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Charlotte Church hails from the
Welsh town of Llandaff, Cardiff. She had wanted to sing ever since she was
3 and a half years old, when she belted out "Ghostbusters" at a holiday
camp and had to be dragged off the stage. By the time she was 8, she was
performing at local karaoke competitions, and building her reputation as
an incredible vocalist along the way. When she heard an announcement by TV
personalities Richard and Judy that they were looking for children with
talent, Charlotte called them and volunteered herself.
Once she sang "Pie Jesu" on the phone to the producers, they immediately
invited her onto the show. Not long after, she appeared on TV yet again,
on The Big, Big Talent Show. When the host asked her to perform, audiences
were blown away. Her vocal chords spread like wildfire, and she was in
demand, most importantly by music producer/manager Jonathan Shalit. He
introduced Charlotte to the Sony Music UK Chairman, who signed her to a
multi-album contract.
Her first album was released in 1998, when she was only 12 years old.
Voice of an Angel reached double platinum status in the UK, and Charlotte
became the youngest artist to have a number one hit on the classical
charts, and the youngest to have a Top 5 hit in the UK -- beating out
Vanessa Mae by a few years.
Once the album crossed the pond and "Charlotte buzz" hit North America,
she was making her rounds on talk shows such as The Tonight Show with Jay
Leno, The Late Show with David Letterman and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Voice
of an Angel reached the Top 30 on the US charts, again making her the
youngest artist to reach such success in America.
By the time Voice of an Angel was released, audiences had the chance to
see the young soprano live in concert, at Cardiff Arms Park in Wales, the
London Palladium, and Royal Albert Hall. She was even invited to perform
at the Vatican and for the Prince of Wales.
Her sophomore album, the self-titled, Charlotte Church, was released in
1999, while her latest album, 2000's Dream a Dream, is a collection of
Christmas songs, and even features a duet with fellow prodigy Billy
Gilman.
Making waves in America as well as the UK, Charlotte was invited to
perform at the Presidential Inauguration of George W. Bush (she was also
invited to perform for former president Bill Clinton for a Christmas
Special), along with Ricky Martin, Jessica Simpson and Sir Andrew Lloyd
Webber. Charlotte also performed with Wyclef Jean for a special
fundraising concert in New York, the same month as the Bush Inauguration,
sharing the bill with Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Destiny's Child, and
Eric Clapton.
Charlotte currently lives in Llandaff, Wales. |
