Vanessa can refer to:

• A member service officer at SOMB.
• Vanessa (name), a female given name coined by Jonathan Swift, originally as a nickname for Esther Vanhomrigh
• Vanessa (butterfly), a genus of butterflies
• Vanessa (Millais painting), an 1868 painting by Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais
• Vanessa, a 1933 novel by Hugh Walpole
• Vanessa, a 1952 instrumental song by the Hugo Winterhalter orchestra
• Vanessa (opera), a 1956-57 opera by Samuel Barber
• Vanessa Huxtable, a character on the 1980s TV show The Cosby Show
• Vanessa, a character in the 1989 Disney film, The Little Mermaid - see Ursula (The Little Mermaid)
• Vanessa (King of Fighters), a character in SNK Playmore's 1994 The King of Fighters video game series
• Vanessa Lewis, a character introduced into the 2001 Virtua Fighter 4 3D fighting game
• Vanessa, a character on the Nickelodeon 2004 sitcom Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide
• Vanessa Doofensmirtz, a fictional character and Dr Doofensmirtz's daughter from Phineas and Ferb
• Vanessa Bloome, a fictional character in the 2007 DreamWorks film, Bee Movie.

Places:

• Vanessa, Ontario, a hamlet in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada

People:

• Vanessa Ament, American foley artist and author
• Vanessa Anderson, Australian teen whose death led to The Garling Report
• Vanessa Beecroft, Italian artist
• Vanessa Bell, British artist and the sister of author Virginia Woolf
• Vanessa Bell Calloway, American actress
• Vanessa Browne-Ward, Australian high jumper
• Vanessa Carlton, American singer, most known for her hit "A Thousand Miles"
• Vanessa da Mata, Brazilian singer
• Vanessa Duriès, French writer
• Vanessa Feltz, British journalist and broadcaster
• Vanessa Ferlito, American actress
• Vanessa Ferrari, Italian gymnast
• Vanessa García, Puerto Rican freestyle swimmer
• Vanessa Hudgens, American actress and singer
• Vanessa Lengies, Canadian actress, starred in American Dreams
• Vanessa Mae, British pop and classical musician, especially noted for her violin skills
• Vanessa Marano, American actress
• Vanessa Marcil, American actress
• Vanessa Marshall, American actress and voice actress
• Vanessa Minnillo, American television personality, television host, model, and actress
• Vanessa Morley, Canadian voice actress
• Vanessa Paradis, French actress and singer
• Vanessa Redgrave, British actress and political activist
• Vanessa Simmons, founder of Pastry Shoes
• Vanessa A. Williams, American actress
• Vanessa L. Williams, American model, singer, songwriter and actress
• Vanessa R. Williams, American gospel singer
• Vanessa Johansson, American actress, sister of Scarlett Johansson
• Vanessa White (born 1989), British singer The Saturdays

This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Vanessa Hudgens
Vanessa Hudgens at the Sydney premiere of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island in 2012.
Background information
Birth name	Vanessa Anne Hudgens
Born	(1988-12-14) December 14, 1988 (age 23) Salinas, California, United States
Genres	Pop, dance[1]
Occupations	Actress, singer
Years active	2002–present
Labels	Hollywood
Website	VanessaHudgensOfficial.com

Vanessa Anne Hudgens^[2] (born December 14, 1988)^[3] is an American actress and singer.

Hudgens rose to prominence playing Gabriella Montez in the High School Musical series.^[4] Hudgens also has appeared in several television programs including Quintuplets, Still Standing, The Brothers García, Drake & Josh, and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. In 2009, she earned critical acclaim for her role in the film Bandslam.^[5]

In addition to acting, Hudgens released her debut album V on September 26, 2006 which entered the Billboard 200 at number twenty four, and was later certified Gold.^[6] Her second album, Identified, was released on July 1, 2008 in the United States.^[7]

Early life[link]

