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Charlotte Church (born Charlotte
Maria Reed on 21 February 1986) is a Welsh pop
singer and television presenter who rose to
international fame in childhood as a popular
classical singer. To date, she has sold 10 million
albums worldwide. Since 2005 she has attracted much
critisism after a major change in image and
attitude.
Early life
Church was born in Llandaff, a district of Cardiff,
Wales. She was raised a Roman Catholic by her
mother, Maria, who was separated from Church's
biological father. Church was legally adopted by her
mother's second husband, James Church. She had her
first taste of stardom when she performed
"Ghostbusters" at a holiday camp in Caernarfon at
the age of 3, and it was rumored that she had to be
dragged from the stage when she refused to leave
(she denied that part in her autobiography). Her big
break came at the age of 11 when she sang "Pie Jesu"
on the television show Talking Telephone Numbers in
1997, closely followed by her show-stealing
performance on ITV's Big, Big Talent Show in 1998.
This led to concerts at Cardiff Arms Park, Royal
Albert Hall and the opening spot for Shirley Bassey
in Antwerp.
Classical career
Charlotte's first albumCharlotte was then introduced
to the Cardiff-based impresario, Jonathan Shalit,
who later became her manager and negotiated a record
contract with Sony BMG. Her first album, Voice of an
Angel, showcased her unique voice in a collection of
arias, sacred songs, and traditional pieces that
sold millions of copies worldwide and made her the
youngest artist with a No. 1 selling album on the
British classical charts to date.
Church later appeared on numerous PBS specials. Her
self-titled second album included another array of
operatic, religious, and traditional tracks. One
track on the album, the soaring and inspirational
Just Wave Hello, was the centerpiece of a
millennium-themed ad campaign for the Ford Motor
Company. The song's full-length video, featuring
Church, won popular acclaim at the Detroit Auto Show
and introduced her to a new legion of fans. The
track reached #31 back in her native UK.
In 2000, she released Dream a Dream, principally an
album of Christmas carols, but including Church's
first foray into a more pop-influenced genre: the
title track Dream a Dream, a memorable song
borrowing the melody from Fauré's Pavane and
featuring young American country singer Billy
Gilman. Church also sang with Gilman in a duet
("Sleigh Ride") on his CD Classic Christmas.
In 2001, Church added more pop, swing, and Broadway
to her classical repertoire with her album
Enchantment. That same year, movie-going audiences
heard Church for the first time in the 2001 Ron
Howard film A Beautiful Mind. Since Celine Dion was
not available to perform the film's end title song,
"All Love Can Be" (Dion was beginning her concert
engagement in Las Vegas), composer James Horner
enlisted Church to handle the vocals, and the song
was re-written to Church's vocal range. Church also
handled other vocal passages throughout the score.
In 2002, at the age of 16, she released a 'best of'
album called Prelude, and took part in the Royal
Christmas tour alongside Julie Andrews and
Christopher Plummer, concluding her classical music
career. Her next album, Tissues and Issues, would be
of a rather different genre.
Church has also sung in religious services in Taizé.
She has also performed before Pope John Paul II and
Bill Clinton, who was the United States President at
the time.
Pop career
Church made her first venture out of classical music
in February 2003 providing vocals for Jurgen Vries (aka
DJ and producer Darren Tate's) single "The Opera
Song". She was credited on the sleeve as CMC - CMC
being Charlotte's initials, Charlotte Maria Church.
The track reached number 3 in the UK charts.
In 2005, she issued her first pop album Tissues and
Issues and the first four singles have all been at
least moderately successful in the UK with "Crazy
Chick" reaching no. 2, "Call My Name" number 10,
"Even God Can't Change the Past" number 17, and "Moodswings
(to Come at Me like That)" number 14. Although these
were released in Australia as well, they failed to
reach the same level of success there, and in March
2006 it was announced that there would be no US
releases of Church's pop work until she had achieved
a number 1 hit in the UK.
