Charlotte Church (born Charlotte Maria Reed on February 21,
1986) is a Welsh singer and television presenter who rose to
international fame in childhood as a popular classical singer with a precociously mature
dramatic operatic voice, in particular in its tonal qualities. Since 2000, she has branched out into pop music.
As of 2007, she has sold over 10 million albums worldwide, although her first three classical albums account for the majority
of her sales.
Early life
Church was born in Llandaf, a district of Cardiff, Wales. She was raised a Roman Catholic by her mother, Maria, who was separated from Church's biological father. Church was
legally adopted by her mother's second husband, James Church. She had her first taste of stardom when she performed
"Ghostbusters" at a holiday camp in Caernarfon at the age of 3, and it was rumoured that
she had to be dragged from the stage when she refused to leave (she denied that part in her autobiography). 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 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.
Classical career
Voice of an Angel, Charlotte's first album
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 first 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 on the British classical charts to date.
Church later appeared on numerous PBS specials. Her self-titled second album included another array of operatic, religious, and traditional tracks.
One track on the album, the soaring and inspirational Just Wave Hello, was the centerpiece
of a millennium-themed ad campaign for the Ford Motor Company. The song's full-length
video, featuring Church, won popular acclaim at the Detroit Auto
Show and introduced her to a new legion of fans. The track reached #31 back in her native UK.
In 2000, she released Dream a Dream, principally an album of Christmas carols, but including Church's first foray into a more pop-influenced genre: the title track
Dream a Dream, a memorable song borrowing the melody from Fauré's Pavane and featuring young American country singer
Billy Gilman. Church also sang with Gilman in a duet ("Sleigh Ride") on his CD Classic
Christmas.
In 2001, Church added more 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 2001 Ron 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 Church to handle the vocals, and the song was re-written to Church's vocal range. Church also handled other vocal passages throughout the score.
In 2002, at the age of 16, she released a 'best of' album called
Prelude, and took part in the Royal Christmas tour
alongside Julie Andrews and Christopher
Plummer, concluding her classical music career. Her next album, Tissues and Issues, would be of a rather different
genre.
Church has also sung in religious services in Taizé. She has also performed before
Pope John Paul II and Bill Clinton, who was the
United States President at the time.
Pop career
Church's first pop album, "Tissues and Issues"
Church made her first venture out of classical music in February 2003 providing vocals for Jurgen Vries (aka DJ and producer
Darren Tate's) single "The Opera Song". She was credited on the sleeve as CMC - CMC being
Charlotte's initials, Charlotte Maria Church. The track reached number 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 no. 2, "Call My Name" number 10, "Even God Can't Change the Past" number 17, and "Moodswings (to Come at Me like That)" number 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 be
no US releases of Church's pop work until she had achieved a number 1 hit in the UK.
In April 2006, she performed three concerts in Glasgow, London, and Cardiff, in venues holding between 2,000 and 3,000 people;
the dates at London and Cardiff were sold out. Supported by Irish band the New Druids, Church performed a mix of tracks from her debut pop album and a number of pop covers including
Prince's "Kiss" and Gloria Estefan's "Rhythm is Gonna Get You". Though Church hinted at the possibility of a full tour in the
future, no dates are yet scheduled.
In November 2006, it was announced that she and Sony had parted ways. According to her publicist, this was a mutual decision
reached after a series of meetings, ostensibly since her five and later six album deal had come to an end. There was some
speculation that Church had decided to take a break (temporarily or permanently) from her singing career, in order to focus on
her more successful television show (see below). Others suggested that the performance of her pop releases in the charts also
contributed to the decision.[1]
Acting and television career
Church has made a number of cameo appearances on television. She appeared in the CBS series
Touched by an Angel, starred in the 1999 Christmas special of Heartbeat, and in 2003 she
presented an episode of Have I Got News For You. In 2005 she played
herself in an episode of The Catherine Tate Show, in a sketch with the
fictional character Joannie Taylor.
She made her silver screen debut in 2003s I'll Be There, co-starring and
directed by Craig Ferguson. Church played the role of Olivia, the daughter of a washed-up
80s rocker from a one-night-stand, played by Ferguson. The film did not meet with widespread success, playing for only ten days
in UK cinemas and being released directly to video in the US.
The Charlotte Church Show
In the summer of 2006, Church began work on her own entertainment TV show,
The Charlotte Church Show. After a pilot episode which caused some
controversy and which was never released to the public,[2]
the series began on 1 September 2006, on Channel 4.
The show, hosted by Charlotte and featuring two celebrity guests each week, involves a mixture of sketches, reality TV, interviews and music, as well as a recurring Welsh theme
(the first show included a Wales vs. the World competition and a Welsh remake of Will & Grace). Denise van Outen, Michael McIntyre, Ruby Wax, Billie Piper, and Patsy Kensit were amongst the first celebrities to
appear on the series.
The show has averaged 1.9 million viewers and 10% of the available audience, and on 6
October 2006, it was announced that Channel 4 had commissioned a further two series of the
show. However, the show's ratings have yet to seriously compete with the well-established Friday Night with Jonathan Ross which is broadcast on BBC
One in the same timeslot.[citation needed] According to her official website, the final series has now been deferred
until after Church gives birth.