Hudgens was born in Salinas, California, and has lived with her parents throughout the West Coast from Oregon to Southern California. Her mother, Gina (née Guangco), held a succession of office jobs, and her father, Gregory Hudgens, was a firefighter.^[2][3] She has a younger sister, Stella Hudgens, who is also an actress.^[8] She was raised as a Roman Catholic.^[9] Hudgens is of mixed ethnic background, as her father is of Irish and Native American descent, and her mother, a native of Manila, Philippines, is of Chinese-Filipino-Spanish descent.^[3][10] All of her grandparents were musicians.^[11]

Starting at the age of eight, Hudgens performed in musical theater as a singer, and appeared in local productions of Carousel, The Wizard of Oz, The King and I, The Music Man, and Cinderella, among others.^[12] Two years after her career in stage plays and musicals, she started auditioning for commercials and television shows, and her family moved to Los Angeles after she won a role in a television commercial.^[11][13] Her acting career started at the age of 15, and she briefly attended Orange County High School of the Arts, followed by homeschooling with tutors.^[14][15]

Career[link]

2003–2009[link]

In 2003, Hudgens played a minor role in the independent drama film Thirteen, in which she played Noel, a friend of a lead character Tracy, (played by Evan Rachel Wood). The film was a commercial success, receiving generally positive reviews, with the USA Today calling it "powerful of all recent wayward-youth sagas".^[16] Hudgens subsequently landed a role in the 2004 science fiction-adventure film Thunderbirds as Tintin. However, the film was a commercial failure and received heavy criticism for "abandoning the original concepts".^[17]

A year later, Hudgens made guest appearances on television shows Quintuplets, Still Standing, The Brothers García, Drake & Josh, and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. In late 2005 she landed her breakout role of shy and meek Gabriella Montez in High School Musical, opposite to Zac Efron.^[18] Her performance received numerous nominations and awards.^[19] With the success of the film, the BBC predicted that Hudgens would be a "household name" in the US.^[20]

In 2007, Hudgens reprised her role as Gabriella Montez in the sequel of High School Musical, High School Musical 2.^[21] Virginia Heffernan of TV Review described Hudgens performance as "matte," as she "glows like a proper ingénue".^[22] The third film in the series, High School Musical 3: Senior Year was released in 2009. Her performance in the film prompted her win for "Favorite Movie Actress" in the 2009 Kids Choice Awards.^[23][24]

2009–present[link]

Hudgens at the Comic-Con Day in 2010

After High School Musical, Hudgens remarked that she will focus on acting and films while "taking a break" from her music career as a solo artist.^[25] She played a supporting role in a musical comedy Bandslam, which was released theatrically on August 14, 2009.^[26][27] Hudgens plays "Sa5m", a 15-year-old awkward freshman with untapped talents.^[28] Although Bandslam was commercially unsuccessful, Hudgens's performance received praise from critics.^[29] David Waddington of the North Wales Pioneer noted that Hudgens "outshines the rest of the cast, failing to fit in with the outcast narrative and making the inevitable climactic ending all the more expected,"^[30] and Philip French of The Guardian compared her acting to Thandie Newton and Dorothy Parker.^[31]

Hudgens performed a musical number with other artists during the 81st Academy Awards.^[32] Hudgens later provided voice roles in an episode of Robot Chicken. Hudgens' involvement in Beastly, a film based on Alex Flinn's novel of the same name, was announced in early 2009.^[33] She played one of the main characters in the film, Linda Taylor. Hudgens described her as, "...the "beauty" of the story but not the stereotypical beauty everyone thinks of."^[34] Along with Beastly co-star, Alex Pettyfer, Hudgens was recognized as ShoWest stars of Tomorrow.^[35] Her next role was in the action film, Sucker Punch, directed by Zack Snyder. She played Blondie, an institutionalized girl in an asylum. The film was released in March 2011.^[36]

