Lesley Sharp (born 1960 in Liverpool, Lancashire^[1]) is an English stage, film and television actress, particularly well known for her variety of British television roles including Clocking Off, Bob & Rose and afterlife.

Early life[link]

Adopted as the second daughter of mature Scottish parents, Sharp grew up in Formby, Merseyside.^[2] Childhood holidays were spent in Edinburgh, where "every fucking summer it rained".^[2] Sharp started acting because, as a child, she felt "invisible" and didn't "quite fit in."^[2] She has said that her inspiration to act came from watching Dick Emery on television.^[3] Her father worked for the Inland Revenue and was not keen on her taking up acting, preferring her to follow in his footsteps by becoming a civil servant.^[2] Her adoptive mother died of cancer when Sharp was 15.^[3] The adoption was never a secret in the family, but it was only after leaving home that she met her genetic mother — a working class woman unable to keep her because the father was a married man.^[3]

Sharp moved to London at 18 and, after initially failing to get into drama school, worked at the Department of Education and Science at the Victoria & Albert Museum.^[2] Responsible for filling in the warders' overtime sheets, her poor numeracy skills resulted in frequent mistakes before she was eventually asked "very nicely, but firmly" to leave.^[2]

Sharp attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama from 1982.^[4]

Career[link]

Lesley's screen debut was in Alan Clarke's Rita, Sue and Bob Too (1986), playing Bob's wife, Michelle. She appeared in another Clarke-directed project, as Valerie in the filmed version of Jim Cartwright's successful stageplay Road (1987).^{[citation needed]} Further film appearances included supporting roles in The Rachel Papers (1989) and Stephen Poliakoff's Close My Eyes, with Clive Owen and Alan Rickman.Lesley was establishing herself as a talented actress and social realist roles in Mike Leigh's Naked (1993) and the Jimmy McGovern-penned Priest (1994) further raised her profile. By the time she was in Prime Suspect 4: The Lost Child (1995) and The Full Monty (1997) she had become a well-known performer in Britain.^{[citation needed]}

Although Lesley has appeared in a variety of films throughout her career, she is probably best known by television audiences. By the late 1990s, she was being offered lead roles in numerous well-written — mostly northern-set — drama series. Common As Muck (1997) was followed by Playing the Field (1998–2002), a drama about a female football team which ran for five series. Lesley had supporting parts in Great Expectations (1999), as Mrs Joe, and in Nature Boy (2000), as Martha Tyler, before landing the role of Trudy Graham in Paul Abbott's BAFTA-award-winning Clocking Off (2000–03), which lasted four series. Russell T Davies then cast her opposite Alan Davies in Bob & Rose, which resulted in a BAFTA nomination for Sharp.^{[citation needed]} Further film roles in From Hell, starring Johnny Depp, and Cheeky (1993), which was directed by Naked co-star David Thewlis, preceded another television drama written by Russell T. Davies. In The Second Coming (2003) Lesley Sharp was "the woman who killed God" in the form of Stephen Baxter, as played by Christopher Eccleston.

Lesley Sharp again worked with Mike Leigh in Vera Drake (2004) which was followed by one-off television dramas including Planespotting, Born with Two Mothers and Our Hidden Lives, all in 2005.^{[citation needed]} The same year, she played the clairvoyant lead role of Alison Mundy opposite Andrew Lincoln's sceptical Robert Bridge in ITV's supernatural drama series Afterlife. Although the subject matter was seen as quite controversial, it was generally received positively by critics and audiences.^{[citation needed]} Sharp's performance was highly praised and she was nominated for several awards.^{[citation needed]} She commented, in a This Morning television interview, that the guest stars — including Natalia Tena, David Threlfall and Mark Benton — for the second series "were amazing".^{[citation needed]}

After a ten-year break from stagework, October 2005 saw Lesley Sharp return to the theatre as Emma in Sam Shepard's The God of Hell at the Donmar Warehouse.^{[citation needed]} In what she described as "a black comedy about the poison at the heart of America", she was directed by her friend Kathy Burke — someone she had previously competed with for screen roles. Lesley Sharp concentrated on theatrical work for the next few years,^{[citation needed]} until re-appearing on television screens in 2008 in the three-part Lucy Gannon-penned drama The Children. Later in 2008, she worked with Russell T. Davies for a third time when she played Sky Silvestry in the Doctor Who episode "Midnight". Davies later tipped Sharp to become the first woman to play The Doctor.^[5]

Early 2009 saw Sharp playing Petronella Van Daan in the BBC's new version of The Diary of Anne Frank. Next up was a role, playing Paddy Considine's wife, in Channel 4's acclaimed drama series Red Riding. She then joined the cast in the BBC daytime drama series Moving On, for which Jimmy McGovern was the executive producer. Sharp played Sylvie, a woman whose life becomes dominated by fear, in ""Butterfly Effect", the last of five individual stories. Sharp starred in a 2009 revival of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice at the Vaudeville Theatre with Marc Warren and Diana Vickers,^[6] which ran from October to the following January. Since May 2011 Sharp has starred in ITV1's crime drama series Scott & Bailey as Janet Scott. From May 2012 she stars in the Sky1 comedy series Starlings (TV series) as Jan Starling.^[7]

