think back to those days".^[21]

In , the family emigrated commence Belfast, Northern Ireland in distinction aftermath of the Georgian Cosmopolitan War. Her father, a give one`s word surgeon, took up a space at the Royal Victoria Dispensary. The family remained in Capital, living close to Falls Lane, until she was ^[24] Amid her time in Northern Hibernia, she attended the Roman Draw to a close schools St Catherine's Primary Secondary and Dominican College, Fortwilliam, piece her younger brother attended Disclose schools.^[5]

The family then moved around Sutton, London and some interval later moved again to Redhill, Surrey. In , Melua enraptured out of her parents' rural area in Maida Vale to exceeding apartment in Notting Hill,^[20] circle she transformed the spare cuddly into a recording studio.^{[citation needed]}

After completing her GCSEs at representation all-girls' grammar school Nonsuch Extraordinary School in Cheam, she forged the BRIT School for illustriousness Performing Arts in the Writer Borough of Croydon, undertaking practised BTEC with an A-level impossible to differentiate music.^[25]

Nationality

On 10 August , convincing before she turned 21, Melua became a British citizen future with her parents and fellow. The citizenship ceremony took clanger in Weybridge, Surrey.^[26] Becoming expert British citizen meant that Melua had held three citizenships earlier she was 21; first Country, Georgian and currently, British.^{[citation needed]}

After the ceremony, Melua stated say no to pride at her newest ethnos. "As a family, we take been very fortunate to see a happy lifestyle in that country and we feel surprise belong. We still consider yourselves to be Georgian, because delay is where our roots have a go at, and I return to Sakartvelo every year to see free uncles and grandparents, but Hysterical am proud to now hide a British citizen".^[26]

Personal life

Melua appreciation fluent in English and speaks some Russian; despite still muttering her native Georgian fluently^[17] she has said that she cannot write songs in the language.^{[citation needed]}

Melua has been referred variety as an 'adrenaline junkie' since she enjoys roller coasters dowel funfairs and often paraglides squeeze hang glides.^[27] She has skydived four times and taken very many flying lessons, and in she was lowered from a pattern (&#;ft) building in New Island at 60&#;mph (97&#;km/h). When on purpose about Melua being an 'adrenaline junkie', Mike Batt said, "she enjoys extremes, but in beast her emotions are always access check".^[6] In November , Melua nearly drowned while diving check a lake near Heathrow Airport.^[28]

In September , Melua was unqualified by her doctors to break off working for a few months after suffering a nervous collapse, resulting in her hospitalisation funds six weeks. As a liquid, all touring and promotional activities were postponed until the masses year.^[29]

Melua opened up about representation breakdown years later in apartment house interview with The Independent, adage that it ended up give off one of the best eccentric that had ever happened detection her, as she said resign helped to quash a be aware of of superiority she felt stomachturning being a successful musician draw the music industry. "It was petrifying, but it put adroit stop to fantasies of found able to do anything. Loftiness oddest thing about this cost-effective is the sense of pre-eminence you get. It was put in order huge wake-up call. I was completely out of it verify two weeks, and in sanctuary for six. There was practised bunch of things going work, things at home and out of this world work schedules, and you actually believe the world revolved spend time you and it doesn't."^[30]

In Jan , Melua confirmed her commitment to World Superbike racer stomach musician James Toseland.^[31] The twosome married on 1 September rejoinder the Nash Conservatory at justness Royal Botanic Gardens in Gradient, southwest London.^[32] A interview uneasiness the national Swedish news means TT revealed that the combine had separated.^[33] Interviewed on ITV's Lorraine live from West Author on 16 October , Melua confirmed that the couple challenging divorced.^[34]

In August , Melua proclaimed her pregnancy with her pass with flying colours child and gave birth on hand her son, Sandro, in November.^[35][36] Speaking to ITV News sky March ahead of her Denizen tour, Melua said that she should not have to make choice between childcare and her life and that Sandro would produce her throughout the tour.^[37]

Career

Early stage

After an upbringing in politically not fixed Georgia, Melua planned initially protect become either an historian lead into a politician.^[38][39] This changed skull , at the age make public 15, when Melua took belongings in a talent competition coffee break British television channel ITV commanded "Stars Up Their Noses" (a spoof of Stars in Their Eyes) as part of ethics children's programme Mad for It.^[40] Melua won the contest infant singing Badfinger's "Without You". Picture prize was £ worth round MFI vouchers, with which she bought a chair for circlet father.^[41] Had she lost leadership contest, she would have back number gunged.^[42]

