Look up calling in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Calling may refer to:

• Religious calling, a religious vocation
• Effectual calling, a theological term
• Vocation
• Calling (EP), a 2007 EP by Japanese band Unsraw
• Calling (Kobukuro album), a 2009 album by Kobukuro
• "Calling" (song), a 2001 single by Geri Halliwell
• "Calling" (B'z song), the single by B'z
• Calling (video game), a 2009 horror video game for the Wii
• Game call, a device that is used to mimic animal noises to attract or drive animals to a hunter

See also[link]

• Call (disambiguation)
• The Calling (disambiguation)

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.

Ryan Tedder
Tedder in Austria, 2010
Background information
Birth name	Ryan Benjamin Tedder
Also known as	Alias Ryan "Alias" Tedder
Born	(1979-06-26) June 26, 1979 (age 33) Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States
Genres	Pop rock, R&B, alternative rock, teen pop, cello rock
Occupations	Singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, piano, organ, bass, drums, synthesizers, clarinet, glockenspiel, vibraphone
Years active	1999 – present
Labels	Columbia Records Interscope Records (2007–present)
Associated acts	OneRepublic, Far East Movement, Adele, Gym Class Heroes
Website	myspace.com/aliastheproducer

Ryan Benjamin Tedder (born June 26, 1979) is a Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter and record producer.^[1][2] He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Adele, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, B.o.B., Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Adam Lambert, Jordin Sparks, Leona Lewis, Gavin DeGraw, Demi Lovato, Sebastian Ingrosso, Maroon 5, and Paul Oakenfold.^[3]

Early life and education[link]

Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Tedder was raised by an extended family of missionaries and pastors and grew up in the church.^[4][5] He began learning to play the piano at the age of three via the Suzuki method.^[4] His early interest in music was prompted by his musician father and school-teacher mother, who coaxed their young son into practicing piano in exchange for candy corn.^[4] Tedder started singing at the age of seven.^[2] A self-taught vocalist, Tedder began honing this skill at the age of twelve by imitating his favorite artists, who ranged from The Beatles to acts as diverse as Peter Gabriel, Stevie Wonder and Sting. He has commented, "I sang for two hours a day every day of my life until I was eighteen."^[4] He continued to perform musically during his adolescence through church, school, and personally formed groups.^[2]

In his senior year, he moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado.^[6] There he met and became friends with future OneRepublic band-mate Zach Filkins on their soccer team at the Colorado Springs Christian School. He attended Oral Roberts University in Oklahoma and began to showcase his own material there. Tedder completed his college education and graduated from ORU in 2001 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Relations and Advertising.^[7]

Career[link]

Early musical career[link]

For years Tedder worked as a waiter, and also as a shop assistant at Pottery Barn, before securing an internship at DreamWorks SKG in Nashville, singing on demos to break into the music scene. He produced demos for songwriters and labels, charging $300 to $400 a track.^[4] Tedder claims that DreamWorks offered him his first publishing deal shortly after his arrival; however, he was intent on pursuing a career as an artist and his first venture in that arena came via a different route all together.

At the age of twenty-one, Tedder competed in a singer-songwriter competition and was selected by 'N Sync singer Lance Bass as one of five finalists to perform on a one-hour special on MTV, performing original material in front of millions of viewers.^[8] The prize for the winner was a music contract with Bass's now-defunct management company, Free Lance Entertainment.^[8] The contestants performed live and were then rated by judges and the audience; the highest scoring artist winning the contract. Tedder's performance of one of his songs, "The Look", received the most votes from the judges and fans, and he won the competition; however, a contract with a recording label was not finalized and no album was released.^[8] Tedder later revealed the record and publishing deal he was offered "wasn't real. It was just a bunch of hype that didn't turn into anything."^[9]

Producing and writing[link]

One year after winning the MTV competition, Tedder caught the attention of the hip hop producer Timbaland.^[10] Tedder commented that he was with Timbaland from 2002-2004 to develop as an artist while producing for other artists at the time.^[9] Tedder's work crossed many musical genres (ranging from hip hop, R&B, rock, pop to dance/techno) and he has had many chart successes both in America and the United Kingdom with a number of artists. In June 2007, Tedder signed a worldwide publishing administration deal with Kobalt Music Publishing. The deal included Tedder's new works and all songs not performed by OneRepublic.