Church won a British Comedy Award for "Best Female Comedy Newcomer" in
2006,[3] and the 'Funniest TV Personality' award at the
2006 Loaded Magazine's 'LAFTA' awards.[4]
Personal life
Church's personal life has often been portrayed in the sensationalist tabloid newspapers in the UK (inspiring the song "Let's Be Alone" on her album Tissues and Issues).
Church released an autobiography titled Voice of an Angel (My Life So Far), at the age of 14 (before the release of
"Enchantment" and just after she had wrapped up her "Dream a Dream" Christmas CD). Her eventual change of music direction is
foreshadowed in the final chapter, entitled "Turning Corners."
Revisited with particular frequency is her love life. In 2002, aged 16, she moved out of the family home to live with her
boyfriend, Steven Johnson (inspiring the song "Casualty of Love", also from
Tissues and Issues); the couple split at the end of 2003. The tabloid press
documented her subsequent relationship with Kyle Johnson (no relation), which ended in February 2005. The couple stated at the
time that they remained friends, though shortly afterwards Johnson revealed graphic details about the couple's sex life to the press, leading to a slap from Church.
Other aspects of her personal life have been criticized in the press. In 2002, she was photographed smoking, and it gradually emerged that she had developed a smoking habit (another fact alluded to on her
album Tissues and Issues, in the song "Confessional Song"). She has also been
criticized for what the press have seen as excessive partying[citation needed], with photos of the singer drunk or misbehaving adorning tabloid newspapers
- including one in which she gave the photographer the finger. In recent interviews,
Church has stated that she has stopped smoking and that her behaviour is now much more low-key.[5][6]
The press has recently devoted much attention to Church's relationship with current boyfriend Gavin Henson, a Welsh International
Rugby Union player: they have reportedly bought a manor
in Glamorgan. At the end of 2005, she purchased a property in her native Llandaff,
Cardiff, for a reported £500,000, although Henson has said that he is not part owner of the
property. The couple have mentioned the possibility of marriage on talk shows and in the press[6], but put off any talk of marriage whilst Church was expecting.
On Thursday, 20 September, 2007 at 10.35PM
GMT Charlotte gave birth to a baby girl named Ruby Megan Henson[7].[8]
On Monday September 24th, the couple announced their daughter's name through their website. In Wednesday 3rd October issue of OK!
Magazine the couple present baby Ruby in an exclusive at home shoot.
The couple have been nicknamed the "Welsh Victoria and David Beckham".[9] In 2007, Church made another appearance on a British young people's rich list with Henson. They were ranked as the 49th richest young people in Britain with an
estimated joint wealth of £10 million.[10]
Philanthropic efforts
Church has lent her support to the production of limited-edition T-shirts or vests for the 'Little Tee Campaign' for
Breast Cancer Care which donates money for breast cancer
research.
She has also been a long time and very visible supporter of the Noah's Ark Appeal to build a children's hospital in
Wales.[11][12]
Controversy
Controversy surrounds the circumstances of the dismissal of Church's first manager, Jonathan Shalit. He was allegedly
discharged from her representation in a letter faxed by Charlotte's mother; although allegations were later made by the Church
family of "inappropriate tactile conduct" on the part of Mr. Shalit, nothing ever came of them. Shalit subsequently sued for
breach of contract and received an out-of-court settlement believed to be worth 2 million pounds sterling[13] (although the exact details were never released, as one of the parties to
the matter was a minor and such details are protected under UK law).
Church has provoked controversy on some occasions with her comments and criticisms – in an interview with Davina McCall, Charlotte agreed that being diplomatic was "not in her nature".[14] Her remarks on the September 11,
2001 attacks, saying New Yorkers were being overdramatic, drew some criticism.[15]
The pilot episode of Church's new show, The Charlotte Church Show,
provoked a backlash from some religious groups, as Church reportedly mocks the Roman
Catholic Church and makes some controversial comments about Pope Benedict XVI,
calling him a "Nazi" in reference to his time in the Hitler
Youth and German Army, where he served on an anti-aircraft battery.[16]
One large Roman Catholic distributor of books, CDs and other goods, Ignatius Press, is
reported to have pulled Church's products from its catalogue.[17]
In her video blog entry for 22 March 2007, Church referred to
the UK's Eurovision entry, Scooch, as
"absolute shit" and went on to say "I've never seen shit like it, because Scooch really are shit". Russ Spencer of Scooch hit back saying "what a pity the voice of an angel
has acquired the mouth of a sewer". Spencer's bandmember Natalie Powers added "As a
mother of a young child myself I find her behaviour and language quite unacceptable. What kind of role model is this for a
mum-to-be?" Church hit back by saying on her Channel 4 show "They called me attention
seeking... then what's doing the Eurovision dressed as air hostesses?"
She has claimed that she would be a better judge for the reality show
X-Factor than any of the judges on the show. She becomes "annoyed" when
their remarks are inaccurate, stating "they just do not know the ins and outs of a voice or music like what I do,
innit."[citation needed]
Discography
Albums
Singles
Filmography
References
External links
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