Hudgens made a return to theater productions and starred in the musical Rent as Mimi. The stage production ran from August 6–8, 2010 at the Hollywood Bowl.^[37] Her involvement in the production drew negative comments, but director Neil Patrick Harris defended his decision with casting Hudgens by saying, "Vanessa [Hudgens] is awesome. She's a friend. I asked her to come in and sing to make sure she had the chops for it. And she was very committed and seemed great."^[38]

In October 2010, Hudgens joined the cast of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, the sequel to the 2008 film Journey to the Center of the Earth, alongside Dwayne Johnson and Josh Hutcherson, playing Hutcherson's love interest.^[39] In April 2011, it was reported that she would star in Gimme Shelter with Brendan Fraser, a film written and directed by Ron Krauss.^[40] Hudgens will also play Cindy Paulson in The Frozen Ground, a film based on the Robert Hansen case wherein she plays as his only victim who escaped. She co-stars with John Cusack and Nicolas Cage.^[41] In November 2011, Hudgens announced on her official website that she will be starring with Selena Gomez and James Franco in Spring Breakers.^[42]

Music[link]

Hudgens and Drew Seeley in 2007

Hudgens received a recording contract with Hollywood Records.^[43] On September 2006 her debut album entitled V was released. It charted on the Billboard 200 at number twenty-four,^[6] and was certified Gold on February 27, 2007.^[44] Her first single, "Come Back to Me" became her highest-charting single. Her second single was "Say OK". Billboard readers chose "V" as the seventh best album of the year.^[45] Hudgens was named Female Breakout Singer of the year at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards.^[46]

Hudgens also participated in the nationwide High School Musical: The Concert tour in fall 2006, performing the songs from the soundtrack album as well as the three songs from her debut album.^[47] She sang the duet "Still There For Me" with Corbin Bleu for his debut album. In the following December, she sang to George W. Bush, who was then the president of the U.S., and his family, at The National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. with other singers at a Christmas event.^[48]

Her second album, Identified, which received generally favorable reviews,^[49] was released on July 1, 2008, debuting at #23 on the Billboard 200.^[50] The album's lead single was "Sneakernight", which was a moderate commercial success, peaking at #88 on the Billboard Hot 100^[51] and #94 on the Australian Singles Chart.^[52] Hudgens's Identified Summer Tour began on August 1, 2008 and ended on September 9 of the same year.^[53]

Other work[link]

Hudgens promotes Neutrogena^[54] and was the 2008 featured celebrity for Sears' back-to school campaign.^[55] In 2007, she became a spokesperson for Mark Ecko products but ended the contract after two years. ^[56][57] Hudgens regularly volunteers for charitable activities, including those for Best Buddies International,^[58][59] Lollipop Theater Network,^[60] St. Jude Children's Research Hospital^[61] and the VH1 Save The Music Foundation.^[62] Hudgens is also featured in A Very Special Christmas Vol.7 disc which benefits the Special Olympics.^[63] Hudgens is also part of the "Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C): Change The Odds" along with other Hollywood stars including Zac Efron, Dakota Fanning, Kristen Bell, and others.^[64]

Personal life[link]

Us Weekly said Hudgens and her High School Musical series co-star Zac Efron "met in 2005 while making the first High School Musical flick, and became a romantic item about two years later."^[65] The two were paired together during the audition process and got the part because of their chemistry.^[66] The two ended their relationship in December 2010.^[65] Hudgens briefly dated her Journey 2 co-star, Josh Hutcherson but the two are now good friends.^[67] Hudgens has been dating fellow actor, Austin Butler since the fall of 2011.^[67][68]

Hudgens at the My Habit launch at Skylight West Studios in May 2011

Hudgens was represented by William Morris Agency^[69] but signed on to Creative Artists Agency in 2011.^[70]

In 2006, Hudgens's earnings were estimated to be $2 million.^[71] Hudgens was included in Forbes richest list in early 2007, and the Forbes article noted that she was included in Young Hollywood's Top Earning-Stars.^[72] On December 12, 2008, Hudgens was ranked #20 in the list of Forbes "High Earners Under 30", having reported to have an estimated earnings of $3 million in 2008.^[73][74] She was number 62 at FHM's Sexiest Women in the World of 2008 and number 42 in the 2009 list.^[75][76] Hudgens is also featured in Maxim's lists.^[77] She was included in People's annual "100 Most Beautiful People" 2008 and 2009 lists.^[78][79]

