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Nicki French | |
|---|---|
.jpg) French performing at theOxford Gay Pride Festival in 2005 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Nicola Sharon French (1964-09-26)26 September 1964 (age 61) Carlisle, England |
| Genres | Dance,pop,Eurodance |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Bags of Fun Records/Love This (1992–1996) Klone Records (2005) Energise Records (2006–2015) MPG Ltd (2015) Energise Records (2017-Present) |
Nicola Sharon French (born 26 September 1964[1][2]) is an English singer. She is best known for her 1995 dancecover version ofBonnie Tyler’s "Total Eclipse of the Heart", which reached theUS andUK top 5, and for representing the United Kingdom in the2000 Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm.[3]
French was born inCarlisle,Cumberland, England.[4]
French's first "gig" came at the age of seven, when she was chosen to sing the first verse of "O Little Town of Bethlehem" at her infants' school Christmas concert.[5]
From the age of 16, French studied music and drama atWest Kent College inTonbridge, Kent. She played the lead role of Laurey inOklahoma! before moving to London and started auditioning for bands and theatre shows.[5]
In the mid-1980s, French was part of the duo Whisky and Sofa. They released "Dirty Den" in 1986.[5]
In 1991, French was booked as the leading lady in a series of revue shows on a cruise ship, touring Europe and beyond and covering songs from stage and screen.[5]
In 1992, French provided backing vocals onRose-Marie's 1992 album,Emotional Exposure. Generally, French had been asession singer for many years before she covered "Total Eclipse of the Heart".[1]
In 1994, French covered "Total Eclipse of the Heart", a song originally made famous byBonnie Tyler. The song reached number 5 during a three-monthchart run on theUK Singles Chart,[6] selling over 250,000 (UK) copies in the process and earning asilver sales award.[7] In the United States, the song reached number 2, spending six months on theBillboard Hot 100 chart[8] and gaining gold certification from theRIAA.[9] The single also reached number 1 in a number of countries – Japan, Canada, Spain and Brazil – as well as charting in Australia, Germany, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. French sold in excess of 5 million copies.[10]
Her second single, "For All We Know", a cover version ofthe Carpenters' song, peaked at number 42[11] on the UK Singles Chart. French's debut album,Secrets, was released in 1995 and further singles from the album included "Is There Anybody Out There?", "Did You Ever Really Love Me?" and "Never in a Million Years". French wasMike Stock's Love This Records's biggest artist before it went into liquidation.[12]Secrets sold over 50,000 copies in its first week of sale in the US.[5]
In 1997, French releasedFrench Revolution. The single "Te Amo" peaked at number 4 in Brazil.[citation needed]French Revolution achieved success in Japan and Taiwan but French was then dropped by her record label after management reconstructing.[citation needed]
At the2000 Eurovision Song Contest, Frenchrepresented the United Kingdom with "Don't Play That Song Again".[1] The song was selected by the British public ahead of seven other finalists on radio and TV. French finished the contest in 16th place. The track entered at number 34 in the UK chart.[13]
French signed toJim Steinman'sRavenous Records label for a short period in 2000, during which time she recorded "Lovers Again" and "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad", neither of which was ever commercially released.[citation needed]
In 2003, French was one of nine contestants on a specialEurovision edition ofBBC Television'sThe Weakest Link. JoiningSonia,Lyn Paul,James Fox,Katie Boyle,Bobby Gee,Jessica Garlick,Katrina Leskanich andJemini on the show hosted byAnne Robinson, French won the event and was declared 'The Strongest Link' raising £13,000 forCancer Research, having lost her father to cancer in 1997.[citation needed]
In 2004, French released "I Surrender" and in 2005, "Calling Out My Name". "I Surrender" charted on theUK Indie Chart at #37 and EuroNRG Top 40 chart[14]
In 2007, French was cast as understudy for the original London cast ofMenopause the Musical, starring Su Pollard. She was subsequently part of all the UK and Irish productions, and has played three out of the four roles throughout her connection with the show, elevating to being cast in the main roles.[citation needed]
In 2008, French took part in her first pantomime, playing Queen Genevieve inSleeping Beauty at Chipping Norton Theatre. The pantomime gained great reviews, making it into the top 10 pantomimes in the UK in theDaily Telegraph newspaper.[15] In 2009, French playedFairy Godmother inCinderella for New Pantomime Productions.[citation needed]
In 2009, a special edition of French's second album,French Revolution, became available. The re-release contained seventeen tracks and included all three of her most recent singles along with a previously unreleased version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart".