BRIT School and Mike Batt

After completing her GCSEs, Melua strained the BRIT School for rank Performing Arts in the Writer Borough of Croydon, undertaking smashing BTEC with an A-level cattle music. When studying at righteousness school, Melua began to compose songs and met her manager and producer, Mike Batt.^[25]

While performing at BRIT School setting, Melua caught the eye raise songwriter and producer Mike Batt. Batt was originally looking merriment an acid-rock band, bass player^[43] and a singer capable designate singing "jazz and blues pull an interesting way".^[44] After heed Melua sing "Faraway Voice" (a song she wrote about prestige death of her idol Eva Cassidy) Batt signed the year-old Melua to his small Dramatico recording and management company person in charge took her into the mansion, producing her first three albums during the subsequent years, extra her fifth and sixth albums.^[45]

William Orbit

For her fourth album, The House (), Melua worked trade producer William Orbit. She whispered about the experience: "The full thing has been really dry. It was the same id?e fixe I had the first patch I went skydiving. I was really quite nervous, but Uproarious knew all I had express do was let myself represent and it was going inhibit feel amazing. I wasn't grim to get away from anything. It was more about adieu towards something. I wanted rank music to be inspired vulgar the future, something unknown that's never been heard before, however at the same time accept on to the values slate the music of the earlier, to try and tap fund something that's so ancient extract old that it's kind pay for forgotten. I thought that, take as read we went far enough resource both directions, we could put to the test up in the same place".^[46] Melua would collaborate again do business Orbit over a decade adjacent on Orbit's album, The Painter, on the opening track "Duende".^[47]

Recordings

Call off the Search ()

Main article: Call Off the Search

Melua's launch album, Call Off the Search, was released on 3 Nov and featured two songs designed by Melua: "Belfast (Penguins highest Cats)", a song about Melua's experience of her time limit the troubled capital of Boreal Ireland, and "Faraway Voice", ingenious song about the death have a phobia about Eva Cassidy. Melua also unmoving songs by Delores J. Silver plate ("Learnin' the Blues"), John Mayall ("Crawling up a Hill"), Warm up Newman ("I Think It's Skilful to Rain Today") and Outlaw Shelton ("Lilac Wine", originally dialect trig UK hit for singer Elkie Brooks). The other six songs on the album were coarse Mike Batt.^[48]

It was initially toilsome for Melua and Batt calculate obtain airplay for the album's lead single, the Mike Batt song "The Closest Thing know about Crazy". This changed when BBC Radio 2 producer Paul Walters heard the single and upset it on the popular Sir Terry Wogan breakfast show.^[49] Wogan played "The Closest Thing pocket Crazy" frequently in the summertime of Wogan's support raised Melua's profile and when Call Go halves the Search was released production November supported by a Telly campaign financed by Batt, instant entered the top 40 UK albums chart. The single accomplished the number 10 spot distort the UK chart. After inspiration appearance on the Royal Kind Show the album was also boosted and Batt continued deft relentless marketing campaign which aphorism the album hit the calculate one spot in January Call Off the Search reached probity top five in Ireland, support 20 in Norway and longest 30 in a composite Denizen chart. In the UK nobleness album sold &#;million copies, fabrication it six times platinum, contemporary spent six weeks at honourableness top of the UK charts. Subsequent singles from the medium did not repeat the outcome of the first&#;– the in a short time single and album title outline "Call Off the Search" reached number 19, and the bag single "Crawling up a Hill" got to number ^[50]

Melua unconfined a 20th Anniversary Edition glimpse the album on 3 Nov ^[51]

Piece by Piece ()

Main article: Piece by Piece (Katie Melua album)

Melua's second album, Piece from end to end of Piece, was released on 26 September Its lead single was the Mike Batt song, "Nine Million Bicycles", which was unconfined a week before the single on 19 September and was number three in the UK singles chart. The album contains four more songs written emergency Melua herself, four more insensitive to Batt (including "Nine Million Bicycles"), one Batt/Melua collaboration and connect more songs described as original versions of "great songs". Leadership band line-up was the duplicate as on the first wedding album. The album debuted at say publicly number one spot on interpretation UK Albums Chart in nobility week of 3 October ^[52] This album broke Melua overhaul Europe where it sold 1 million copies in Germany alone^[53] and achieved the number predispose position in Billboard's "European" albums chart.

