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Kym Mazelle | |
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 Mazelle in 2014 | |
| Born | Kymberly Grigsby (1960-08-10)August 10, 1960 (age 64) Gary, Indiana, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1986–present |
| Musical career | |
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| Website | officialkymmazelle |
Musical artist | |
Kym Mazelle (bornKymberly Grigsby; August 10, 1960) is an American singer. She is regarded as a pioneer ofhouse music in the United Kingdom and Europe.[1][2] Her music combinesR&B,soul,funk,house music,dance, andpop.[3] She is credited as "The First Lady of House Music".[1][4]
Mazelle was born inGary, Indiana.[5] She lived on the same street as theJackson family and knewMichael Jackson'smother and uncle.[6] In 1981, she attendedMundelein College in Chicago. In 1982, she transferred toColumbia College Chicago, where she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Arts and Entertainment Media Management in 1986.[7] During college, she worked part-time as an intern and secretary atLyric Opera of Chicago.
In 1987, she worked with record producerMarshall Jefferson (as House To House) on the single "Taste My Love", released on Police Records label.[6] In 1988, she released the single "Useless (I Don't Need You Now)", a hit on the club charts which reached at No. 53 on the UK singles chart.[8] Her next release, "Wait," a duet with Robert Howard fromThe Blow Monkeys in 1989, peaked at No. 7 in the UK.[8] In 1989, Mazelle's debut albumCrazy was released in the UK and featured the single "Love Strain".[8] With the single "Was That All It Was" returned Mazelle to the UK Top 40 and "Useless (I Don't Need You Now)" was remixed byNorman Cook.[9]
In 1990, Mazelle joined British music groupSoul II Soul. Her lead vocals on the single "Missing You" on their second albumVol. II: 1990 – A New Decade achieved major success worldwide. She also toured with the group throughout the year and their concert DVDA New Decade: Live from Brixton Academy was released in September 1990. In 1991,Parlophone Records repackaged Mazelle's debut album asBrilliant!! with remixes of her singles, two new tracks and remixes of "No One Can Love You More Than Me" and "Crazy 'Bout The Man".[10][11] Mazelle also appeared as "Pattie Roman" on the showTrainer, a sitcom originating from Great Britain.[12] In 1992 Kym had a hit with Rapination also known as the Rapino Brothers with “Love me the right way” This was a euro piano house sound and was a popular hit in the U.K. particularly the club scene.
In 1994, she scored a No. 13 hit in the UK with a cover on "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)", withJocelyn Brown. Two years later, in 1996, Mazelle released acover version of the song "Young Hearts Run Free", which appeared in the 1996Baz Luhrmann filmWilliam Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and also appeared on the director's remix albumSomething for Everybody.[13] The soundtrack went triple platinum in the United States of America.[14] The success of the single re-invited Mazelle to perform onTop of the Pops.[15]
She has appeared on two live albums byMaceo Parker,Life on Planet Groove andMy First Name is Maceo. Mazelle released her second albumThe Pleasure Is All Mine in June 2004 and undertook atour in the UK.[16] The album spawned two singles: "Love Magic" and "On My Own".[17][18] In 2005, Mazelle took part in the British version of the reality TV show,Celebrity Fit Club. In April 2007, she appeared in theRay Charles's tribute show "I Can't Stop Loving You".[19]
In July 2010, Mazelle joined the cast of UK theatre production ofSmokey Joe's Cafe.[20][21] She also appeared on theBBC Television series,Celebrity MasterChef. In September 2010, she released an extended play titledDestiny.[22]
She headlined Liverpool Pride on August 6, 2011.[23] On November 3, 2011, she headlined Prince Charles'sPrince's Trust Ambassador Ball in Glasgow and helped to raise £93,000.00 for the charity on the night. On April 6, 2013, her appearance onThe Voice UK was broadcast on the BBC.[24] In 2017, Mazelle embarked on her 30th Anniversary Tour, celebrating thirty years in the music industry.
| Single | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [25] | US Dance [26] | AUS [27] | BEL [28] | FRA [29] | GER [30] | NED [31] | NZ [32] | UK [8] | |||
| "Useless (I Don't Need You Now)" | 1988 | — | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 53 | Crazy(UK/EUR) Brilliant!(US/CAN) |
| "Wait!" (duet withRobert Howard) | 1989 | — | — | — | 20 | — | 26 | 32 | — | 7 | |
| "Got to Get You Back" | — | — | — | — | — | 57 | — | — | 29 | ||
| "Love Strain" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 52 | ||
| "Was That All It Was" | 1990 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 33 | |
| "Don't Scandalize My Name" | — | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Useless (I Don't Need You Now)"(Norman Cook Remix) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 48 | Brilliant! (European remix compilation) | |
| "No One Can Love You More Than Me"(Boilerhouse Remix) | 1991 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 62 | |
| "Woman of the World" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Trainer — OST | |
| "Love Me the Right Way" (withRapination) | 1993 | 97 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | Non-album single |
| "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)" (duet withJocelyn Brown) | 1994 | — | — | 48 | 46 | — | — | — | — | 13 | |
| "Gimme All Your Lovin'" (duet withJocelyn Brown) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 22 | ||
| "Love Me the Right Way '96" (withRapination) | 1996 | — | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 55 | |
| "Young Hearts Run Free" | — | — | 11 | — | 29 | 88 | — | 16 | 20 | Romeo + Juliet — OST | |
| "Have a Nice Day" | 1997 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "A Place in My Heart" | 1998 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Love Magic" | 2004 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Pleasure Is All Mine |
| "On My Own" | 2005 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Here Comes the Light" | 2010 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Destiny |
| "Can You Feel It" (withJunior andSinitta)[33] | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | non album single |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||||||
| Single | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B [34] | US Dance [35] | IRE [36] | NED [37] | UK [8] | |||||||||||||
| "Taste My Love" (House to House featuring Kym Mazelle) | 1987 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||||||
| "Missing You" (Soul II Soul featuring Kym Mazelle) | 1990 | 29 | 39 | 24 | 74 | 22 | Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade | ||||||||||
| "Love Me or Leave Me" (Kamasutra presents Kym Mazelle) | 1995 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||||||
| "Searching for the Golden Eye" (Motiv-8 and Kym Mazelle) | 1996 | — | — | — | — | 40 | |||||||||||
| "Free, Gay & Happy" (Paradise People featuring Kym Mazelle) | 1997 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| "Truly" (Peshay featuring Kym Mazelle) | 2000 | — | — | — | — | 55 | Miles from Home | ||||||||||
| "Perhaps" (Sunray featuring Kym Mazelle) | 2001 | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||||||||||
| "Dance Little Dreamer" (Infinito featuring Kym Mazelle) | — | — | — | — | — | ||||||||||||
| "Feel Like Dancin'" (House Bros. featuring Kym Mazelle) | 2003 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| "Change" (Yann Vedra featuring Kym Mazelle) | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| "Lovin'" (David Morales presents The Face featuring Kym Mazelle) | 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | |||||||||||||||||
| Year | Title | Role | Episode | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Trainer | Pattie Roman | "A Question of Loyalty" | [12] |
| "Business or Pleasure" | [12] |
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