Tedder performing on stage, 2009

Tedder is the writer of the worldwide smash hit, "Apologize", performed by his band OneRepublic, which as of 2008 is the best-selling and charting single of the decade.^[11] The song broke the US Top 40 Radio Airplay Record with 10,331 spins in one week. It was the number-one most played song for five months until May 7, 2008 when Leona Lewis's "Bleeding Love" (a song that Tedder co-wrote and produced), broke the record previously set by "Apologize", with 10,665 spins in one week.^[12] "Bleeding Love" was the best-selling single of 2007 in the United Kingdom, topping the UK charts for seven weeks and was the fastest selling CD of 2007 receiving the most radio airplay worldwide prior to its US debut. The song also earned a Best British Single award nomination at the Brit Awards in February 2008 and reached number one in over 35 countries. Tedder and co-writer Jesse McCartney received an ASCAP award for writing the song. Tedder is also credited for writing the treatment for the second music video that was filmed for the US release of "Bleeding Love". It also earned a Record Of The Year nomination at the February 2009 Grammy awards.^[13]

Tedder has written and produced singles with artists such as Jennifer Lopez, Adele, Carrie Underwood, Leona Lewis, Jennifer Hudson, Alexandra Burke, Backstreet Boys, Beyoncé, Monrose, David Cook, Jordin Sparks, AJ McLean, Chris Cornell, Ashley Tisdale, Ludacris, Gavin Degraw, James Blunt, James Morrison, Paula DeAnda, Hilary Duff, Timbaland, Bubba Sparxxx, Dima Bilan, Shayne Ward, Lemar, Esmee Denters, Clay Aiken, t.A.T.u., Menudo, Ashanti, Natasha Bedingfield, Whitney Houston, Westlife, Charice, Varsity Fanclub, Sugababes, Daughtry, Mario, DJ Tiesto and a number of songs with various rock acts in the US and abroad.^[14] He worked with Jennifer Lopez on her 2007 single Do It Well from her album Brave, then worked with Kelly Clarkson on her 2009 album All I Ever Wanted, penning the songs "If I Can't Have You", "Impossible", "Save You", "Tip Of My Tongue" and "Already Gone", which features vocals from Ryan. He also worked with Beyoncé on her album I Am… Sasha Fierce, penning the song "Halo." The similarity between the songs "Already Gone" and "Halo" prompted Clarkson to publicly state that she did not know about "Halo" and that both songs were co-written by Tedder.^[15] Tedder's work with Beyoncé also earned him two Grammy nominations with Record Of The Year for "Halo" and Album Of The Year for I Am...Sasha Fierce at the January 2010 Grammy Awards. Tedder worked extensively on Leona Lewis's second album Echo, writing and producing many songs with her, three of which have made the album, including the first single "Happy", "You Don't Care" which features vocals from Ryan and "Lost Then Found", which features OneRepublic. Tedder co-wrote and produced Jordin Sparks' lead single "Battlefield" from her second album of the same name. Tedder worked on American Idol Season 8 runner up, Adam Lambert's debut album For Your Entertainment.

In late 2009, Tedder launched his own record company, Patriot Records. Recently signed buzz artist My Name Is Kay, will release her debut EP through Interscope in 2012. Nikki Flores' single "City Lights" was released in the fall of 2010 on Universal/Republic Records. Tedder also formed his own publishing company, Patriot Games Publishing, in 2009 in alliance with Kobalt Music Publishing Worldwide. To date he has a stable of top notch writers and producers such as Inflo, cellist/bassist Noel Zancanella, and Brent Kutzle of OneRepublic). The Patriot team of writers and producers with Tedder are credited with "I Was Here" by Beyoncé, "Good Life" by OneRepublic, "I Just Had Sex" by The Lonely Island featuring Akon, "Lost Then Found" by Leona Lewis and OneRepublic, "Just a Guy" by BC Jean, "Count on You" by Big Time Rush featuring Jordin Sparks, and "And Then We Dance," the #1 hit single from Australia's Got Talent winners Justice Crew.

More recently, Ryan is credited with writing and producing hits from some of 2011's most anticipated albums, including Adele's "21," Beyoncé's "4," Colbie Caillat's "All Of You," Gavin Degraw's "Sweeter," among others.

