Shirley Natasja Clamp was a prominent Swedish pop singer in the early 2000s, rising to fame largely due to her appearances at Melodifestivalen. Born to a British father and a Swedish mother in Boras, Sweden, Clamp got her start as a backup vocalist for various established artists, including the club/dance project Antique. She eventually went on to compete at Melodifestivalen 2003, placing sixth with the exuberant dance-pop number "Mr. Memory." She returned the following year with "Min Karlek" (My Love), placing second behind Lena Philipsson's powerhouse rendition of "Det Gor Ont." Clamp's debut album, Den Langsamma Blomman (The Slow Flower), hit stores soon after, and the album peaked at number three in Sweden. Her Melodifestivalen entry fared well on the Swedish charts, too, peaking at the number three spot. Clamp took another stab at Melodifestivalen in 2005, charging the stage with "Att Alska Dig" (To Love You). She placed fourth in the finals, and Martin Stenmarck went on to win the competition with "Las Vegas." Clamp's sophomore effort, Lever Mina Drommar (Live My Dreams), came out in the spring of that year, and her Melodifestivalen entry went on to peak at number four on the Swedish charts. Clamp released a covers album, Favoriter Pa Svenska, the following year. ~ Margaret Reges, All Music Guide
Shirley Natasja Clamp, (born 17 February 1973 in Borås, Sweden) is a Swedishpop singer. Because her mother is Swedish and her father is British, Shirley has dual nationality. Her career began as a backing singer for various singers and groups, including Antique during their Eurovision Song Contest 2001 performance to name one.
She started her solo career in 2003, when she took part in Melodifestivalen 2003 with the song "Mr. Memory". Finishing in 6th place in her semifinal, she lost the chance to qualify for the final. Her big breakthrough came in Melodifestivalen 2004 with the song "Min kärlek" (My love) composed by Ingela "Pling" Forsman. She came fourth in the last semifinal and went on to take second place at Andra Chansen, the "second chance" semifinal, thus qualifying for the final. There she was the first artist on stage, and ended 2nd, behind Lena Philipsson's immensely popular winner, "Det gör ont". "Min kärlek" won the National Finals Song Contest. A little later, in May 2004, Shirley released her first studio album, Den långsamma blomman (The Slow Flower).
In 2005 she tried once again to win Melodifestivalen, with the song "Att älska dig" ("To love you"). Shirley won the first semifinal, but in the final in Stockholm, she ended 4th. Her second studio album, Lever mina drömmar (Living my dreams) was released in April 2005. A year later, she released Favoriter på svenska, a special covers album, containing songs with lyrics in Swedish, such as Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love" ("När kärleken föds").