On September 6, 2007, photos of Hudgens appeared online, one showing her posing in lingerie and another showing her nude. A statement from her publicist claims that the photo was taken privately and it was unfortunate that they were released on the Internet. Hudgens later apologized, saying that she was "embarrassed over the situation" and regretted having "taken [those] photos."^[80] Hudgens subsequently released a statement indicating that she declined to comment further on the scandal.^[81] OK! magazine speculated that Hudgens would be dropped from High School Musical 3 as a result of the images,^[82] but The Walt Disney Company denied this, saying, "Vanessa has apologized for what was obviously a lapse in judgment. We hope she's learned a valuable lesson."^[83][84][85]

In August 2009, another set of pictures showing Hudgens topless emerged on the Internet. Hudgens's representatives did not comment, though her lawyers requested the removal of the pictures from the Internet.^[86][87] In late 2009, Hudgens sued "www.moejackson.com" for posting nude 'self-portrait photographs'^{[clarification needed]} of her taken on a mobile phone in a private home.^[88] Hudgens later commented on the photos' impact on her career in the October issue of Allure with, "Whenever anybody asks me, would I do nudity in a film, if I say that it's something I'm not comfortable with, they're like, 'Bullshit, you've already done it.' If anything, it makes it more embarrassing, because that was a private thing. It's screwed up that someone screwed me over like that. At least some people are learning from my mistake."^[89] According to Us Weekly, further pictures were released on the Internet March 15, 2011^[90] as well as a nude video.

Brian Schall sued Hudgens in 2007 for an alleged "breach of contract"; according to the suit, Schall claims he advanced costs and expenses on Hudgens's behalf for her songwriting and recording career.^[91] Schall claims Hudgens owed him $150,000 after helping her earn more than $5 million for her music career. Hudgens argued that she was a 16-year-old minor when she signed the contract in October 2005, and therefore too young to do so. She subsequently disaffirmed it on October 9, 2008. Papers filed in court by her lawyer say California's Family Code "provides that the contract of a minor is voidable and may be disaffirmed before (age 18) or within a reasonable time afterward."^[92] In 2008, Hudgens was sued by Johnny Vieira, who claims he was owed a share of Hudgens' advances, royalties and merchandising revenue in exchange for his management services. Vieira accuses Hudgens of abandoning her talent team as soon as she became a commercial name in the High School Musical era.^[93] In early May 2009, the case was settled.^[94]

Filmography[link]

Hudgens at the 38th People's Choice Awards in 2012

Discography[link]

• V (2006)
• Identified (2008)

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikinews has related news: Vanessa Hudgens publicist makes apology about nude photo incident

Media related to Vanessa Hudgens at Wikimedia Commons

• Official website
• Vanessa Hudgens at the Internet Movie Database
• Vanessa Hudgens at Allmusic

Vanessa Amorosi
Background information
Birth name	Vanessa Amorosi
Born	(1981-08-08) 8 August 1981 (age 30)
Origin	Melbourne, Victoria
Genres	Rock, pop, acoustic
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Universal Music (2006–present) Sony BMG
Website	www.vanessaamorosi.com

Vanessa Amorosi (born 8 August 1981^[1]) is an Australian singer-songwriter and recording artist. Her combined album and single sales have reached over 2 million worldwide.

Life and career[link]

Early life[link]

Amorosi was born in Melbourne, Victoria. When Amorosi was 4, along with her younger sisters, she would go to tap, jazz and classical ballet classes, which were being run by her uncle. She attended Emerald Primary and Emerald Secondary School.^[2] At the age of 12 Amorosi started to perform in shopping centers and local council concerts under the supervision of her family. Amorosi was discovered performing at Matrioshka,^[3] a Russian restaurant in Carnegie, by Jack Strom and signed a recording contract in 1997. After being signed to MarJac Productions (co-owned by managers Mark Holden and Jack Strom) and recording a promo CD titled "Get Here", she secured a deal with Transistor Music Australia.