Tedder worked on Demi Lovato's third album Unbroken, released on September 20, 2011. About working with her, Tedder commented, "Demi blew me out of the water vocally! I had no idea how good her voice is. She's one of the best singers I've ever worked with. Literally, that good... I mean, she's a Kelly Clarkson-level vocalist. And Kelly has a set of pipes". In 2011, he composed a new song for Vanness Wu, "Is this All" in Taiwan. He co-wrote David Cook's "The Last Goodbye" from his second album.^[16] He produced a song for K'naan titled "Better".^[17] He co-wrote "Good in Goodbye" for Carrie Underwood's third album Blown Away, released on May 1, 2012. He produced tracks for Maroon 5's new album Overexposed, set to release in June 2012 and has also been working on tracks for Jennifer Lopez's new untitled 2012 album, one of the songs being "Clothes Off".^[18] Tedder co-wrote and co-produced the song "Sattelite" for British band The Wanted which appears on their US album released on April 24, 2012.^[19] He also worked on B.o.B's Strange Clouds, released in May 2012; he produced and co-wrote single "So Good" and is featured on "Never Let You Go".

Tedder was featured in Far East Movement's 2010 hit single "Rocketeer," as well as the current Gym Class Heroes single,"The Fighter". He has also recorded vocal tracks for Sebastian Ingrosso and Alesso's dance music track he also co-wrote, titled "Calling."^[20]

Tedder is currently working with Ellie Goulding, Trey Songz, Jason Derulo, Cody Simpson, Lady Antebellum, Marina and the Diamonds, Dan Black, and Lights on their forthcoming studio albums.^{[citation needed]}

Tedder was also a judge for the 10th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.^[21]

OneRepublic[link]

As well as producing, Tedder also sings lead vocals and plays guitar and piano for the band, OneRepublic. The five member band consisting of Tedder, Filkins, Eddie Fisher, Drew Brown, and Brent Kutzle was formed in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2002 by Tedder and his high school classmate Zach Filkins.^[22] Tedder has since revealed that the band was formed at a "crossroads" in his life: "I was offered two publishing deals within two months of being in Nashville…I could have just written songs and lived a carefree life, but I knew that I had to be an artist. I wanted to form a rock band and create my own sound."^[4] Based in Los Angeles, OneRepublic started out as an unsigned act on the social networking website, MySpace. Since June 2004, they have accumulated over fifty million plays for their music on the site. As of 2009, they are the number-one band on MySpace and have been in the MySpace Music's Top Artists since the summer of 2006.^[23]

The band gained further exposure when their 2007 single, "Apologize", was re-mixed and re-released on Timbaland's compilation album, Timbaland Presents Shock Value. The remix became an international chart hit in the fall of 2007. The song broke records after gaining 10,331 spins in one week. According to SoundScan, "Apologize" is the most legally downloaded song in US digital history with sales of over 4.3 million digital downloads in the US alone.^[24] It is also the second best-selling song of the decade.^[25] OneRepublic's debut album, Dreaming Out Loud, includes both the song's original version and version with Timbaland, and was released on November 20, 2007 on Timbaland's Mosley Music Group imprint via Interscope Records.^[26] The band had previously been signed to Columbia Records, and their album was due to be released in 2006, but this did not occur. Tedder explained, "Crap happened. People got fired. Labels merged and politics abounded".^[27] Subsequently, the band was released from their deal with Columbia, and they were signed by Timbaland in the summer of 2006 becoming the first rock band to be signed to Mosley Music Group.^[27] Tedder has commented on the success of his band's hit single, "Apologize": "The toughest thing to do is write a hit song, but we had a hit song before we had an album… What has happened has been really strange and really great."^[26]

Tedder is a multi-instrumentalist. During OneRepublic's performances, he often switches from singing lead vocals to playing guitar, bass guitar, glockenspiel, tambourine or piano. On rare occasions, he plays drums alongside the band's main percussionist, Eddie Fisher.

The band finished recording their second album, titled "Waking Up" on August 25, 2009, and released their lead single, "All the Right Moves" to radio and iTunes everywhere except Germany and Austria, where "Secrets" was released instead. The album was released on November 17, 2009 in the United States. To date, the second US single, "Secrets" has reached over 2M digital downloads, and third single "Good Life" continues to climb the charts, breaking into the Top 10 on iTunes and radio everywhere.

