#80 Rachel Stevens
Rachel Lauren Stevens (born
April 9,
1978) is a
British singer and
actress from
London. Formerly with the
pop group
S Club 7, she has now launched a successful solo career.
Early life
Stevens was born in Southgate, London to a Jewish family. Her now-estranged father, Michael Stevens, is notable for producing a guide to the best places to solicit prostitutes in London.[1] Her mother is Linda Stevens. Rachel attended Ashmole School, Southgate, London.
From a very early age, Stevens was drawn to entertaining people. At the age of five she began taking acting lessons at a drama school near London, but as time went on she seemed to be more interested in fashion than acting. At the age of fifteen her first big break when she beat out 4999 competitors in a modeling competition sponsored by Just 17 Magazine. Following her first modeling gig Stevens attended the London School of Fashion and after graduation worked in fashion PR, but began to lose interest and started to seek out a career in music instead.
Then, at the age of twenty, Stevens accompanied her brother to an audition in London for a new pop group, which was being put together by Simon Fuller, the one-time manager of the Spice Girls. Whilst waiting for her brother to audition, she was approached by the judges. After many calls and auditions she was chosen as a member of the new band S Club 7 , along with Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara and Hannah Spearritt.
S Club 7
Stevens and S Club 7 quickly rose to fame, with their debut single "Bring It All Back" at number one on the UK Singles Chart in June 1999. The band's follow-up "S Club Party" was also a hit, the bands self-titled debut album also sold well. The success of their debut album landed the band their own TV show, S Club 7 in Miami. Major success in the United States followed.
Stevens probably enjoyed more success then the rest of the band members, as she received the most media attention and was a fan favourite. Despite the negative press the male members of the band had been receiving, Stevens was not affected by it and in 2000 was voted the second sexiest woman on the planet by men's magazine FHM.
Soon after 2000 the band began to lose steam and they could not live up to past success with both record sales and television ratings down. The band was able to release a successful film in 2003 called S Club Seeing Double but after a UK tour, the members of S Club 7 decided to break up.
Funky Dory
After S Club 7 broke up, Stevens signed a £1.5 million solo four-album deal with Polydor Records and re-signed with S Club 7 manager, Simon Fuller.
Her first solo single, written by Cathy Dennis (who has also written for Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue) and produced by Bloodshy & Avant, was "Sweet Dreams My LA Ex", released in September 2003. The single was a hit, debuting at number two on the UK singles chart, holding off the Black Eyed Peas and their international hit single "Where Is The Love?. The single was also a hit worldwide peaking in the top ten in multiple countries including Ireland and Sweden. Stevens' debut solo album Funky Dory was released later that month and was a minor hit, reaching number nine of the UK albums chart and quickly fading away in subsequent weeks almost without a trace.
That December, the album's title track, "Funky Dory" was released as the second single. The song was hailed as being sophisticated and sexy, like its predecessor, and featured a sample of the David Bowie song ""Andy Warhol" from his album Hunky Dory. Hopes were high that the single would be able to match the success of "Sweet Dreams My LA Ex", but like her album the single made a low showing on the charts, peaking at number twenty six and then quickly disappearing.
In July 2004, Stevens released a brand new single, "Some Girls" which was produced by Richard X. The single became a hit across Europe, and reached number two in the UK. All profits from the single went to the BBC Sport Relief charity.
Due to the success of "Some Girls", Funky Dory was re-released to include "Some Girls" and another new track, a cover of Andrea True Connection's "More More More". On its single release, "More More More" peaked at number three in the UK, giving Stevens her third top ten solo single in the UK.
That November, Stevens was nominated for seven awards at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party. She took home two awards, Most Fanciable Female and Best Dressed Star.
Come And Get It
In late 2004, Stevens began working on her second solo album with producers and songwriters Richard X, Alexis Strum and Xenomania. The following March she released the first single from her upcoming album, "Negotiate With Love". The song was a success reaching the top ten in the UK. "Negotiate with Love" was followed-up by the song "So Good", which was released in July and peaked at number ten as well in the UK.
The singles were followed by Stevens' second full length studio album, Come And Get It in October 2005. The album was, like her previous effort, a minor success peaking at number twenty eight in the UK. The album sold only 20,000 copies in Britain in its first month and has been deemed a commercial failure, even though British pop critics hailed it as a great pop album. The last single released from the album was "I Said Never Again (But Here We Are)", released in October 2005 the song peaked at number twelve in the UK. Due to the low charting of the album and its singles no further singles were released, although multiple rumors stated that "Nothing Good About This Goodbye" and the Richard X produced "Crazy Boys" were going to be released as singles. In early January 2006, rumors surfaced that Stevens was dropped from Polydor Records. However, a statement arose from the Polydor executives stating that she is still with Polydor. They also may release another single from Come and Get It (possibly "Crazy Boys", "Nothing Good About This Goodbye", or "Dumb Dumb").