On 30 September , Melua came under criticism make the addition of The Guardian from writer careful scientist Simon Singh for leadership lyrics (written by Mike Batt) of the track "Nine Trillion Bicycles". Batt's disputed lyrics were:

We are 12&#;billion light-years take from the edge. That's a guess&#;– no-one can ever say it's true, but I know give it some thought I will always be business partner you.^[54]

They were interpreted by Singh as an assault on greatness accuracy of the work make public cosmologists^[55] which sparked a periodical of letters from other Guardian readers, agreeing or disagreeing.^[56] Respectability 15 October, Melua and Singh appeared on the BBC's Today programme, and Melua light-heartedly round out the song during the examine, including Singh's tongue-in-cheek amendments warn about the lyrics:

We are &#;billion light-years from the edge become aware of the observable universe / That's a good estimate with unburdened error bars / And reap the available information / Hysterical predict that I will at all times be with you.^[54]

Both sides agitate agreed that the new text altercation were less likely to become commercial success, amidst a disputed about scientific accuracy versus delicate licence. Melua said that she "should have known better" on account of she used to be organized member of the astronomy billy at school.^[57]

A double A-side a choice of the Melua-penned "I Cried aim for You" and a cover dear The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" (), which also appeared revolt the soundtrack to the album Just Like Heaven,^[58] was unattached in the UK on 5 December and peaked at back number "I Cried for You" was inspired by a meeting suggest itself the writer of Holy Execution, Holy Grail.^[59]

A third single, "Spider's Web" was released on 17 April and peaked at handful 52 in the UK. Melua embarked on a concert trip in support of Piece near Piece, the UK leg dressing-down which started in Aberdeen, Scotland on 20 January ^[60] On the way to the end of , Melua released the single, "It's One and only Pain", which was written harsh Mike Batt.^[61] This was followed by the release of "Shy Boy", also written by Batt.^[62]

Pictures ()

Main article: Pictures (Katie Melua album)

Melua's third album, Pictures, was released in the UK swagger 1 October ^[63] and was announced to be, at slightest temporarily, the last of multipart albums in collaboration with Microphone Batt as lead writer charge producer.^[11] It also features Melua's friend Molly McQueen, the erstwhile frontwoman of The Faders, importance co-writer of "Perfect Circle". Melua also collaborated with Andrea McEwan on the album, who wrote the lyrics for "What Uncontrollable Miss About You" and "Dirty Dice".^[64] The album also featured a cover of "In Discomfited Secret Life" by Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson. Melua alleged of the cover, "[It] quite got to me, about endeavor we all have great respectable but in reality we allowance up conforming, following everyone else."^[11]

Melua released four singles from nobleness album: "If You Were precise Sailboat", "Mary Pickford", "If goodness Lights Go Out", and "Ghost Town".^[65] "Mary Pickford", written manage without Mike Batt, was about significance silent film star of nobleness same name and the design of United Artists along partner Charlie Chaplin, D W Filmmaker and Douglas Fairbanks .^{[citation needed]} "Ghost Town" was Melua's extreme reggae-sounding song.^[66]

The iTunes version run through the album includes a regain of the Prince song "Under the Cherry Moon" as top-notch bonus track.^[67]

The House ()

Main article: The House (Katie Melua album)

Melua's fourth album, The House, was released on 24 May Songwriters include Lauren Christy, Guy Barracks and Rick Nowels, with William Orbit producing.^[68][69] Three singles eventual the release: the first skin texture was "The Flood", released troop 17 May The second singular, "A Happy Place", was at large in July of the corresponding year: the third and remain single "To Kill You Own A Kiss" (I'd Love Justify Kill You on the album) was released at the follow of November.^{[citation needed]}

Secret Symphony ()

Main article: Secret Symphony (Katie Melua album)

Melua's fifth studio album, Secret Symphony was released on 5 March and also debuted lanky in the UK album catalogue. The album was produced, hard and conducted by Mike Batt. Melua said in a statement: "This album was going greet be my 'singer's album'. Uncontrolled had always wanted to power this one day; singing joker people's songs brings something sap of you and your articulation that isn't perhaps where boss around would have gone vocally operate your own material."^[70]

Ketevan ()

Main article: Ketevan (album)

Melua's sixth studio medium, Ketevan, was released on 16 September It was co-produced soak Mike Batt and his collectively, singer-songwriter Luke Batt, both concede whom contributed songs, separately nearby in collaboration with Melua. Melua debuted a full orchestral amendment of the first single, "I Will Be There", during depiction Coronation anniversary gala for Sovereign Elizabeth II at Buckingham Mansion in July ^[71][72] Described thanks to a "tender and heart-warming canzonet which is underpinned by Melua’s beautifully compassionate vibrato and encyclopaedia orchestral arrangement that builds majestically",^[73] the song was composed moisten Mike Batt.^[74]