In January 2012, the band was working on their upcoming album.^[28] Upon an interview from the 2012 Grammys, Ryan announced that they were half way through working on it.

Personal life[link]

Ryan Tedder is married. He openly acknowledged and thanked his wife, Genevieve, in the liner notes of OneRepublic's debut album Dreaming Out Loud. Ryan and Genevieve have a son, Copeland Cruz Tedder, born on August 2, 2010 in Denver, Colorado.^[29] Tedder's cousins, Adam, Ashley and Austin Clark comprise the band Sons of Sylvia and were formerly in The Clark Family Experience. He co-wrote their song "Love Left to Lose".^[30] Despite being a Christian, he does not want to be labeled as a "Christian artist".^[5] He has on one arm a tattoo written in old Japanese which he got while he was in Osaka, meaning "God's will" and literally means "God gives and God takes".^[31][32]

Tedder became involved with Southern Hospitality, a restaurant co-created in 2007 by Justin Timberlake at Second Avenue in Manhattan,^[33] when it opened a second location in Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan.^[34] On August 22, 2011, it was announced that Tedder had become the first franchisee of the Southern Hospitality BBQ brand and that there were plans to bring the concept in ten cities across the United States including Denver, Nashville, Dallas, Austin, Houston, New Orleans, Atlanta, Phoenix, Palo Alto and Washington, D.C..^[35] They will open a restaurant in the St. Elmo Hotel in October 2012.^[33]

Writing and production credits[link]

References[link]

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. (January 2012)

Sebastian Ingrosso
Sebastian Ingrosso at Germany 2010
Background information
Birth name	Sebastian Carmine Ingrosso
Born	(1983-04-20) 20 April 1983 (age 29) Stockholm, Sweden
Origin	Sweden
Genres	House
Occupations	DJ, Electronic musician, Remixer, Producer Instruments music sequencer, personal computer, synthesizers
Years active	1999-present
Labels	Refune, Size Matters, Ministry of Sound Australia
Associated acts	Swedish House Mafia, Axwell, Steve Angello, Laidback Luke, Alesso, Style of Eye, Kylie Minogue

Sebastian Ingrosso (born Sebastian Carmine Ingrosso on 20 April 1983) is a Swedish DJ and producer of Italian descent. Born in Nacka Sjukhus Stockholm, Sweden. Sebastian spent his teenage years in his father's studio learning how to make music, with his first official remix released on Mega Records in 1999. He was ranked #26 in 2011 on DJ Mag's Top 100 DJ list,^[1] and won the award for the highest new entry into the chart in 2009, a record beaten only by Deadmau5 into the 2008 Top 100 DJ list at #10.

Refune Record label

Sebastian Ingrosso is head of A&R for his own record label, Refune, which has pioneered many artists in recent years including AN21, Max Vangeli, Style of Eye and Alesso.

In Swedish House Mafia

Sebastian is also one third of DJ super-group the Swedish House Mafia, along with friends Axwell and Steve Angello.

Discography[link]

DJ mix albums[link]

• Mixmag presents Ibiza Closing (October issue, 2010)
• Sensation White – Celebrate Life Official compilation (CD1) (2010)
• Golden Wave (with Steve Angello) (2009)
• Mixmag compilation (August issue, 2008)
• Ministry of Sound presents Sessions 14 (2007)
• Mixmag presents Ibiza 4AM (with Steve Angello) (2005)
• Subliminal Sessions 8 (with Steve Angello) (2005)

Singles[link]

Charting singles[link]

Other releases[link]

As Swedish House Mafia

(Selective listing. For full list and chart positions, see Swedish House Mafia Discography section)

• 2010: "One" Swedish House Mafia)
• 2010: "One (Your Name)" Swedish House Mafia feat. Pharrell Williams)
• 2010: "Miami 2 Ibiza" Swedish House Mafia
• 2010: "Miami 2 Ibiza" (Swedish House Mafia) vs. Tinie Tempah
• 2011: "Save The World" Swedish House Mafia feat. John Martin (2011)
• 2011: "Antidote" Swedish House Mafia vs. Knife Party (2011)
• 2012: "Greyhound" Swedish House Mafia

