Javine Hylton | |
|---|---|
 Hylton in 2005 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Javine |
| Born | Javine Dionne Hylton (1981-12-27)27 December 1981 (age 43) Kensington, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2002–2013 |
| Labels | |
Javine Dionne Hylton (born 27 December 1981),[1] often known mononymously asJavine, is an English former singer and songwriter. She gained recognition onITV'sPopstars: The Rivals and represented the UK at the2005 Eurovision Song Contest inKyiv with "Touch My Fire". Javine's cover version of "You've Got a Friend" was thetheme music toGarfield: The Movie in 2004.
Hylton was born inKensington and grew up inLadbroke Grove.[2]
From a young age, she had a passion for dance: "I didn't like singing. I started stage school at 10, because at my normal school, there were always fights. So I thought, what do I want to do? I want to dance."[3]
For two years, Hylton played Nala in a production ofThe Lion King in London's West End.[1] Following the end of the run, she began writing songs and pursuing a career in music.[3]
She auditioned forITV'sPopstars: The Rivals, a reality television talent show in which young hopefuls sought to be picked for a place in a new manufactured group.[4]
She was one of the last six contenders for a place in the girl group, but she lost out on a spot in what later became the chart-topping groupGirls Aloud. She instead embarked on a solo singing career.[1]
In the summer of 2003, Hylton released her debut single "Real Things", which featured asample ofM.O.P.'s hit "Ante Up". The single charted in theUK Singles Chart at Number 4,[5] and remains her biggest hit to date. Three further Top 20 hits from her debut album followed, "Surrender (Your Love)" (which sampled theDiana Ross hit "Surrender"), "Best of My Love" and acover ofJade's "Don't Walk Away", adouble A-side with a cover ofCarole King's "You've Got a Friend".[6]
Hylton's debut album,Surrender, was released after her third single in the summer of 2004. In spite of securing a songwriting partnership withEg White, and record producersStargate, along with the singles performing relatively well, her debut album only just managed to get into theUK Albums Chart and as a result she was dropped by herrecord label in late 2004, despite the moderate success of the album's singles that were released on their own.[7]
Hylton featured onRichard X's 2003 albumRichard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1. Her collaboration with him, "You Used To", was due to be released as a single, but it was cancelled.[8]
In late 2003, she became an opening act for American rapperNelly on the UK leg of his international tour.[9]
In October 2013, Hylton teamed up with DJs WAWA and M.A.R.K to release the track "Never".[10] The song was met with widespread acclaim.Digital Spy called it an "uptempo club number",[11] while in an 8/10 reviewPopjustice labelled it a "belter".[12]
On 5 March 2005, Hylton wonEurovision: Making Your Mind Up, the UK heat of theEurovision Song Contest 2005, singing "Touch My Fire", co-written by her. The other contestants were the 1996 UK entrantGina G,Andy Scott-Lee, the group Tricolore, andKatie Price. During the performance, tape used to hold her dress in place came loose, causing a 'wardrobe malfunction'.[13] Hylton went on to represent the UK in the final inKyiv, reportedly suffering from a throat infection. With pre-final odds of 33/1, she finished with 18 points, in 22nd place, ahead of France and Germany. When "Touch My Fire" was released as a single, it became her fifth consecutive Top 20 hit, reaching Number 18 in the UK Singles Chart.[14]
In 2004, Hylton was the face ofDasani water,[15] but was dropped when the product was withdrawn from the UK market due to bad publicity.[16][17] She has also appeared in Series 4 of theChannel 4 programmeThe Games in 2006, which she went on to win.[18]
In a 2006 Christmas edition ofNever Mind the Buzzcocks with Simon Amstell, the show was dedicated to the birthdays of both Jesus and Hylton, on account of her birthday being two days after Christmas. In 2007, she took part inBBC Three'sCelebrity Scissorhands.
In 2008, she was the first celebrity eliminated fromThe Underdog Show. In 2009, she made an uncredited guest appearance on the television showSkins.[19]
In 2010, she appeared onCelebrityCome Dine with Me and came second overall. In 2012, Hylton was due to star as 'Lucretia MacEvil' in the UK touring production ofDisco Inferno; however the tour was cancelled. In the same year, Javine was a contestant on Celebrity Masterchef until being eliminated along withCheryl Baker.
Hylton has a child withMichael Harvey, Jr., a daughter, born February 2008.[20] Hylton has since had another child, a son.
In March 2006, Hylton pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol and was banned from driving for 18 months.[5]
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [21] | JPN [22] | |||
| Surrender |
| 73 | 18 | |
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [21] | AUS [24] | BEL [25] | IRL [26] | |||
| 2003 | "Real Things" | 4 | 60 | 44 | 23 | Surrender |
| "Surrender (Your Love)" | 15 | — | — | — | ||
| 2004 | "Best of My Love" | 18 | — | — | 49 | |
| "Don't Walk Away" / "You've Got a Friend" | 16 | — | — | — | ||
| 2005 | "Touch My Fire" | 18 | — | — | 32 | Non-album singles |
| 2011 | "Child of Desire" | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | ||||||
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [21] | NLD [27] | |||
| 2003 | "You Used To"(withRichard X) | — | — | Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1 |
| 2006 | "Don't Let the Morning Come"(withSoul Avengerz) | 49 | 89 | Non-album singles |
| 2013 | "Never"(with Wawa & M.A.R.K) | — | — | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. | ||||
| Preceded by | UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005 | Succeeded by |
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