[edit] The Power (1999–2003)

In 1999, Amorosi released her debut single "Have a Look" which became a Top 20 hit and went gold in Australia. This was followed by her successful second single "Absolutely Everybody", an anthemic dance song, reached the Top 10 and became the longest charting Australian single by an Australian female artist.^[4] It remained in the ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart for over six months after its release.^[5] "Absolutely Everybody" was released internationally and reached the Top 10 in many European countries including the UK and Germany where it received a gold certification. Amorosi performed at many large events such as the NRL Grand Final, the opening of the Motorcycle Grand Prix at Phillip Island and the new millennium on "New Year's Eve" at Darling Harbour.

Following the success of the first two singles Amorosi released two more singles in 2000 "Shine" and "The Power" became major Australian hits. Both were accredited gold by the ARIA Australian music industry. The rights to create a remixed version of "Shine" were purchased by the airline Ansett Australia, who used this version for a commercial. Vannessa Amorosi was one of many celebrities to appear in the commercial.

Amorosi performing in 2002

Her album The Power reached number one on the Australian album charts. Amorosi received six ARIA nominations^[6] in the year 2000 awards and The Power was nominated^[7] for "Best Female Artist" and "Best Pop Release" in the ARIA Music Awards of 2001. Her largest audience came in September 2000 with performances at the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics and at the Paralympic Games. At the opening ceremony of the aforementioned Olympics she sang the Olympic song titled "Heroes Live Forever". Amorosi won the APRA Award^[8] in 2001 for "Most Played Song" on Australian Radio with "Shine" and received international acclaim in Germany where she won "Best International Newcomer"^[9] at the 2001 VIVA Comet Awards. Later that year she also made a special appearance at the Goodwill Games Opening and Closing ceremonies in Brisbane. In 2001 she performed at the AFL Grand Final.

In August 2002 Amorosi traveled to Manchester where she was one of the stars of the Commonwealth Games Hand-Over Ceremony, performing her hit "Shine" and a new song written especially for the event, "I'll always be a Melbourne girl".

In February 2003, Amorosi performed her blues set^[10] for the first time at the Melbourne International Music and Blues Festival and traveled to Germany to perform her latest European single "True to Yourself" on Top of the Pops and the hugely successful long-running show Wetten, dass..? which screens throughout Europe.^[11]

[edit] Hiatus and Somewhere in the Real World (2003–2009)

On 25 January 2006, it was revealed that Amorosi signed with Manager Ralph Carr, having completed her seven year management with MarJac Productions. She is quoted on the website as saying, "I have been with my previous management for seven years and thought both parties had gone as far as we could together... Moving over to Ralph Carr Management seemed like a natural progression, given the acts he has successfully managed. I am excited and enthused."

On 22 November 2006 it was announced that Amorosi had signed to Universal Music Australia.

Amorosi's involvement with Kids Help Line and the Variety Club led to a number of honours, including a 2003 nomination for Australian of the Year. She still has the farm where endangered animals can find refuge, although she does not get to visit much; her friends run it for her. She supported Kiss on their 2008 tour of Australia.

In 2008 Amorosi released the album Somewhere in the Real World, through Universal Music Australia, on 24 May 2008.^[12][13] The album tracks "Perfect" and "Start It" have both been used in promotions for the Seven Network. "Start It" is Channel 7's AFL song for 2008 and was used again in 2009. Released digitally and in stores on 24 May 2008, Somewhere in the Real World reached gold sales in Australia.

The single "Kiss Your Mama!" was serviced to radio on 3 August and released 8 September 2007.^[14] On a special edition of Australian Idol she sang her hit song "Kiss Your Mama!".^[15] This marked Amorosi's returned to the ARIA charts the First Single in many years to be released, the song peaked at #15.