Personal life[link]

Sharp has been married to Bolton-born actor Nicholas Gleaves since 1994.^[3] They have two sons and live in London.^[2]

In an interview relating to Afterlife, Sharp stated that she is "not religious", and thinks "you should live your life as if it's all there is."^[2]

List of credits[link]

Television[link]

Film[link]

Theatre[link]

In October 2005, Sharp starred in her first theatre role for a decade in the play The God of Hell at the Donmar Warehouse, London.^{[citation needed]}

In 2008, she played the lead character in the play Harper Regan at Royal National Theatre.^{[citation needed]}

Awards and nominations[link]

• 1988 Olivier Awards: Best Comedy Performance for A Family Affair - nominated
• 1992 Olivier Awards: Best Supporting Actress for Uncle Vanya - nominated
• 1998 BAFTA Film Awards: Best Supporting Actress for The Full Monty - nominated
• 1998 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding cast in a film for The Full Monty - won
• 2002 BAFTA TV Awards: Best Actress for Bob and Rose - nominated
• 2002 Royal Television Society: Best Female Actor for Bob and Rose - nominated
• 2006 Royal Television Society: Best Female Actor for Afterlife - won

References and notes[link]

External links[link]

• Lesley Sharp at the Internet Movie Database
• Voice agency LipService.co.uk

James Sharp may refer to:

• James Sharp (bishop) (1613–1679), Archbishop of St Andrews
• James Sharp (mayor), mayor of Salt Lake City, Utah
• James A. Sharp, Jr., mayor of Flint, Michigan
• James E. Sharp (born 1940), lawyer
• James Lyall Sharp (born 1960), British diplomat
• James Sharp (footballer) (born 1976), English footballer
• James Sharp (baseball), former minor league baseball player and manager
• Jimmy Sharp (1880–1949), Scottish footballer

See also[link]

• Jim Sharp (disambiguation)
• James Sharpe (disambiguation)

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

Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence^[2] (born April 16, 1965) is an actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and stand up comedian. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably the films Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House. Lawrence has acted in numerous film roles and starred in his own television series, Martin, which ran from 1992 to 1997.

Early life[link]

Lawrence was born in Frankfurt am Main, Hesse in Germany on April 16, 1965, to American parents. He was given his first name after civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. and his middle name after US President John F. Kennedy.^[2] His father, John Lawrence, served in the US Military.^[2] After his parents divorced when he was eight,^[3] Lawrence rarely saw his father, who worked as a police officer at the time.^[4] His mother, Chlora (née Bailey), began working several jobs to support her family.^[5][6] During his teen years, Lawrence excelled at boxing.^[2] He lived in Maryland, and attended Thomas G. Pullen School of Creative and Performing Arts (Landover, Maryland), Fairmont Heights High School (Fairmount Heights, Maryland), Eleanor Roosevelt High School,^[2] and also Friendly High School in Fort Washington, Maryland, becoming a Mid-Atlantic Golden Gloves boxing contender.

Career[link]

Lawrence moved to Denver and found his way to the legendary Kings Wood comedy club.^{[citation needed]} Shortly after appearing at the Wood, he won a performance spot on Star Search, a popular show in the United States.^[2] He did well on the show and made it to the final round before ultimately losing. However, executives at Columbia TriStar Television saw Martin's performance and offered him the role of "Maurice" on the television sitcom What's Happening Now!!; this was his first acting job.^[2] Upon cancellation of that show, Lawrence found bit parts in various films and television roles. His breakthrough role was as Cee in the Spike Lee film Do the Right Thing. Other roles followed in films such as the House Party series and the Eddie Murphy vehicle Boomerang. During this period, entertainment mogul Russell Simmons selected him to host the groundbreaking series Def Comedy Jam on HBO. Def Comedy Jam gave many comedians (including Chris Tucker, Dave Chappelle, Bernie Mac and Cedric the Entertainer) mainstream exposure.

During his stint with Def Comedy Jam, Lawrence appeared in his own hit series, Martin, which aired on Fox TV.^[2] The show ran from 1992 to 1997 and was an enormous success. Martin was the flagship of Fox's Thursday-night line-up, which drew millions of viewers away from NBC's "Must See TV" line-up. He hosted Saturday Night Live on February 19, 1994, where he made crude remarks about women's genitalia and personal hygiene; the monologue was completely edited out of NBC reruns and syndicated versions, and Lawrence was banned from the show for life. Martin's ratings continued to skyrocket so much that Fox became more of a contender against NBC and came closer to being considered among the top television networks.