In August 2010, French toured the UK in the musicalAnnie,[1] performing eight different roles every night in the show's long run, and was understudy for the role of Miss Hannigan, played by Su Pollard.[citation needed]
In November 2012, French played the role of Helga Ten Dorp in Ira Levin's Deathtrap at the Brookside Theatre in Romford.
In 2014, 20 years after the success of "Total Eclipse of the Heart'", Mike Stock and French started working together again, recording new tracks for his label Modal Production Group (MPG Ltd). The first release from the studio session was the dance number "This Love". According to Stock, "the song's message is a celebration of love and commitment".[citation needed]
In April 2023, French released a Eurovision covers album, titledEurovision, featuring edits from her three previous EPs and two new songs.[16]
French was born inCarlisle to Joseph and Eileen. She has three siblings. The French family moved when Nicki was four and settled inTenterden, Kent.[1] She attendedHomewood School andWest Kent College inTonbridge.
French married Gavin Mallett, a professional musician, in July 1993 at St. Mildred's Church, Tenterden. The couple lived inMiddlesex. They are now divorced.
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| AUS [17] | USA [18] | ||
| Secrets |
| 95 | 151 |
| French Revolution |
| — | — |
| One Step Further |
| — | — |
| A Very Nicki Christmas |
| — | — |
| Glitter to the Neon Lights |
| — | — |
| Who, What, Where |
| — | — |
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Rare and Unreleased |
|
| Eurovision E.P |
|
| This Love |
|
| Let's Play That Song Again |
|
| A Touch More Glitter |
|
| Let's Play That Song Again Vol. 2 |
|
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Te Amo – Best Of |
|
| The Essentials |
|
| The Singles 1997–2014 |
|
| Eurovision |
|
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Christmas at the Disco |
|
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [6] | AUS [17] | BEL [21] | CAN [10] | GER [22] | IRE [23] | JPN | NL [24] | NZ [25] | US [8] | ||||
| "Dirty Den" (as Whisky and Sofa) | 1986 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "You'll Be Sorry" (as The French Connection) | 1993 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Total Eclipse of the Heart" | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | ||
| "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (re-release) | 1994 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 65 | 15 | 39 | 10 | 13 | 2 |
| Secrets |
| "For All We Know" | 1995 | 42 | 89 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Did You Ever Really Love Me" | 55 | 150 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Is There Anybody Out There?" | 83 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Never in a Million Years" (Sweden and Denmark only) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Stop in the Name of Love"/ "Is There Anybody Out There?" (Australia only) | 1996 | — | 227 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Hard to Say I'm Sorry" | 1997 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | French Revolution | |
| "Te Amo" | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Give It Up Now" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Don't Play That Song Again" | 2000 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "I Surrender" | 2004 | 110[27] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Calling Out My Name" | 2005 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Total Eclipse of the Heart 2006" (as Diva DJs vs. Nicki French) | 2006 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Ain't No Smoke (Without Fire)" | 2011 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "Red Light (Spells Danger)"/"Leave a Light On" | 2013 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | One Step Further | |
| "The Boss" | 2014 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "This Love" | 2015 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | This Love (EP) | |
| "Teardrops (On the Disco Floor)" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Glitter to the Neon Lights | |
| "Steal the Crown" | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "On Your Marks, Get Set, Go Away" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "It's Gonna Be a Cold Cold Christmas" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | A Very Nicki Christmas | ||
| "Raise Your Voice" | 2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Glitter to the Neon Lights | |
| "Haunted Heart" | 2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Who, What, Where | |
| "Last Dance" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | A Very Nicki Christmas | |
| "Nothing Is Impossible"[28] | 2024 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Who, What, Where? | |
| "High Hopes & Heartaches"[29] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "S.O.S. (Same Old Story)” | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
DMA (magazine) HI-NRG Music Awards[30]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Herself | Best Female Vocal Performance | Won |
| 1995 | Total Eclipse of the Heart | Single of the Year | Won |
| 1995 | Herself | Most Promising Newcomer | Won |
International Dance Music Awards[31]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Total Eclipse of the Heart | Best Hi-NRG 12-inch of the Year | Won |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2000 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
