Donna Lewis

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Donna Lewis (born 6 August 1973, Cardiff) is a Welsh singer-songwriter and record producer, best known for the 1996 hit single, "I Love You Always Forever".

Biography

At the age of six, Lewis began playing the piano.^[1] Her father, a jazz pianist lent encouragement, and while still a teenager, she began writing songs.^[1] Her formal training was at the Welsh College of Music and Drama, majoring in classical composition for piano and flute.^[1] Lewis then went on to teach music for a year in Sussex before moving to Birmingham to sing in a bar band.^[1] She began to record original compositions in a recording studio she set up herself.^[1][2] Before long she became a popular live attraction and circa 1993 began sending her demos to record labels.^[1]

The U.S. based Atlantic Records took an interest in Lewis and subsequently released her first single, "I Love You Always Forever", a catchy, pop-driven love song which went on to became a major hit on VH1.^[1] It was also successful on U.S. radio, staying at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100^[3] for nine consecutive weeks^[3], and spending 13 consecutive weeks at number one on the airplay chart. ^[3] It exceeded one million "spins" on radio, to claim its place in music industry history as the most-played single up to that point, until Natalie Imbruglia's "Torn" broke the record two years later.^{[citation needed]} The single reached number five on the UK Singles Chart in 1996.^[4] It helped her debut album, Now in a Minute, to number six in the U.S. Billboard 200^[5] chart, and #52 in the UK Albums Chart^[4] and was certified platinum in the U.S.

In 1997 Lewis appeared as herself in the Season 7 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210, "The Phantom of CU".

Lewis recorded "At the Beginning" with Richard Marx for the 1997 film Anastasia. Her second LP, Blue Planet (1998), won critical acclaim, but it was largely overlooked by the public. Although it produced a minor hit in continental Europe and Asia, "I Could Be the One", and a U.S. number-one dance single, "Love Him", Lewis parted ways with Atlantic Records^[2] and independently produced her third LP, Be Still (2002), which featured her on an almost entirely acoustic set. During the early 2000s Lewis was featured as a guest vocalist on several trance music/house music recordings. Her fourth LP, In the Pink, was released in 2008; its first single was "Shout," which was included in the soundtrack to the Marian Quinn film 32A.

Discography

Albums

• Now in a Minute (1996)
• Blue Planet (1998)
• Be Still (2002)
• In the Pink (2007)

Singles

Collaborations

• The Seduction of Claude Debussy (Art of Noise, 2000) [guest vocalist]
• Take Me Over (2001) [guest vocalist]
• When the Rain Comes Down (2001)

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

References

External links

• Official website
• Donna Lewis at MySpace
• Donna Lewis at the Internet Movie Database
• Donna Lewis at TV.com
• Biography from BBC Wales
• Donna Lewis on Discogs.com
• People Magazine feature on Donna Lewis