Lawrence's Martin co-star, Tisha Campbell-Martin, filed a lawsuit against Lawrence and the show's producers for sexual harassment and verbal and physical assaults. HBO Studios settled the lawsuit so the show's final season could be completed. Campbell-Martin agreed to complete the season on the condition that she not appear in any scenes in the last two episodes with Lawrence.^{[7][citation needed]} No criminal charges were ever filed and the accusations were never brought to court.

After Martin ended its run, Lawrence found ample work in comedy films. He often starred as the second lead opposite actors including Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, and Tim Robbins.^[2] Many of his films were blockbusters at the box office, including Boomerang (1992), (also with him again in Life) Bad Boys (1995), Blue Streak (1999), Big Momma's House (2000) and Bad Boys 2 (2003). He also starred in critical and box office failures including Black Knight (2001) and National Security (2002). Regardless, his salary steadily increased to over $10 million per film role. He continues to work in film, with such films as Big Momma's House 2, which opened #1 at the North American box office and grossed almost $28 million its first weekend,^[8] and Wild Hogs (2007), in which he plays a bored suburbanite seeking adventure on the open road in a biker comedy alongside John Travolta, Tim Allen and William H. Macy.

In 2006, Lawrence appeared on Inside the Actors Studio, during which Lawrence briefly brought back to life some of the characters he'd portrayed on Martin.

In 2008, Lawrence starred in Disney's College Road Trip co-starring with Raven Symone. This particular film was his first G-rated film. Even though it was his first film to be G-rated, it is not his first time appearing in a children's film. as well as a voiceover role in Open Season (2006) opposite Ashton Kutcher.

At the 2009 BET Awards he appeared in a spoof movie trailer with Jamie Foxx for a fictional movie The Skank Robbers that featured, their respective television characters Sheneneh Jenkins and Ugly Wanda. in 2010, Fox announced that it was producing a film based on the sketch, featuring Foxx, Lawrence, and actress Halle Berry.^[9]

In 2010, it was announced that Lawrence would reprise his role as FBI agent Malcolm Turner in Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son, the third film in the Big Momma's House series, which was released in 2011.^[10]

Personal life[link]

Relationships and family[link]

Lawrence was engaged to actress Lark Voorhies in 1993. He married Patricia Southall, a former Miss Virginia USA, in 1995. Lawrence and Southall have one child together, daughter Jasmine Page (born January 15, 1996). They divorced in 1997.^{[citation needed]} Throughout the 2000s, Lawrence was in a relationship with Shamicka Gibbs. They married on July 10, 2010 at Lawrence's Beverly Hills home. Actors Eddie Murphy and Denzel Washington were among the 120 wedding guests;^[11] Shanice serenaded the couple by singing the Minnie Riperton classic "Lovin' You".^[12] Lawrence and Gibbs have two daughters: Iyanna Faith (born November 9, 2000) and Amara Trinity (born August 20, 2002).^[13] Lawrence filed for divorce from Gibbs on April 25, 2012, citing irreconcilable differences and asking for joint legal and physical custody of the children.^[14]

In addition to his Beverly Hills compound, Lawrence also owns a farm near Purcellville, Virginia.^[15][16]

Lawrence is the cousin of entertainer Christopher "Play" Martin.

Legal and health problems[link]

In July 1995, while on the set filming A Thin Line Between Love and Hate, Lawrence lashed out in a violent rage and was then hospitalized at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.^[17]

On May 8, 1996, he became increasingly erratic and was arrested after he reportedly brandished a pistol and screamed at tourists on Ventura Boulevard in Los Angeles and was then hospitalized, with his PR stating "exhaustion and dehydration".^[2] On August 19, 1996, he was arrested at Burbank Airport for carrying a loaded gun in his suitcase. In March 1997, Lawrence was arrested again after punching a man in a Hollywood nightclub.^[2]

During August 1999, Lawrence slipped into a three-day coma after collapsing from heat exhaustion while jogging in 100-degree heat while wearing several layers of heavy clothing.^[2] He recovered in the hospital after nearly dying from a body temperature of 107 °F (41.7 °C), his breathing assisted by a respirator.

Television[link]

• What's Happening Now!! (cast member from 1987–1988) – Maurice
• A Little Bit Strange (1989) (unsold pilot)
• Hammer, Slammer, & Slade (1990) (unsold pilot)
• Private Times (1991) (unsold pilot)
• Martin (1992–1997) – Martin Payne
• Def Comedy Jam (host from 1992–1993)
• Love That Girl! (executive producer)

Filmography[link]

Albums[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

• Blockbuster Entertainment Award
  • nominated with Eddie Murphy for Favorite Comedy Team (2000) for the movie Life
  • nominated for Favorite Actor (2001) for the movie Big Momma's House
• NAACP Image Award
  • won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1995) for the series Martin
  • won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1996) for the series Martin
  • nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1997) for the series Martin
• Kids' Choice Award
  • nominated for Favorite Television Actor (1995) for the series Martin
  • nominated for Favorite Television Actor (1996) for the series Martin
  • nominated for Favorite Movie Actor (2001) for the movie Big Momma's House
• MTV Movie Award
  • nominated with Will Smith for Best On-Screen Duo (1996) for the movie Bad Boys
  • nominated for the movie Big Momma's House
  • nominated with Will Smith for Best On-Screen Team (2003) for the movie Bad Boys II
• ShoWest – Male Star of Tomorrow (1995)
• Teen Choice Award – nominated for Wipeout Scene of the Summer (2000) for the movie Big Momma's House
• BET Comedy Award – won Icon Comedy Award (2005)