Future In Music
Many critics have stated that Stevens should leave the music business for good and "jump before she's pushed", calling her a "more expensive Lisa Scott-Lee" (failed British singer), and that her managers "forgot to give her a personality". However, Stevens will continue her music career, and will begin recording her third album in early to mid-2006 and as stated by her label, which will most likely be released at the end of the year. Also, she has a planned "UK return" with a new single in April 2006.
On the fan forum rachelstevensonline, a "reliable source" from Steven's management has repeatedly stated that in the summer of 2006, Stevens will release her debut US single. However, no plans have been released, making forum-goers skeptical.
Awareness campaigns
Although 2005 did not bring the commercial success of earlier years, Stevens made headlines when she followed in the footsteps of fellow British popstar Robbie Williams to front the Everyman Testicular Cancer Awareness campaign. Stevens' role was notable as she was the first woman to front the campaign. Her television commercial raised eyebrows with its suggestive content that included her telling men to "put one hand down their trousers and give their testicles a good feel". On the commercial, Stevens commented, "Sometimes men need a little encouragement to think about their health. This is a funny way of raising awareness about a serious subject."[2]
In 2005 Stevens also took part in the Make Poverty History campaign, which aims to eliminate poverty in third world countries by supplying aid to them through food, money and other resources that these countries do not have. Stevens donated an undisclosed amount of money to the campaign, and also starred in television and magazine advertisments supporting the cause. Her official website also displayed the campaigns official online banner.[3]
Personal life
On Valentines Day in 2001, Stevens made headline when she became engaged to her longtime boyfriend, actor Jeremy Edwards. The engagement would not last long though, the couple broke up in early 2004 after they had been dating for over three years. Stevens made headlines in March 2004 when she was dumped by her rumoured boyfriend, businessman Simon Brodin. The couple were rumoured to have dated for two months after Stevens broke-up with Edwards. The relationship was never confirmed by either side.[4] Six months later Stevens again was in the tabloids as she started dating Gavin Dein, son of Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein, the relationship would not last long with the couple splitting up in August 2005. Since then she has been linked to Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg after taking interest in him because she wanted him to star as her boyfriend in an upcoming music video. Stevens' commented on the rumors by telling Neil Sean of Sky Showbiz Gossip "all top secret but my dream is to have the lovely Freddie in the video for the song as my boyfriend. I'd like that in real life too, but I’ll start with the video."
Acting career
During her times with S Club 7, she was able to act in all S Club series like Hollywood 7, S Club in Miami, Viva S Club and all of it got high ratings worldwide. Before their break up, they were able to release an S Club movie entitled Seeing Double which was a huge success.
In her solo career, Stevens was offered/and auditioned for many acting projects. She auditioned for a role in the Jude Law movie Alfie, but lost the role to Sienna Miller. She also secretly auditioned for a role as the leading lady in the re-make of the hit series Doctor Who, but also lost the part to Billie Piper. Stevens appeared in a minor role in Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. She has also been called numbers of times to star in the Dr. Who spin-off Torchwood, and has been called for a meeting to sit with the show's producers. She has recently stated to New! magazine that she would like to attend drama school to receive proper training. She has previously announced that she would love to act with Oscar nominees such as Clive Owen and Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt.
Stevens is currently spending time in Los Angeles in preparation for launching an acting career. According to Stevens, she is working with the William Morris Agency, one of the largest acting agencies in the world.
Discography
For complete discography and chart information see: Rachel Stevens discography
Albums
- Funky Dory (2003)
- Funky Dory (re-release) (2004)
- Come And Get It (2005)
Hit singles
See also
Notes
- ^ Rachel Stevens 1. Rachel Stevens Online. 2006. Retrieved Jan. 28, 2006.
- ^ Rachel Stevens 2. Everyman. 2005. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2006.
- ^ Rachel Stevens 3. RSO: Make Poverty History. 2005. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2006.
- ^ Rachel Stevens 4. Rachel Stevens Online. 2006. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2006.
References
- Rachel Stevens Online. link Jan. 28, 2006. Retrieved Jan. 28, 2006. - Biography, trivia and discography.
- Rachel Stevens Official Website. link Jan. 23, 2006. Retrieved Jan. 28, 2006. - Biography and discography.
External links