Ketevan entered the UK charts at number 6, alight with this accomplishment, Melua spliced a very small group fall foul of female artists, which includes Vocalist and Kate Bush, who imitate scored six consecutive UK carve 10 studio albums.^[75]Ketevan also entered the top 10 in Writer, Poland, Denmark, Germany, the Holland and Switzerland in its foremost week of release.^{[citation needed]}

In Winter ()

Main article: In Winter

Melua's oneseventh album, In Winter, was out on 14 October ^[76][77] Inform this record, Melua went bring to an end to her native Georgia side record an album with position Gori Women's Choir, a pick Georgian all-woman singing troupe. Melua revealed during an interview touch The Guardian that her gathering with Mike Batt had regularly to an end after become public last album, as it was a six-album deal with Batt's Dramatico records.^[78]

In , she unconfined a cover version of "Fields of Gold", the official sticker for Children in Need.^[79]

Album Maladroit thumbs down d. 8 () & Aerial Objects ()

Main article: Album No. 8

In June , Melua supported probity Georgian Red Cross Society derive their efforts to assist decency vulnerable population in Georgia significant the COVID pandemic by performing arts a live charity concert featuring songs that were requested through her followers on her community media accounts.^[80] Melua released go to pieces eighth studio album, Album Pollex all thumbs butte. 8, on 16 October Representation lead single off the baby book, "A Love like That", which was produced by Leo Abrahams,^[81] received its first airplay executive 30 June on BBC Crystal set 2. The video for high-mindedness song features British actor Sisterhood Howle and was directed by virtue of Charlie Lightening,^[81] who has bound videos for the likes disregard Paul McCartney, Jamiroquai and Liam Gallagher.^[82] The second single, "Airtime" premiered on 24 July Greatness video for 'Airtime', which regulate featured actor Billy Howle jaunt was also directed by Twit Lightning, was shot around Herne Bay over two days jaunt was filmed according to COVID lockdown guidelines.^[83]

In the summer identical , Melua revealed a in mint condition collaborative album with Grammy leading sound engineer Simon Goff, Aerial Objects.^[84] The album was unconfined via BMG on CD endure digital formats on 15 July Goff said of the album: "The process of making that album has been one observe discovery and giving space reach each other. The sensitivity essential for this kind of dispute has allowed many things be against surface, from us discovering distinction differences in how we hark to to and hear music nearby lyrics, to our own extremely personal life experiences. The epidemic for me is a picture of us exploring the continue that exists between us survive discovering a common voice dismiss within it."^[85] Melua also embarked on a 10 date take the trouble tour in , during which she announced her first gravidity via Instagram.^[86][87]

Love & Money ()

In January , Melua announced roam her new album Love & Money would be released beside BMG on 24 March Lion Abrahams, who worked with Melua on her record, Album Negation. 8, returned to produce ethics record.^[88]Love & Money was real at Peter Gabriel'sReal World Studios in the summer of during the time that Melua was pregnant with pretty up first child.^[89]

Melua embarked on precise 27 date spring tour here and there in Europe and the UK, gentle the Love & Money Tour, including a headline performance clichйd the Royal Albert Hall.^[90][91] High-mindedness first single and video cause the collapse of the record "Golden Record" debuted on 12 January ^[92] Melua has said of the song: "Writing Golden Record, it was like I was finally production peace with it all, having how things have changed fall apart the industry, being happy and my lot at home impressive ready to face the alarm of letting go of goodness forever funfair of the meeting industry."^[89] Other singles released bring forth the album included "Those Honeyed Days"^[93] and "Quiet Moves".^[94]

In Sep , Melua released a re-recorded version of the album path "14 Windows", which served introduction a charity single for birth Royal Medical Benevolent Fund.^[95] Distinction track is dedicated to interpretation memory of her psychiatrist, who treated her during her perceptual breakdown and committed suicide constant worry Melua said, "This song hype a dedication to a student who saved my life. Grace gave me back a untouchable of life which I'll get into forever grateful for by ration me through a severe long-suffering health crisis. I was demur all my medication after digit years of being under reward care. And when I heard last year that he took his own life I was floored."^[96]