References[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Martin Lawrence

External links[link]

• Martin Lawrence at the Internet Movie Database
• Interview, 2005, BlackNews
• Interview, 7/03, BlackFilm
• Interview: January 25, 2006 on the Tavis Smiley show
• Martin Lawrence HBO Stand-Up Special Videos

Angela Hartnett, MBE (born 1968 in Kent) is an English Chef. A protégée of Gordon Ramsay who was made famous by her appearances on British television, she was Chef-Patron at The Connaught in London. Currently, she is Chef Patron for Murano restaurant and the York & Albany pub in London.

Biography[link]

Angela Hartnett was born in Kent to Patrick Hartnett, an Irish sailor in the Merchant Navy and Giuliana, a Welsh mother whose parents had migrated from Bardi in Italy to the Welsh town of Ferndale. Her father died when she was eight years old. Her mother Giuliana moved the young family (older brother and younger sister) to Upminster to be closer to both sets of grandparents, where they were brought up by their Italian maternal grandmother whilst Giuliana worked long hours as a dinner lady and nanny. At 18 Hartnett went to Italy for a year to work as an au pair before graduating with a degree in History at Cambridge Polytechnic. She also used to babysit in the area, most notably for Liam Keefe^[1][2]

Career[link]

Starting relatively late in her chosen career path, she learnt on the job at a hotel in Cambridge, then at the Sandy Lane Hotel restaurant in Barbados.^[2][3]

In 1994, she returned to the UK, and undertook a one day trial at Gordon Ramsay's first restaurant "Aubergine." Alongside Marcus Wareing, she worked six days a week alongside Ramsay for longer than the two weeks Wareing predicted – Ramsay called her a bitch occasionally, alongside his favoured name for her: Dizzy Lizzy.^[2] She supported Ramsay at Zafferano and L'Oranger, then joining Wareing as his sous chef at Petrus. After launching Amaryllis in Scotland with David Dempsey in 2001, Hartnett helped with the launch of Gordon Ramsay's Verre in Dubai.^[3]

In 2003, Hartnett won the 'Best Newcomer Award' and the Square Meal Guides’ BMW Best New Restaurant award for the two restaurants at The Connaught Hotel.^[4] In 2004 she netted her first Michelin star. In early 2007, she was awarded an MBE for Services to the Hospitality Industry.^[5] Also in 2007 she opened Cielo, a Ramsay Group restaurant in Boca Raton.^[6] She made her first television appearance in the first series of ITV1's Hell's Kitchen.^[4]

Just before The Connaught Hotel closed in mid-2007, Hartnett published her first book "Cucina: Three Generations of Italian Family Cooking;"; while it was closed she was seen on BBC's Kitchen Criminals and Take On The Takeaway. Gordon Ramsay Holdings Ltd agreed to cease their contract with The Connaught Hotel in September 2007, and in August 2008 Hartnett launched Murano, a fine-dining Italian restaurant in Mayfair.^[1][7] In September 2008, Hartnett opened the York and Albany restaurant at the top of Parkway, Camden Town, close to Regent's Park.^[8]

Personal life[link]

Hartnett is single, and lives in Spitalfields with her sister, in a house owned by Hartnett and her brother.^[9][10] She owns a Jack Russell called Alfie who she rescued from Battersea Dogs Home in 2004.^[11] She spends a holiday every year in Bardi^{[citation needed]}, the town where most of the Welsh-based Italian families can trace their roots.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

External links[link]

• Angela Hartnett at the Internet Movie Database
• Bio at BBC Food
• Bio at UK TV Food
• interview with Angela Hartnett

Diana Vickers (born 30 July 1991) is an English singer-songwriter, stage actress and fashion designer who initially came to public attention as a semi-finalist on the fifth series of British talent show The X Factor in 2008. In January 2009 Vickers signed a record deal with RCA Records and after touring with her fellow finalists from The X Factor until March 2009, began work on her debut album, Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree, until September 2009.

From October 2009 to January 2010 Vickers played the title role in a West End revival of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice for which she won the award for "London Newcomer of the Year" at the Theatregoers' Choice Awards. Vickers' debut single, "Once", charted at number one on the UK Singles Chart after its release on 19 April 2010 and has sold over 204,000 copies in the United Kingdom. Vickers' debut album was released on 3 May 2010 in the United Kingdom achieving number one status on the UK Albums Chart, number seven on the Irish Albums Chart and number four on the European Top 100 Albums, and has been certified Gold by the BPI.^[8] '

Her second single, "The Boy Who Murdered Love", charted at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart. This was followed by her third single, a new song not from the album, "My Wicked Heart", which was released on 17 October 2010 digitally and on 1 November 2010 physically. "My Wicked Heart" peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, making it Vickers' third consecutive Top 40 single.

