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Des'ree

Des'ree

  • Genre: Rhythm & Blues
  • Active: '90s, 2000s
  • Instrument: Producer, Vocals, Vocals (Background)

Biography

Setting uplifting songs of love and modern-city life to a mid-tempo, hook-laden blend of reggae, calypso, rap, and British pop, Des'ree has risen to the upper echelon of British R&B. Although she failed to reach an American audience with her 1992 duet with Terence Trent D'Arby, "Delicate," despite it being a Top Ten hit in the U.K., she made up for it with her second album, I Ain't Movin', two years later. The album's single, "You Gotta Be," became the most played video on VH1, spent 80 weeks on the Billboard charts, and was included on a highly visible tribute album for Diana, Princess of Wales. Driven by the song's success, I Ain't Movin' sold more than 16 million copies. Des'ree kept the momentum going with an American tour in 1995 with Seal and performed at the first-ever secular concert at the Vatican. Her songs appeared in Spike Lee's film Clockers in 1995 and Baz Luhrmann's remake of Romeo and Juliet the following year. She released her third album, Supernatural, in 1998. Born in a small village south of London to parents from the Caribbean, Des'ree was influenced by both cultures. After living in Barbados from the age of 11 until she was 14, she began writing poetry upon her return to England. ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide

Representative Songs:

"You Gotta Be," "Feel So High," "I Ain't Movin'"

Representative Albums:

I Ain't Movin', Mind Adventures, Endangered Species

Similar Artists:

Corinne Bailey Rae, Joi, India.Arie, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Ginuwine, Amel Larrieux, Maxwell, Lisa Stansfield, Natalie Merchant, Dionne Farris, Terence Trent D'Arby, D'Angelo, Tasmin Archer, Sade, Tracy Chapman, 10,000 Maniacs

Influences:

Stevie Wonder, Seal

Followers:

Danielia Cotton, Angel Grant

Performed Songs By:

A. Ingram, Ashley Ingram, Michale Graves
 
 
Wikipedia: Des'ree
Des'ree
Birth name Desiree Weeks
Born 30 November 1968 (1968--) (age 38)
London, England
Genre(s) Soul, R&B, pop
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter
Years active 1992–present
Label(s) Dusted Sound Records, Sony Records

Des'ree (born Desiree Weeks, 30 November 1968, London [1]) is one of Britain's most successful pop/soul singers throughout the 1990s.

Career

Des'ree was raised in South London and introduced to reggae, calypso and jazz music by her parents, who came to Britain from the Caribbean. Des'ree's interest in pursuing a musical career followed a three year trip to Barbados with her family at the age of fourteen.

In 1994, her single "You Gotta Be" hit the Billboard Hot 100 Top 5 and was a hit in the UK three times. You Gotta Be became the most played music video on VH1 and remained on the Billboard recurrent air-play chart for 80 weeks.

Following the single's success, Des'ree's second album, I Ain't Movin' , sold in excess of 1.6 million copies worldwide. Her success lead to an American tour with Seal in 1995. The following year, she contributed the song "Kissing You" to the soundtrack of the film [[William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet]].

In 1998, her single "Life" became a hit in Europe. In 1999, she won a BRIT Award for the British Female Solo Artist category.[2]

Her 2003 release Dream Soldier was considerably less successful and she was dropped by her record label, Sony.

Other work

Des'ree has also performed various duets, including "Fire" with Babyface, "Plenty Lovin" with Steve Winwood and "Delicate" with Terence Trent D'Arby.

She also campaigned for anti-fur campaigns featuring on PETA's website, as well as FurIsDead.com.

In spring of 2007, Des'ree was voted the worst pop lyricist of all time for the song "Life" according to a BBC Radio poll. [3]. The writing process for the song "Life" was famously documented on video. [4]

Des'ree also re-appeared in the news recently, when Beyoncé recorded a cover version of the Tim Atack/Des'ree penned song, "I'm Kissing You",[5] for the re-release of her latest album, B'Day. It turns out that the song was recorded without permission, legal action to recover royalties and block further distribution of the song is pending. [6]

Her song, "Feels So High" was interpolated into the Janet Jackson song "Got 'Til it's Gone" from Jackson's CD, "The Velvet Rope". The album itself does not list the song or Des'Ree as a contributor, but the maxi single, released in 2000, lists Des'Ree as one of the song's writers.

Discography

Albums

[1]

Singles

  • 1991, "Feel So High", #51 UK
  • 1992, "Feel So High" (Re-Released), #13 UK, #67 U.S. [1995]
  • 1992, "Mind Adventures", #43 UK
  • 1992, "Why Should I Love You", #44 UK
  • 1993, "Delicate" (Terence Trent D'Arby with Des'ree), #14 UK
  • 1994, "You Gotta Be", #20 UK, #5 U.S.
  • 1994, "I Ain't Movin'", #44 UK
  • 1994, "Little Child", #69 UK
  • 1995, "You Gotta Be" (Re-released), #14 UK
  • 1998, "Fire"
  • 1998, "Life", #8 UK, #1 SPA. "Life" remained in the UK top 40 for 11 weeks, and was a number one seller across Europe
  • 1998, "What's Your Sign", #19 UK, #30 SPA
  • 1999, "You Gotta Be" (Remix), #10 UK, #1 SPA
  • 1999, "Ain't No Sunshine", #42 UK
  • 2003, "It's Okay", #69 UK

[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums, 19th, London: Guinness World Records Limited, p. 152. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 

External links


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Artist. Copyright © 2008 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Music Guide ® , a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
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