Under various names

• 2001: "Freshly Squesed EP" (as Outfunk)
• 2002: "Echo Vibes" (as Outfunk)
• 2003: "Sin EP1" and "Sin EP2" (as The Sinners)
• 2003: "Lost in Music" (as Outfunk)
• 2004: "Swing Me Daddy" (as Mode Hookers)
• 2004: "Cross the Sky" (as General Moders)
• 2005: "Stockholm 2 Paris" (as First Optional Deal)
• 2005: "Breathe/Instrumental" (as Mode Hookers)
• 2006: "I Can't Get Enough" (as Fireflies, feat. Alexandra Prince)
• 2005: "For Sale" (as Buy Now with Steve Angello)
• 2008: "Body Crash" (as Buy Now! with Steve Angello)

Collaborations

• 2000: "Dreams of Beirut" (with Luciano Ingrosso)
• 2000: "Aero" (with Unless)
• 2002: "Moonflower" (with Luciano Ingrosso)
• 2004: "Yo Yo Kidz" (with Steve Angello)
• 2004: "Stockholm Disco" (EP) (with John Dahlback)
• 2005: "Yeah" (with Steve Angello)
• 2005: "83-83" (with Steve Angello)
• 2005: "Together" (with Axwell)
• 2006: "Click" (with Steve Angello)
• 2007: "Lick My Deck" (with John Dahlback)
• 2007: "Get Dumb" (with Axwell, Steve Angello & Laidback Luke)
• 2007: "Umbrella" (with Steve Angello)
• 2008: "IT" (with Steve Angello & Laidback Luke)
• 2008: "Partouze" (with Steve Angello)
• 2008: "555" (with Steve Angello) (2008)
• 2009: "Meich" (with Dirty South)
• 2012: "Eclipse (Why Am I Doing This)" (with Alesso & Steve Angello)
• 2012: "Calling" (feat.Ryan Tedder with Alesso)

Solo

• 2000: "Par Telephone"
• 2004: "Mode Machine" (EP)
• 2004: "Hook Da Mode" (EP)
• 2005: "Body Beat"
• 2005: "Walk Talk Acid"
• 2005: "Mode Machine"
• 2006: "Infatuation of a Dancing Belmun"
• 2006: "Stockholm Disco" (EP)
• 2008: "Chaa Chaa"
• 2008: "Fired UP"/"Click"
• 2009: "Kidsos"
• 2009: "Laktos"

Productions[link]

• 2008: Lazee - "Can't Change Me"
• 2008: Lazee - "Rock Away"
• 2009: Kid Sister - "Right Hand Hi"
• 2010: Kylie Minogue - "Cupid Boy"

Remixes[link]

2002

• Sheridan - Wants Vs. Needs
• Robyn - Keep This Fire Burnin

2003

• Arcade Mode - Your Love (Angello & Ingrosso Remix)

2004

• Dukes Of Sluca - Don't Stop: Remixes
• Steve Angello - Acid / Euro
• Eric Prydz - Call On Me (Angello & Ingrosso Remix)
• StoneBridge - Put 'Em High (Steve Angello & Sebastian Ingrosso Remix)

2005

• In-N-Out - EQ-Lizer (Angello & Ingrosso Remix)
• Steve Lawler - That Sound (Angello & Ingrosso Remix)
• Robbie Rivera & StoneBridge - One Eye Shut (Steve Angello & Sebastian Ingrosso Remix)
• Naughty Queen - Famous & Rich (Angello & Ingrosso Remix)
• Sahara - Everytime I Feel It (Steve Angello Remix)
• Full Blown - Some Kinda Freak
• Modern, The - Industry
• Joachim Garraud - Rock The Choice (Sebastian Ingrosso Remix)
• Moby - Dream About Me
• Tony Senghore - Peace (Sebastian Ingrosso Remix)
• Ernesto Vs Bastian - Dark Side Of The Moon (with Axwell)
• Deep Dish - Say Hello (Angello & Ingrosso Remix)
• Röyksopp - 49 Percent (Angello & Ingrosso Remix)
• Alex Neri - Housetrack
• DJ Flex And Sandy W - Love For You (Angello & Ingrosso Remix)

2006

• Ultra DJ's - Me & U (Steve Angello & Sebastian Ingrosso Edit)
• Justin Timberlake - My Love (Angello & Ingrosso Remix)
• Eric Prydz vs. Floyd - Proper Education
• Julien Jabre - Swimming Places (Sebastian Ingrosso Re-Edit)

