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Vanessa-Mae was born in Singapore to
a Thai father and a Chinese mother. After her parents separated, her
mother married Englishman Graham Nicholson, and the family moved to
England when Vanessa-Mae was four years old. She grew up in London and is
a British citizen.
Vanessa-Mae began playing piano at the age of three and violin at five.
She was relatively famous in the United Kingdom throughout her childhood
making regular appearances on television (for example on Blue Peter)
mostly involving classical music and conservative style. According to
Guinness World Records, she is the youngest soloist to record both the
Beethoven and Tchaikovsky violin concertos, a feat she accomplished at the
age of thirteen. During this time she attended the Francis Holland School
in central London.
Vanessa-Mae made her international professional debut at the
Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Germany in 1988, and also during 1988
made her concerto debut on stage with the Philharmonia Orchestra in
London.
On entering adolescence Vanessa-Mae broke away from her traditional
classical influences and became known for her flashy, sexy style appearing
in music videos in stylish outfits. She appeared on the Janet Jackson
album The Velvet Rope playing a violin solo on the song "Velvet Rope." Her
first pop styled album, The Violin Player, was released in 1995, and is
still regarded as one of the best works of her career.
In April 2006, Vanessa-Mae was ranked as the wealthiest young entertainer
under 30 in the UK in the Sunday Times Rich List 2006. Having an estimated
fortune of about £32 million ($64 million) stemming from concerts and
record sales of over an estimated 10 million copies world wide, which is
an unprecedented achievement for a young female violinist.
Vanessa-Mae announced in 2006 that she would be releasing a new album
sometime between 2007 and 2008. The album will consist of inspiration from
great ballets and opera themes. |