Amorosi performing in 2008

Amorosi released her second single "Perfect" digitally on 5 April and physically on 26 April 2008.^[16] The single made it to number 1 on the digital iTunes charts on 7 June 2008 and a then equal highest charting singles of her career at #4. "Perfect" reached Platinum sales in Australia and was the most played Australian song on Australian radio for 2008. "Perfect" was nominated for the 2009 APRA awards for 'Most Played Australian Work'.

Following the success of her first two singles a third single was released from the album, the song "The Simple Things (Something Emotional)" was released as the third single on 20 September 2008. The Song received a video and achieved a top 40 peak. In December 2008 a video for the song "My House" was released onto her website, but never released as a single.

On 20 April 2009, a Vanessa fan website revealed details of a collaboration with U.S. band Hoobastank on a single titled "The Letter". The website, VanessaAmorosi.net, also provided the duet to be streamed in full.^[17] Amorosi also appears in the video which was shot in Los Angeles at Lacy Street Studio with director Paul Brown (Alicia Keys, Jack White). The video and single was serviced to Australian media on 4 May. The single was released in Australia on 19 June 2009.^[18]

[edit] Hazardous and international releases (2009–2010)

Vanessa Amorosi's album Hazardous, became her third ARIA Top 10 album debuting at #7, It was also the week's highest album debut by an Australian artist and has been accredited Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The album has produced the singles "This Is Who I Am" (Amorosi's first #1), top 30 hit "Hazardous" and third single "Mr. Mysterious" featuring Seany B. Amorosi released the album to the German market in early June 2010.^[19]

On 28 August 2009 Amorosi's new song "This Is Who I Am" was serviced to Australian radio. On 31 August 2009 Universal Music Australia released a press release for Amorosi's new single with details of new single and album.

"This Is Who I Am" debuted at number 1 on the ARIA Charts for the week beginning 18 October 2009. This is Amorosi's first number 1 single. The single held the top spot for a second week in a row - becoming the first Australian artist to debut at #1 and hold #1 single since Silverchair's "Straight Lines" in 2007. "This Is Who I Am" has achieved 2× platinum sales in Australia making it her most successful single to date in her homeland.

With the success of her album and first single "This Is Who I Am", Amorosi released her second single and title track from the album Hazardous. Amorosi flew to Los Angeles to film the video for "Hazardous" with director Paul Brown (Prince, Alicia Keys), which was serviced Thursday, 17 December 2009. The single peaked at #29 on the ARIA Charts a solid follow-up single to her first number 1.

Amorosi performing at the 2010 Weekender Festival in Melbourne

It was announced that Amorosi would collaborate with Mary J. Blige, so Amorosi flew to Los Angeles on 1 February to film the music video for her duet with Mary J. Blige for the upcoming single "Each Tear". The new version of the track will feature on an international re-release of Blige's latest record Stronger with Each Tear.^[20]

On 4 March 2010 Amorosi announced "Mr. Mysterious" as the third single from the Hazardous album via newsletter.^[21] During March 2010 Vanessa Amorosi supported Rob Thomas on his Australian leg of the Cradlesong Tour, as well as performing headline shows for her fans separately.

"Holiday" was released as the fourth single off Hazardous and charted in the top 50 on the ARIA charts.

In September 2010 Vanessa revealed on her official Twitter account she was back in the studio again with MachoPsycho in London. In October 2010, Amorosi wrote to her mailing list announcing she was writing and recording in Los Angeles for her new studio album,^[22] which is described to "push boundaries" and "may even shock people".^[23]

[edit] V and its delays (2011–present)