2007

• Robbie Rivera - One Eye Shut (Angello & Ingrosso Remix)
• Hard-Fi - Suburban Knights (Angello & Ingrosso Remix)

2008

• Felix Da Housecat ft P Diddy - Jack U (Angello & Ingrosso Remix)

2010

• Mohombi - Bumpy Ride
• Miike Snow - Silvia (Sebastian Ingrosso & Dirty South Remix)

2011

• Benny Benassi feat. Chris Brown - Beautiful People (Sebastian Ingrosso Edit)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Sebastian Ingrosso discography at Discogs
• Sebastian Ingrosso on Myspace
• Sebastian Ingrosso on Twitter

Geri Halliwell
Halliwell in 2008 in Europe promoting her then-new book
Background information
Birth name	Geraldine Estelle Halliwell
Also known as	Ginger Spice, Ginger
Born	(1972-08-06) 6 August 1972 (age 39) Watford, Hertfordshire, England
Origin	London, England, UK
Genres	Pop, dance pop, pop rock
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, author, actress, Clothes Designer
Years active	1994–present
Labels	Virgin (1996–98) Spice Girls EMI (1998–2003) Capitol (US) Innocent (2004–05) 19 (2010–present)
Associated acts	Spice Girls
Website	gerihalliwellofficial.com

Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell (born 6 August 1972) is a British pop singer-songwriter, clothes designer, author and actress. Halliwell came to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of girl group the Spice Girls. She reportedly amassed a $30 million fortune during her last two years in the group.^[1] Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998, releasing her album Schizophonic. She has since released two more studio albums – Scream If You Wanna Go Faster and Passion – as well as four singles that reached number one on the UK Singles Chart: "Mi Chico Latino", "Lift Me Up", "Bag It Up" and "It's Raining Men". In 2008 Halliwell published a book series named Ugenia Lavender.^[2] As a solo artist, Halliwell has sold 12 million records worldwide, and been nominated for four Brit Awards (in 2000 and 2002). In 1999 she wrote her first autobiography If Only, in which she described her life as a Spice Girl.^[3] Her second autobiography was released in 2002. She is expected to release her fourth studio album "Putting On The Bling" in 2012.

Early life[link]

Halliwell was born at Watford General Hospital to Laurence Francis Halliwell (1922–1993),^[4] who was of English and Swedish descent, and his wife Ana María (née Hidalgo), who is a Spaniard from Huesca; Halliwell speaks Spanish.^[5] Halliwell grew up on a council estate in North Watford.^[6] Halliwell took her A-Levels at Camden School for Girls, obtaining an A-level in English at A grade standard, having taken her GCSEs at Watford Girls Grammar School. She then attended college studying English Literature and Finance. Before starting her music career, Halliwell had worked as a nightclub dancer in Majorca,^[6] a presenter on the Turkish version of Let's Make a Deal^[6] and as a glamour model.^[6] Following her rise to fame with the Spice Girls, nude photos of Halliwell were re-published in a number of magazines in 1992 and 1995 including Playboy and Penthouse.^[7][8]

Career[link]

1994–98: Spice Girls[link]

Halliwell first found fame as one of the five members of the girl group the Spice Girls after Suzanne Tinker could't come to the last audition and was replaced at last moment with Geri, and was dubbed "Ginger Spice" by Top of the Pops magazine in 1996.^{[citation needed]} Geri became renowned for wearing outrageous stage costumes and often garnered extensive publicity.^{[citation needed]} The group sold over 65 million records and are the best selling girl group of all time.^{[citation needed]} Their debut single "Wannabe" became the first of nine number-ones in the United Kingdom and reached the top position in 41 countries around the globe, including Australia, Canada and the United States. Other successful releases followed, including "Say You'll Be There" and "2 Become 1" from Spice, and "Spice Up Your Life", "Too Much" and "Stop" from Spiceworld.^[9]

On 30 May 1998, Halliwell left the Spice Girls due to depression and differences between the group.^[10] The first official confirmation was an announcement to the media by her solicitor on 31 May.^{[citation needed]} Her action aroused controversy, her former group being due to embark on a North American tour, which they eventually completed without her.^[11] Although she had already left the group, the Spice Girls released "Viva Forever", the final music video to feature Halliwell's likeness. After she left, the other girls co-wrote a few songs about her, which appeared on their album Forever: "Goodbye" and "Let Love Lead the Way".^[12]