In April 2006, she performed three concerts in
Glasgow, London, and Cardiff, in venues holding
between 2,000 and 3,000 people; the dates at London
and Cardiff were sold out. Supported by Irish band
the New Druids, Church performed a mix of tracks
from her debut pop album and a number of pop covers
including Prince's "Kiss" and Gloria Estefan's
"Rhythm is Gonna Get You". Though Church hinted at
the possibility of a full tour in the future, no
dates are yet scheduled.
In November 2006, it was announced that she and Sony
had parted ways. According to her publicist, this
was a mutual decision reached after a series of
meetings, ostensibly since her five and later six
album deal had come to an end. There was some
speculation that Church had decided to take a break
(temporarily or permanently) from her singing
career, in order to focus on her more successful
television show (see below). Others suggested that
the performance of her pop releases in the charts
also contributed to the decision.
Acting and
television career
Church has made a number of cameo appearances on
television. She appeared in the CBS series Touched
by an Angel, starred in the 1999 Christmas special
of Heartbeat, and in 2003 she presented an episode
of Have I Got News For You. In 2005 she played
herself in an episode of The Catherine Tate Show, in
a sketch with the fictional character Joannie
Taylor.
She made her silver screen debut in 2003's I'll Be
There, co-starring and directed by Craig Ferguson.
Church played the role of Olivia, the daughter of a
washed-up 80s rocker from a one-night-stand, played
by Ferguson. The film did not meet with widespread
success, playing for only ten days in UK cinemas and
being released directly to video in the US.
Church was rumored to play a small role in a new
film, Bridge of Lies, directed by Little Britain
director Matt Lipsey, to be released in 2007, but
her recent pregnancy has interrupted that.
The Charlotte Church
Show
In the summer of 2006, Charlotte began work on her
own entertainment TV show, The Charlotte Church
Show. After a pilot episode which caused some
controversy but which was never released to the
public, the series began on 1 September 2006, on
Channel 4.
The show, hosted by Charlotte and featuring two
celebrity guests each week, involves a mixture of
sketches, reality TV, interviews and music, as well
as a recurring Welsh theme (the first show included
a Wales vs. the World competition and a Welsh remake
of Will & Grace). Denise van Outen, Michael
McIntyre, Ruby Wax, Billie Piper, and Patsy Kensit
were amongst the first celebrities to appear on the
series.
The show has averaged 1.9 million viewers and 10% of
the available audience, and on 6 October 2006, it
was announced that Channel 4 had commissioned a
further two series of the show. However, the show's
ratings have yet to seriously compete with the
well-established Friday Night with Jonathan Ross
which is broadcast on BBC One in the same
timeslot.[citation needed] According to her official
website, the final series has now been deferred
until after Church gives birth.
Church won a British Comedy Award for "Best Female
Comedy Newcomer" in 2006,[3] and the 'Funniest TV
Personality' award at the 2006 Loaded Magazine's 'LAFTA'
awards.
Personal life
Church's personal life has often been portrayed in
the sensationalist tabloid newspapers in the UK
(inspiring the song "Let's Be Alone" on her album
Tissues and Issues).
Church released an autobiography titled Voice of an
Angel (My Life So Far), at the age of 14 (before the
release of Enchantment and just after she had
wrapped up her Dream a Dream Christmas CD). Her
eventual change of music direction is foreshadowed
in the final chapter, entitled "Turning Corners."
Revisited with particular frequency is her love
life. In 2002, aged 16, she moved out of the family
home to live with her boyfriend, Steven Johnson
(inspiring the song "Casualty of Love", also from
Tissues and Issues); the couple split at the end of
2003. The tabloid press documented her subsequent
relationship with Kyle Johnson (no relation), which
ended in February 2005. The couple stated at the
time that they remained friends, though shortly
afterwards Johnson revealed graphic details about
the couple's sex life to the press, leading to a
slap from Church, which she later admitted.