Amorosi's first single "Gossip" from her forthcoming album V was released on 1 July 2011 and became the #1 added song on Australian radio in the first week,^[24] but has not to date charted in the ARIA Top 100 Singles. The second single "Amazing" was released 9 September 2011 and peaked at #83 on the ARIA Singles Chart.^[25] The song was featured on Channel 7's AFL Grand Final ad which also resulted in Vanessa Amorosi performing at the ^[26] AFL Grand Final in 2011. 2011 has also seen Vanessa work on such campaigns as Proactiv, Headspace and Kids Helpline. On 3 November 2011 Amorosi announced her album due for release on 11 November would be delayed until further notice. Having been delayed several times from a January to a March 2012 release date, the album's current release date is 27 August 2012.^[27]

Awards and nominations[link]

Discography[link]

Notes[link]

References[link]

• web.archive.org: Vanessa Amorosi - Milestones
• smh.com.au: It's my way - or no way
• smh.com.au: Live and kicking
• watoday.com.au: Something emotional about Amorosi
• TheHarbourAgency.com: vanessa amorosi biography
• The Sydney Morning Herald: Vanessa Amorosi - On song by Guy Blackman, 23 October 2011

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Vanessa Amorosi

• Official website
• Ralph Carr Management, her management agent

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (October 2011)

Vanessa-Mae
Vanessa-Mae at the Royal Festival Hall in London on 21 October 2004
Background information
Birth name	Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn
Born	(1978-10-27) 27 October 1978 (age 33) Singapore
Origin	Cavendish, Suffolk, England
Genres	classical
Occupations	musician
Instruments	Violin
Years active	1990–present
Labels	Sony Classical/SME Records Virgin/EMI Records EMI Classics
Website	www.vanessa-mae.com

Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson (born 27 October 1978), known professionally as Vanessa-Mae (in Chinese: 陳美, Chén Měi), is an internationally known British violinist. Her music style is self-described as "violin techno-acoustic fusion", as several of her albums prominently feature the techno style. A former child prodigy, she became a successful crossover violinist with album sales reaching several millions, having made her the wealthiest young entertainer in the United Kingdom in 2006.

Vanessa-Mae was born in Singapore to Vorapong Vanakorn, an English hotelier of Thai descent, and Pamela Soei Luang Tan, a Chinese lawyer and semi-professional concert pianist. After her parents separated, her mother married Graham Nicholson, a British attorney who adopted Vanessa-Mae, and the family moved to England when Vanessa-Mae was four years old. She grew up in London and holds British citizenship. She began playing piano at the age of three and violin at five.^[1]

At the age of eight she attended the Francis Holland School in central London, and at eleven, after her concert debut in 1988, she enrolled at the Royal College of Music in London.^[1]

Professional life[link]

Performance[link]

Vanessa-Mae became 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. She made her international professional debut at the age of ten in 1988 at the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival in Germany, and the same year made her concerto debut on stage with the Philharmonia Orchestra in London. At the age of thirteen, she was the youngest soloist to record both the Beethoven and Tchaikovsky violin concertos, according to Guinness World Records.^[2]

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. Her first pop-style album, The Violin Player, was released in 1995. She appeared on the 1997 Janet Jackson album The Velvet Rope playing a violin solo on the song "Velvet Rope".

Vanessa-Mae was managed by her mother, who owns a private recording label and music agency, until 1999, when Vanessa-Mae sacked her as her manager.^[3]

In April 2006, Vanessa-Mae was ranked as the wealthiest young entertainer under 30 in the UK in the Sunday Times Rich List 2006.^[4] having an estimated fortune of about £32 million stemming from concerts and record sales of over an estimated 10 million copies worldwide, 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 was said to draw inspiration from great ballets and opera themes. A new album was expected in 2009,^[5] but the year ended without the expected release.

In 2009 Vanessa-Mae took up residence in the Swiss alpine resort Zermatt.^[6] A skier since the age of five, she plans to compete in the 2014 Winter Olympics as a downhill skier, representing Thailand.^[7]

Composition[link]

Vanessa-Mae has occasionally recorded her own compositions. Her 1997 album China Girl: The Classical Album 2 included her Violin Fantasy on Puccini's 'Turandot' and Reunification Overture, marking the reunification of China and Hong Kong.^[8]

Controversies[link]