Vickers' musical career has been commercially successful thus far, with total sales of over 500,000 records in the UK alone for her three singles and debut album. In May 2011 Vickers unveiled her debut fashion line for Very.co.uk titled "Dee V" reinforcing her signature quirky fashion sense.^[9] Vickers' distinctive and unique boho-chic approach to fashion has achieved industry praise from prestigious fashion magazines including Grazia,^[10] Look,^[11] and Harpers Bazaar.^[12] Vickers is also the face of make-up and cosmetic range, Collection 2000.^[13]

On 30 June 2011 Vickers announced via her official Tumblr blog that she had parted company with her label, RCA Records, claiming this was by mutual consent and for purely creative reasons.^[14][15] Following the split with her former record label, Vickers signed a new record deal with Virgin Records in 2012.^[16] As of February 2012, Vickers has released two promotional singles, "Music to Make Boys Cry" and "Kiss Of a Bullet" for free download, and given a clip of another song "Boy In Paris" to fans via Soundcloud. Vickers will tour, have a new single and new album in late 2012.^[17]

Early life[link]

Vickers was born in Blackburn, Lancashire, England and grew up in the village of Huncoat near Accrington.^[18] When Vickers reached the age of 16 she originally planned to study hard for her A Levels and either attend drama school or travel to Thailand to find herself.^[19] She studied for A Levels in Theatre Studies, Classics and Psychology at Westholme School in Blackburn.^[20] Vickers has been singing since the age of 11,^[21] taking singing lessons and participating in local competitions, but had never sung professionally.^[22]

Music career[link]

[edit] 2008–09: The X Factor and record deal

In 2008 Vickers auditioned for the fifth series of The X Factor, singing "The Blower's Daughter" by Damien Rice where Louis Walsh commented that she resembled a "little hippie"^[23] eventually making it to the live shows. Vickers was selected for the live shows and was mentored by Cheryl Cole along with fellow competitors, Alexandra Burke and Laura White.

Vickers' live show performances were often unconventional, attracting both praise and criticism. Judge Simon Cowell likened her to Marmite, saying fans would either love or hate her unusual singing style, stating that he "loved it".^[24]

On her first live show Vickers sang U2's "With or Without You". Vickers then covered Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror", for which she received nothing but praise with Dannii Minogue describing it as "box fresh" and Simon Cowell remarking she was "the one to beat". The following week Vickers performed Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" which again received much praise and the judges were even more impressed with her version of Blondie's "Call Me".

In week 5 of the live show stages Vickers missed the live show without performing following a bout of laryngitis.^[25] She had wanted to perform the Mariah Carey song "Always Be My Baby" up until a few hours before the show, but her doctor advised her not to, saying Vickers could do permanent damage to her vocal cords. This is the first time the producers have ever excused any act from performing.

In week six Vickers returned to the programme performing Coldplay's "Yellow", which received a negative reaction from the judges; Dannii Minogue commented that she did not "love the song choice", while Cowell suggested Vickers was still not well enough to perform. In week seven Vickers performed Take That's "Patience" commenting that she felt one hundred percent once again and hoped to deliver her best performance to date. During the show, guest Gary Barlow offered to sign her if Cowell did not, to which Cowell responded, "We will not be accepting Gary Barlow's kind offer for a recording contract. Leona [Lewis] has done fine with me, thank you Gary."

In the week nine semi finals of the competition, Vickers performed Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend" as her first song and received excellent comments from all the judges, including Cheryl Cole's comment that "she had got that sparkle back". Vickers followed this with Dido's "White Flag" but was subsequently voted out of the competition,^[21] resulting in one of the most emotional eliminations in X-Factor history; towards the end of her final performance, Quigg, Burke & JLS all rushed onto the stage for one last tearful hug.

Vickers was the bookies' favourite to win the competition from the second live show for seven consecutive weeks.^[26] She was eliminated in the semi final (week nine), achieving fourth place overall.^[27] Following the end of the series, she went on tour with the rest of the final eight contestants on The X Factor Live tour between February and March 2009. While on the show, her trademark was to perform in her bare feet. Vickers additionally gained national attention for her hand gestures on stage coining the nickname "The Claw".^[28][29]

After The X Factor it was initially announced that Vickers would be signed by Sony Music under the Syco label along with JLS and Eoghan Quigg but this plan for her to join Syco was later dropped.^[30] Instead, she signed to Sony Music's RCA Records.^[31] She began work on her debut album, Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree, in January 2009,^[32] commenting that it would not be rushed and that it would be "Diana style". She worked with Cathy Dennis, Eg White, Nerina Pallot, Ellie Goulding, Cass Lowe, Guy Sigsworth, Chris Braide, Savan Kotecha, Starsmith, Alexis Strum,^[33] Patrick Wolf and Dev Hynes aka Lightspeed Champion.^[34]