Other aspects of her personal life have been
criticized in the press. In 2002, she was
photographed smoking, and it gradually emerged that
she had developed a smoking habit (another fact
alluded to on her album Tissues and Issues, in the
song "Confessional Song"). She has also been
criticized for what the press have seen as excessive
partying, with plenty of photos of the singer drunk
or misbehaving adorning tabloid newspapers,
including one in which she gave the photographer the
finger. In more recent interviews, Church has stated
that she has now stopped smoking and that her
behaviour is now much more low-key.
The press has recently devoted much attention to
Church's relationship with current boyfriend Gavin
Henson, a Welsh International Rugby Union player: at
the end of 2005, she purchased a property in her
native Llandaff, Cardiff, for a reported £500,000
(Henson admitted that he is not part owner of the
property). They have now reportedly bought an old
manor in Glamorgan. Both celebrities have since
mentioned the possibility of marriage on talk shows
and in the press.[6] Charlotte and Gavin announced,
after rumours were going round, that they are
expecting their first child to be born at the end of
2007 (though they have officially put off any talk
of marriage until after the child is born). They
have been nicknamed the "Welsh Victoria and David
Beckham". In 2007, Church made another appearance on
the British young people's rich list with Henson.
They were ranked as the 49th richest young people in
Britain with an estimated joint wealth of £10
million.
Philanthropic
efforts
Church has lent her support to the production of
limited-edition T-shirts or vests for the 'Little
Tee Campaign' for Breast Cancer Care which donates
money for breast cancer research. She has signed a
reported six-figure deal to write her autobiography
which will be published in 2007.
Charlotte has also been a long time and very visible
supporter of the Noah's Ark Appeal to build a
children's hospital in Wales.
Controversy
Controversy surrounds the circumstances of the
dismissal of Church's first manager, Jonathan Shalit.
He was allegedly discharged from her representation
in a letter faxed by Charlotte's mother; although
allegations were later made by the Church family of
"inappropriate tactile conduct" on the part of Mr.
Shalit, nothing ever came of them. Shalit
subsequently sued for breach of contract and
received an out-of-court settlement believed to be
worth 2 million pounds sterling (although the exact
details were never released, as one of the parties
to the matter was a minor and such details are
protected under UK law).
Church has provoked controversy on some occasions
with her comments and criticisms – in an interview
with Davina McCall, Charlotte agreed that being
diplomatic was "not in [her] nature". Her remarks on
the September 11, 2001 attacks, saying New Yorkers
were being overdramatic, drew some criticism.
More recently, the Daily Mail reported that the
pilot episode of Church's new show, The Charlotte
Church Show, provoked a backlash from some religious
groups, as Church reportedly mocks the Roman
Catholic Church and makes some controversial
comments about Pope Benedict XVI, calling him a
"Nazi" in reference to his compulsory time in the
Hitler Youth and German Army, where he served
briefly on an anti-aircraft battery. One large Roman
Catholic distributor of books, CDs and other goods,
Ignatius Press, is reported to have pulled Church's
products from its catalogue.
Church in her video blog entry for 22nd March 2007,
referred to the presenter of the Eurovision, host
Terry Wogan, as "absolute shit" and went on to say
"I've never seen shit like it, because Wogan is
really shit". Russ Spencer of Scooch hit back saying
"what a pity the voice of an angel has acquired the
mouth of a sewer". Natalie Powers added "As a mother
of a young child myself I find her behaviour and
language quite unacceptable. What kind of role model
is this for a mum-to-be?" Church hit back by saying
on her Channel 4 show "They called me attention
seeking... Then what's doing the Eurovision dressed
with a hair piece?"
She also claimed to be a better judge for the
reality show X-Factor than any of the judges on the
show. She also becomes "annoyed" when their remarks
are inaccurate, she states "they just don't know the
ins and outs of a voice or music like what I do,
innit."
More recently, grime artist, Dizzee Rascal has named
her as a "pussyole" in his 2007 album, Maths and
English. Church has not yet responded with her
trademark backlash. |