[edit] 1999–2000: Schizophonic

Halliwell appeared in a 90 minute documentary Geri for the British television channel Channel 4 by Molly Dineen.^[13] In 1999, Halliwell launched her solo career and released her debut album Schizophonic, with the lead single "Look at Me", produced by Absolute and Phil Bucknall. "Look at Me" would go on to sell over one million copies worldwide,^{[citation needed]} followed by further number ones at the UK Singles Chart "Mi Chico Latino", "Lift Me Up" and "Bag It Up". Halliwell performed "Bag It Up" during the BRIT Awards ceremony in 2000, emerging between giant inflatable legs, ripping off her shirt and walking in stiletto heels over the backs of topless pink-haired men whilst performing the song.^{[citation needed]}

"Look at Me" was released to radio in the United States in late 1999, receiving limited airplay. With only a radio single, Schizophonic debuted at number forty-two on the Billboard 200 before dropping out within the next month. The album was eventually certified Gold, distributing over 500,000 copies.^[14] "Mi Chico Latino" did not have a big impact on American radio, and no further singles from Schizophonic or albums were released in the United States.^{[citation needed]} In 1999, she wrote an autobiography If Only, in which described her life as a Spice Girl.^[3]

[edit] 2001–04: Scream If You Wanna Go Faster

In 2001, Halliwell followed up with her second album, Scream If You Wanna Go Faster. It also included her cover version of The Weather Girls' 1983 hit, "It's Raining Men", used on the Bridget Jones's Diary film soundtrack, and the video game, DDRMAX2 Dance Dance Revolution 7thMix. The song also won her the International Song of the Year award at the 2002 NRJ Music Awards.^{[citation needed]} The song has been added to the album at the last minute, and another song "Feels Like Sex" had already been slated as the lead single.^{[citation needed]} The singles that followed, "Scream If You Wanna Go Faster" and "Calling", reached, respectively, number eight and number seven in the United Kingdom.^{[citation needed]} Halliwell released a special French edition of the single, entitled "Au Nom de L'amour".^{[citation needed]} Scream If You Wanna Go Faster was not released in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

In 2002, Halliwell was featured alongside Pete Waterman and Louis Walsh as a judge on the television series Popstars: The rivals which created Girls Aloud.^[3] The following year, she released her second autobiography, Just for the Record, detailing her rise to fame and her turbulent celebrity lifestyle.^[3] She has also released two Yoga DVDs with her yoga teacher Katy Appleton, Geri Yoga and Geri Body Yoga.^[15] In the United States, Halliwell appeared as a judge on the reality programme All American Girl and as a guest reporter on celebrity-based series Extra. She has also made appearances in the television series Sex and the City and in the 2004 film Fat Slags, based on characters from Viz Magazine. In 2004, Halliwell appeared on channel Five as one of the hosts of the Party in the Park event for The Prince's Trust, the presenter and main performer of the Tickled Pink Girls' night in Live! event and an appearance in a documentary There's Something About Geri.^[3]

[edit] 2005–06: Passion

In late 2004, Halliwell made a return to music with the single "Ride It", which reached number four in the United Kingdom and number one on the dance charts.^{[citation needed]} However, several months elapsed before another single was released, during which time she was apparently instructed to record some new tracks for the as yet unreleased album by her record company, which was unhappy with the setlist.^[16] Halliwell planned her first solo tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland, but due to lack of ticket sales, compounded by the label's pressure on Halliwell to record additional songs, led to the cancellation of the tour.^{[citation needed]} Eventually a new single, "Desire", was released on 30 May 2005, reaching number 22 in the UK Singles Chart and number one on the UK Dance Charts.^{[citation needed]} Released shortly after, the album Passion similarly received little attention from the public or critics, and stalled at number 41 in the UK charts.^{[citation needed]} Halliwell's recording contract with EMI was subsequently not renewed, and in recent interviews Halliwell has stated that she is not interested in recording another album at the moment and was content with writing children's books and being a mother.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 2007–09: Spice Girls re-union and Ugenia Lavender

Halliwell at a book signing in 2008.