[edit] 2009–10: Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree

Vickers' debut single "Once" was written by Cathy Dennis and Eg White and produced by Mike Spencer. The track was released in the United Kingdom on 19 April 2010,^[35] after it was playlisted on Radio 1 and the music video premiered via Channel 4's Freshly Squeezed music programme.^[36][37] On 22 April 2010 Vickers performed an acoustic version of "Once" and a cover of Snow Patrol's "Just Say Yes" on Radio 1's Live Lounge. On 25 April 2010 "Once" entered the UK Singles Chart at number one selling approximately 70,000 copies in its first week of release.^[38] In March 2010 Vickers' first leg of the Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree Tour took place, during which she showcased material from the album.^[39]

On 15 April 2010 plans for Vickers' second single were confirmed.^[40] "The Boy Who Murdered Love" was written and produced by Chris Braide at his studio in London, with lyric contribution from Vickers.^[41] The video for the second single was shot in the week commencing 26 April 2010 in London.^[42] Vickers embarked on the second leg of her UK Tour in May 2010 promoting her newly released album, Songs From The Tainted Cherry Tree, which on 9 May 2010 charted at number one on the UK Albums Chart selling approximately 36,000 copies in its first week of release. On 25 July 2010 the album returned to the upper reaches of the UK Albums Chart, rising 29 places from number 42 to number 13.^[43]

On 23 May 2010 Vickers performed an acoustic version of "The Boy Who Murdered Love" and Biffy Clyro's "Many of Horror" at Radio 1's Big Weekend. Vickers released her second single, "The Boy Who Murdered Love", on 18 July 2010 and it peaked at number 36 on the UK Singles Chart.^[44] Vickers' performed "Once", "The Boy Who Murdered Love" and debut album tracks "N.U.M.B" and "Notice" for a live session for MTV. On 28 July 2010 iTunes released an exclusive EP of Vickers performing at the 2010 iTunes Festival. It included singles "Once", "The Boy Who Murdered Love", album tracks "Notice", "My Hip", a cover of Snow Patrol's "Just Say Yes", but did not include album track "Put It Back Together" nor "You'll Never Get to Heaven", which she also performed.

Vickers appeared at many festivals throughout Summer 2010, including the 2010 V Festival, The Live Lounge Stage at Radio 1's Big Weekend 2010, Stoke Festival, T4 on the Beach, T in the Park, 2010 Oxygen Festival, iTunes Festival, 2010 Sundae Festival and 2010 Freedom Festival, promoting her debut album.^[45][46][47] Vickers also supported Mika at the Eden Sessions in 2010.

On 31 August 2010 Vickers participated in a live Ustream video chat in which she confirmed that her third single would be a brand new track titled "My Wicked Heart" co-written by Vickers and songwriters Dee Adams and James Earp and also produced by them. The track features Vickers playing the trumpet. The single received its first radio play on 12 September 2010 by Tom Deacon on The 5:19 Show. "My Wicked Heart" was digitally released on 17 October 2010 and physically released on 7 November 2010. The video for "My Wicked Heart" premiered on ITV2 at 6.55 pm on 2 October 2010; it features Vickers in a circus tent with gymnasts and drummer boys.

On 16 October 2010 it was reported that Red Hot Chili Peppers was considering legal action over similarities between the chorus of the band's well known song "Under The Bridge" and "My Wicked Heart". Vickers admitted in an interview that she had been listening to "Under The Bridge" shortly before working on "My Wicked Heart" and had noticed but decided to ignore the similarities.^[48] On 17 October 2010 Vickers returned to The X Factor stage, two years after she was last there, to perform "My Wicked Heart".

In an interview with Digital Spy she announced the possibility of "Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree" getting a solely digital download re-release. She also stated "I've been writing so much and got so many tracks under my belt. I think I'm very close to ready for the second album actually."^[49] Vickers embarked on a UK radio tour to promote "My Wicked Heart", which started on 18 October 2010 and ended on 24 October 2010. On 24 October "My Wicked Heart" charted at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart, number 12 on the Scottish Singles Chart and number 22 on the Irish Singles Chart selling 50,000 copies to date. Vickers' fourth leg of the Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree Tour began on 8 November 2010, touring the UK and for the first time, Ireland where Vickers showcased "More Than This", a previously unheard track, to promote her second album.