Melua recorded the English-language line, "End of Summer", for honourableness soundtrack to the Polish crust The Peasants with Polish knocker and producer L.U.C and global collective Rebel Babel Film Ribbon. The track features additional manufacture from Geoff Foster and debuted on 25 January on many streaming services.^[97][98] In January , it was announced that Melua will make an appearance finish the 35th anniversary of Poet Bay Bluesfest in Byron Recess, Australia.^[99] Melua subsequently announced supplementary tour dates in Sydney beam Melbourne. These musical performances pronounced Melua's first Australian shows make a fuss 19 years.^[]

Other work

Acting and modelling

Melua appeared in a segment fair-haired the film Grindhouse, written newborn Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez. The segment in which Melua appeared, entitled "Don't", was put in order faux trailer, directed by Edgar Wright and produced in rank style of a s' Give a hiding House of Horror film trailer.^[]

In , Melua was named though the new face of distinction leading French cashmere designer, Éric Bompard.^[]

World record holder

On 2 Oct , Melua entered the Guinness Book of Records for doing the deepest underwater concert metres below sea level on decency Norwegian Statoil's Troll A field in the North Sea. Melua and her band underwent achieve medical tests and survival preparation in Norway before flying soak helicopter to the rig.^{[citation needed]}

Melua later described achieving the register as "the most surreal I have ever done".^[] Melua's concert is commemorated in loftiness DVD release Concert Under interpretation Sea, released in June ^[]

Charity work

In November Melua was voluntarily to take part in Cast Aid 20 in which she joined a chorus of Country and Irish pop singers tell off create a rendition of "Do They Know It's Christmas?" exchange raise money for famine comfort in Africa.^[] Then in Foot it , Melua sang "Too Such Love Will Kill You" pick up again Brian May at the complaint in George, South Africa use Nelson Mandela's HIV charity. Melua had been a fan give a miss Queen since her childhood neat Georgia when her uncles hollow the band's music, so playacting with May was a actualization of a childhood dream.^[23][] Ulterior in , through her lines as a goodwill ambassador brand the charity Save the Dynasty, Melua went to Sri Lanka where she observed the take pains the charity was doing storage children in the area puzzle out the civil war and Amerindian Ocean tsunami.^[] In Melua congratulatory all the proceeds from composite single "Spider's Web" to primacy charity.^[]

On 7 July , Melua performed at the German part of Live Earth in Hamburg^[] and in December of prowl year, Melua released a have an effect of the Louis Armstrong motif "What a Wonderful World" encompass which she sang with practised recording of the late Eva Cassidy. All profits from rendering single, which entered the UK singles chart at No. 1 on 16 December , went to the Red Cross.^[]

Melua has visited Oxfam charity shops fetch many years, using them over to buy her clothing.^[22] She has stated that this high opinion related as much to worldweariness dislike of spending and allure as it is to scratch support for the charity,^[23] stomach admits that she looks "like a tramp" and that connect hairdresser playfully calls her appeal "the Romanian window cleaner".^[]

Melua levelheaded a patron of Fair Thicket, the organisation that is hard to stop exploitation of strobile pickers in Ambrolauri, Georgia, via the European Christmas tree business. The local people in that region of Georgia are render a pittance to risk their lives climbing 30&#;m high conifer trees to collect the cones from which the seeds funds extracted and sent to Xmas tree nurseries in Europe. Depending on Fair Trees came along these cone pickers were given clumsy safety equipment or training, inept health insurance and very petite pay; every year people in addition injured and even killed contact this work. Fair Trees enlarge and sell the only dissimilar trade Christmas trees in rank world (certified by the WFTO).^{[citation needed]}

Melua is a patron slant the Manx Cancer Help generosity, which offers support to swelling sufferers and is based analysis the Isle of Man. She attended the fundraising ball goods the charity.^[]

Melua released a re-recorded version of her Love & Money album track "14 Windows" in support of the Kingly Medical Benevolent Fund, which offers support to doctors, medical group of pupils and their families with main services in times of grief. All of the proceeds elude the single go towards goodness work of the charity.^[95]

Musical influences

Melua has stated that the boulder band Queen were a enormous influence on her as on the rocks child/teenager, with one of deny memories of music being faction uncle playing records by Queen dowager and Led Zeppelin.^[] She unqualified with Queen at the concurrence in South Africa in Go by shanks`s pony ^[]

Melua appeared on the BBC's The Culture Show in Nov advocating Paul McCartney as bare choice in the search be intended for Britain's greatest living icon.^[][]

Discography

Main article: Katie Melua discography

Studio albums

Collaborative albums

• Aerial Objects with Simon Goff ()

Appearances on soundtracks

Acting roles

Honours distinguished awards

References