Halliwell (centre of photo) performing live with the Spice Girls in Canada

On 28 June 2007, Halliwell announced she was joining her former group-mates for a concert tour "Return of the Spice Girls".^{[citation needed]} Part of the setlist of the reunion tour features Halliwell performing solo, singing her cover of It's Raining Men. It was announced on 1 February that the tour would end early, on 26 February 2008.^[17]

On 12 April 2007, it was announced that Halliwell had signed a six-book deal with Macmillan Children's Books.^[18] The books follow the adventures of nine-year-old Ugenia, a character based on Halliwell,^[19] alongside her friends Bronte, Rudy and Trevor.^[2] Other characters are said by Halliwell to be loosely based on Gordon Ramsay,^[20] George Michael,^[21] Marilyn Monroe,^[22] Vincent van Gogh,^[22] Wayne Rooney^[23] and the character Justin Suarez from the TV series Ugly Betty.^[23] The character Princess Posh Vattoria, a caricature of Halliwell's bandmate Victoria Beckham, was featured in early drafts but has not appeared in the book series.^[24]

Halliwell appeared in the film Crank: High Voltage alongside her friend, actor John Damon, and on the BBC 1's The One Show on 7 May 2009.^[25] On 24 May 2009, she spoke to the Speed TV reporter Peter Windsor in the pit lane just prior to the start of the 2009 Monaco Grand Prix. In interviews to promote the book series Ugenia Lavender, Halliwell said she had no plans to return to a solo musical career in the near future.^[26]

2010–present: Cameo roles and clothing range[link]

In March 2010, vocal coach and singer Carrie Grant announced on ITV1's The Alan Titchmarsh Show that Halliwell would be making a return to music. The following month, Halliwell announced through her official website that she was back in the studio and recording.^[27] In 2010, Halliwell stood in as a guest judge on The X Factor for Dannii Minogue at the Glasgow auditions.^[28] Halliwell is to release her own range of bikinis through retailer Next in January 2011.^[29] On Christmas Day 2010 she played a cameo in the mockumentary Come Fly with Me. In July 2011 Halliwell confirmed the album was ready and is called Putting On The Bling.^[30]

In 2012, it was confirmed that Halliwell will appear again, as a guest judge at the The X Factor auditions in Liverpool on 23rd May 2012. She will join current judges Louis Walsh, Gary Barlow and Tulisa Contostavlos as a fourth judge due to show's producers not being able to find a replacement for Kelly Rowland who quit the show after only one series.^{[citation needed]}

Personal and media life[link]

On 14 May 2006, Halliwell gave birth to her daughter, Bluebell Madonna Halliwell, by caesarean section at London's Portland Hospital.^[31] Sacha Gervasi is reported to be the child's father, but this is unconfirmed by Halliwell.^[32]

Charity work[link]

In 1999, Halliwell became a representative for the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).^{[citation needed]} In 2000, Halliwell appeared in the two part documentary series Geri's World Walkabout for the BBC, which followed her work with the UN and other travels. Halliwell picked up further UN work in 2006, by visiting Zambia from 14–16 November, to promote greater international awareness of the urgent need to reduce maternal death and halt the spread of HIV/AIDS.^{[citation needed]}

Political affiliations[link]

In the run-up to the 1997 UK General Election, Halliwell declared: "I saw a lot of what Mrs Thatcher did. She was definitely the original Spice Girl rising from the greengrocer's daughter to Prime Minister." For this, Lauren Laverne called her "Tory scum".^[33] She claimed that her background was deeply-rooted in support for the Conservative Party and that Thatcher was the pioneer of 'Girl Power' and the spiritual sixth member of the Spice Girls. She claimed in 1996 that Tony Blair was "not a safe pair of hands for the economy".^[34] By the 2001 General Election Halliwell had switched her support to Tony Blair and the Labour Party, making a cameo appearance in one of their party election broadcasts.^[35]

Discography[link]

• 1999: Schizophonic
• 2001: Scream If You Wanna Go Faster
• 2005: Passion

Bibliography[link]

• 1999 – If Only
• 2002 – Just for the Record
• 2008 – Ugenia Lavender

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

Films[link]

Awards and nominations[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Geri Halliwell

• Official website
• Geri Halliwell at the Internet Movie Database
• Geri Halliwell at TV.com