2010: Departure with RCA Records[link]

In June 2010 Vickers announced that she had started preparing songs for a second album.^[50] In an interview with Orange Music, Vickers revealed that the new direction would be "sexy", "adventurous" and inspired and influenced by indie and rock music, citing the works of The xx, The Doors, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Bjork.^[2] Vickers has co-written material with Nerina Pallot (who penned "Put It Back Together" for Vickers' debut album), Eg White (who co-wrote "Once"), Starsmith, Chris Braide (who co-wrote The Boy Who Murdered Love with Vickers) and Dee Adam (who co-wrote "My Wicked Heart" with Vickers).^[51] On 6 January 2011 Vickers travelled to Los Angeles, United States, to co-write material with John Shanks and Diane Warren. On 15 January 2011 Vickers played her debut gig in the United States at Cherry Pop in West Hollywood promoted via Perez Hilton.^[52]

[edit] 2011-present: Music to Make the Boys Cry

Main article: Music to Make the Boys Cry

Following her depature with RCA, Vickers signed a new record deal with Virgin Records to distribute her second album. In March 2011 it was announced that Vickers has been collaborating with Starsailor front-man James Walsh indicating a heavier and rockier direction for her second album.^[53] Vickers made a second visit to Los Angeles on 14 March 2011 to do further studio work with John Shanks. On 1 July 2011 it was reported that the mutual separation between Vickers and her management was due to musical direction where Vickers wants to pursue a more indie, less-commercial route.^[15] On 13 July 2011 Popjustice reviewed three tracks from Vickers' second album titled, "Boy In Paris", "Cinderella" and "Music To Make The Boys Cry" commenting that the songwriting standard was extremely high and that, "the tunes – the melodies – are huge". The article presented how the three tracks were a result of studio sessions with Donkeyboy and Miranda Cooper. Popjustice confirmed that the new material would be released in 2012.^[54]

In July 2011 Vickers announced via a Ustream web chat that she would be releasing a downloadable EP before the end of 2011 to showcase a sample of her second era of music. Vickers confirmed that she has recorded over thirty tracks for her new album to be released early 2012. As they cannot all feature on the album, a taster EP was scheduled to be available over the coming months. On 2 December 2011 Vickers confirmed that the EP concept was cancelled but instead the second album would still go ahead.^[55] On 12 August 2011 it was unveiled that Vickers had collaborated with MNEK where the British record producer tweeted that "pop gems" had been made as a result of their studio sessions.^[56]

On 9 December 2011 Vickers released a promotional single "Music to Make Boys Cry" for free download on her website. The song boasts a deeper electronic and indie pop vibe than her previous work. A week later, "Kiss of a Bullet", a second promotional track, was released free of charge by asking fans to publish a Twitter or Facebook post to gain access to the download.^[57] The album will be released in April 2012.^[58] On 8 February and 9 February 2012, Vickers showcased material from her second album in two special intimate gigs at The Ruby Lounge in Manchester and Cargo in Shoreditch, London.^[59]

New songs confirmed by Vickers are: "Music to Make Boys Cry", "Kiss of a Bullet", "Boy In Paris", "More Than This", "Lightning Strikes", "Love Sounds Better In French", "Dead Heat", "Smoke", "Cinderella","My Wicked Heart" and "Mad At Me". However, it is unknown whether Vickers will include "More Than This" on the new album.^[60] According to Popjustice, Vickers' second album is penned for a late 2012 release.^[61] Vickers will be supporting Olly Murs on a variety of tour dates commencing July 2012.

Work with other artists[link]

Vickers co-wrote the Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer Lopez single "Mouth 2 Mouth" for Iglesias's reissue album Euphoria Reloaded.^[62]

Acting career[link]

Vickers made her professional acting debut in the title role of a new revived West End production of Jim Cartwright's The Rise and Fall of Little Voice on 8 October 2009 at the Vaudeville Theatre, on The Strand, London.^[64][65] She played Little Voice, who hides a talent as an impersonator of singers such as Shirley Bassey, Edith Piaf and Judy Garland.^[63][66]

Mark Owen of Take That wrote "Sunlight", the final song in the play for Vickers to sing.^[67][68] "Sunlight" was featured as a B-Side for her debut single, "Once". Vickers took a break from recording her debut album to star in the production.^[69] Vickers' performance received more positive reviews than any other show of that year.

Vickers' performance received a good review in The Guardian in which they said that "[Vickers'] singing is impressive, we were surprised at her vocal abilities."^[70] Her stint was deemed "magical" in The Daily Telegraph.^[71] Quentin Letts of the Daily Mail also gave a positive review of Vickers' performance.^[72] She won the Whatsonstage.com Theatregoers' Choice Award "London Newcomer of the Year" in February 2010 for her performance, with 34.5% of the vote out of 7 other competitors.^[73][74][75]

Artistry[link]

Musical style and influences[link]

Vickers' musical style scopes from simple folk-tinged, keyboard and guitar based ballads^[4] to more up-tempo indie rock and synth-based songs with full band backing.^[76] Her musical style has been compared to Kate Bush,^[77] Ellie Goulding,^[78] Dido,^[79] and Dolores O'Riordan.^[80] Vickers additionally showcases a quirky and idiosyncratic style of singing often described as breathy, raspy and hiccupy.^[81][82][83] Vickers has cited an array of influences including Florence + The Machine, Kate Bush, Regina Spektor, Mariah Carey, Kings of Leon, Frou Frou, Sinéad O'Connor and The Sundays.^[19] Vickers commented on her musical style and career saying:

