Alice Martineau
Encyclopedia
Alice Katherine Martineau (8 June 1972 – 6 March 2003) was an English
pop
singer and songwriter
.
Born and educated in London
, Martineau graduated from King's College London
with a first class honours degree in English. As a child, she played both the piano
and the flute
and subsequently developed a passion for songwriting and performing after taking singing lessons.
Martineau was born with cystic fibrosis
, a genetic disorder that causes chronic lung and digestive problems for sufferers. Due to her belief that her condition would prevent her from singing, Alice didn't pursue her musical ambitions until after taking singing lessons and learning that her constant coughing had actually strengthened her diaphragm. Despite her worsening health, Alice played live gigs regularly in London until 2001 and was offered record deals by several companies, only to have them withdrawn when executives discovered that she was seriously ill and on the waiting list for a heart
, lung
and liver
transplant
.
In 2002, Martineau wrote an article in The Daily Telegraph
's Saturday magazine about the wait for a life-saving triple transplant. The next day, her manager approached Sony Music
with a demo tape and she was signed to their label in late 2002. Alice completed this debut album quickly as most songs had already been written over the previous three years. Her debut single, "If I Fall", was released on November 11, 2002, with the album Daydreams following a week later on November 18. Tracks on the album were produced by a number of people, including Marius De Vries
. A promotional preview CD containing one track from her album and four short previews was also circulated.
Sony had planned to release a second single, "The Right Time" on February 10, 2003, but decided to cancel the release due to Martineau's poor health.
Martineau remained on the waiting list for a triple heart, lung and liver transplant for more than a year and a half, before passing away at home on the morning of 6 March 2003. A documentary about her, The Nine Lives of Alice Martineau, was made by the BBC Television
several months before her death and broadcast shortly after her death.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
.
Born and educated in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Martineau graduated from King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
with a first class honours degree in English. As a child, she played both the piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and the flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
and subsequently developed a passion for songwriting and performing after taking singing lessons.
Martineau was born with cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease affecting most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine...
, a genetic disorder that causes chronic lung and digestive problems for sufferers. Due to her belief that her condition would prevent her from singing, Alice didn't pursue her musical ambitions until after taking singing lessons and learning that her constant coughing had actually strengthened her diaphragm. Despite her worsening health, Alice played live gigs regularly in London until 2001 and was offered record deals by several companies, only to have them withdrawn when executives discovered that she was seriously ill and on the waiting list for a heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
, lung
Lung
The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...
and liver
Liver
The liver is a vital organ present in vertebrates and some other animals. It has a wide range of functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and production of biochemicals necessary for digestion...
transplant
Organ transplant
Organ transplantation is the moving of an organ from one body to another or from a donor site on the patient's own body, for the purpose of replacing the recipient's damaged or absent organ. The emerging field of regenerative medicine is allowing scientists and engineers to create organs to be...
.
In 2002, Martineau wrote an article in The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
's Saturday magazine about the wait for a life-saving triple transplant. The next day, her manager approached Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
with a demo tape and she was signed to their label in late 2002. Alice completed this debut album quickly as most songs had already been written over the previous three years. Her debut single, "If I Fall", was released on November 11, 2002, with the album Daydreams following a week later on November 18. Tracks on the album were produced by a number of people, including Marius De Vries
Marius de Vries
Marius Van Wyk de Vries is an English music producer and composer. He has been behind some of the key albums and soundtracks of recent times, gathering five Grammy nominations, two BAFTAs, and an Ivor Novello award along the way.-Music Producer:...
. A promotional preview CD containing one track from her album and four short previews was also circulated.
Sony had planned to release a second single, "The Right Time" on February 10, 2003, but decided to cancel the release due to Martineau's poor health.
Martineau remained on the waiting list for a triple heart, lung and liver transplant for more than a year and a half, before passing away at home on the morning of 6 March 2003. A documentary about her, The Nine Lives of Alice Martineau, was made by the BBC Television
BBC Television
BBC Television is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The corporation, which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927, has produced television programmes from its own studios since 1932, although the start of its regular service of television...
several months before her death and broadcast shortly after her death.