Right from the start they [RCA Records] were interested in the fact that I wrote lyrics, I could play more than one instrument and that I wanted to make a record that could have only been made by me. It was important with me to be completely open with co-writers.^[84]

Discussing the musical style of her forthcoming second album, Vickers declared that she had been inspired by indie and rock music to experiment with different sounds. Vickers has stated that the music of The xx, The Doors, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Björk has influenced her latest work.^[2]

Public image[link]

Apart from Vickers' musical style, she is well known for her unique and kooky boho-chic and hippie-influenced appearance.^[85][86] Vickers' trademark style includes messy, back-combed "bird's nest" hair^[87], bare feet and vintage inspired clothing where she is often seen wearing outfits from London's Brick Lane, Camden and Beyond Retro. Vickers' fashion icons are Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn Monroe.^[88] Vickers has encouraged dedicated fashion blogs documenting her latest attire and has been labelled a fashionista in the making by Grazia.^[89] On 29 October 2009 Vickers was awarded "Fashionista of the Week" in The Guardian^[90] and on 3 June 2010, Vickers was nominated for "Best Dressed Woman of The Year" at The Clothes Show Style Awards 2010.^[91]

[edit] Dee V for Very fashion line

On 20 May 2011 Vickers launched an eight-piece clothing collection for Very.co.uk titled "Dee V". The debut collection ranged from £20 to £99 for items including sequin dresses adorned with blossom, bird and dog prints, cotton tees and wide leg jeans.^[92] On 24 August 2011 Vickers announced that she would be launching a competition to celebrate her weekly "Vickers Wicked Wednesday" event. The winner would receive the mini sequin dress from her collection, worth £99. On 26 August she announced the winner via her Tumblr blog.^[93] After a best-selling debut range, Vickers launched a second collection for Very.co.uk on 13 July 2011. The second collection is inspired by the fashionable television series Mad Men and emphasises Vickers' uniquely iconic style.^[94] On 1 September 2011 Vickers tweeted that a further collection was designed for her "Dee V" for Very range exclusively for the Christmas period which went on sale from September 2011. A faux-fur knitted dress and a leather biker jacket were among Vickers' Christmas statement pieces.^[95]

Make-up line[link]

In September 2011 Vickers posted on her Tumblr blog that she would be the face of Collection 2000's autumn and winter capsule make-up line. Vickers helped select products for the range, which includes mascaras, smoky eyeshadows, false lashes and bright lipsticks. It goes on sale in Boots and Superdrug stores in the United Kingdom from 28 September 2011. As part of the campaign, Vickers ran a competition on her blog to win a bag full of Collection 2000 products.^[13]

Personal life[link]

Vickers has been dating One Night Only frontman, George Craig.^[96] In July 2011 Vickers gave an interview in which she revealed how they got together: "We chatted at a party, then he tried to woo me. He was very persistent for about three months, sending me lovely texts. Then we were at another party, he picked up a guitar, we got talking and that was it." ^[97]

Philanthropy[link]

In March 2010 Vickers supported JLS for a charity performance in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust at the Royal Albert Hall in London to raise money for teenagers who are suffering from cancer.^[98] In July 2010 Vickers performed at a charity event "Give Tilly a Hand", helping to raise funds in a charity evening for meningitis victim Tilly Lockley.^[99] For anti-bullying week 2010 in the UK, Vickers uploaded a video to her official website encouraging young people to stand up to bullies.^[100] In August 2010 Vickers wrote a column in The Sun newspaper opposing the use of drugs and legal highs after witnessing disturbing effects of people "out of control" at the UK summer festival circuit warning that, "just because a drug is legal, you cannot assume it is safe."^[101] In an interview with Now Magazine Vickers announced that since rising to fame she has been offered drugs but will always say no to them concluding, "I've never tried them [drugs] and I'm very proud of that."^[102] On 28 September 2010 Vickers played an intimate gig as part of the month long "Oxjam Festival" which raised money in support of charity Oxfam.^[103]

On 10 March 2011 Vickers launched an eBay competition accredited on behalf of Comic Relief which encouraged people to place bids where the highest bidder at the end of the charity auction wins Vickers as a Twitter "best friend". The winning bidder gets followed and regularly mentioned on the social networking website by Vickers over a 90-day period where proceeds from the winning bid raises money for Red Nose Day to help vulnerable, poor and disadvantaged people in the UK and Africa.^[104]

Discography[link]

• Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree (2010)
• Music to Make the Boys Cry (2012)

Tours[link]

• The X Factor Live Tour (2009)
• Songs from the Tainted Cherry Tree Tour (2010)
• Support act for JLS' Summer Tour (2010)
• Support act for Olly Murs' Summer Tour (2012)

See also[link]

• List of The X Factor finalists (UK series 5)

References[link]