Kavana
Encyclopedia
Kavana is a British singer and actor.
Top 10 hit, reaching #8), "MFEO" (another No.8 hit) and "Will You Wait for Me".
He resided in Los Angeles, California for several years where he appeared in commercial
s, the MTV series Undressed
, and had a publishing deal as a songwriter. In 2005, he appeared in the music video for Today
, by his friend Melanie Brown
, before returning to the United Kingdom.
In 2006, Kavana played a recurring role in a number of episodes of E4
's Hollyoaks: In the City
. He also began working with Jools Holland
as a session musician
and backing vocalist.
Kavana's public image was compromised during his first major tour when rumours of his bizarre personal life began to make the tabloid press. In particular, reports that Kavana kept the embalmed corpse of his father backstage in his dressing room so that he could touch it for good luck led the singer to be famously branded 'dead weird' by Take That
's Gary Barlow
. The behaviour came to a head at the climax of the same tour, when the corpse was catapulted into the crowd.
He appeared as a contestant on Grease Is the Word
in April 2007 and got put through to 'boot camp', where he was paired with Alison Crawford. Although Crawford was eliminated, Kavana booked a place in the final of the competition, where he was declared runner-up on 9 June 2007.
In 2008, he appeared in the theatre production The Extra Factor, a fictional on-stage musical based on the X Factor
.
He is currently touring with G*Mania, a musical show inspired by the TV series Glee
. The cast have also recorded a Christmas single, a cover of "Don't Stop Believing
" by Journey
. Kavana appeared in the music video for the song.
Career
He released two albums Kavana (1997) and Instinct (1999) and enjoyed a number of chart singles including "Crazy Chance". Other songs included "Thank You", "Special Kind of Something", "I Can Make You Feel Good" (his debut UKUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
Top 10 hit, reaching #8), "MFEO" (another No.8 hit) and "Will You Wait for Me".
He resided in Los Angeles, California for several years where he appeared in commercial
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
s, the MTV series Undressed
Undressed (TV series)
Undressed is an American anthology series that aired on MTV from July 26, 1999 to September 5, 2002. The series was created and executive produced by British director Roland Joffé.-Synopsis:...
, and had a publishing deal as a songwriter. In 2005, he appeared in the music video for Today
Today (Melanie B song)
"Today" was the first and only single from Melanie B's second solo album, L.A. State of Mind. It was released on June 13, 2005. It entered and peaked at #41, charting for only one week , making it the lowest selling single of a Spice Girls member....
, by his friend Melanie Brown
Melanie Brown
Melanie Janine "Scary Spice" Brown , often better known as Mel B, is an English pop singer-songwriter, actress, author and television presenter...
, before returning to the United Kingdom.
In 2006, Kavana played a recurring role in a number of episodes of E4
E4 (TV)
E4 is a channel on British digital television, launched as a pay-TV companion to Channel 4 on 18 January 2001. The "E" stands for entertainment, and the channel is mainly aimed at the lucrative 15–35 age group...
's Hollyoaks: In the City
Hollyoaks: In the City
Hollyoaks: In the City was a British television drama series set in Liverpool and first broadcast in 2006. Hollyoaks: In the City was a spin-off of Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks, originally devised by Phil Redmond...
. He also began working with Jools Holland
Jools Holland
Julian Miles "Jools" Holland OBE, DL is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer, and television presenter. He was a founder of the band Squeeze and his work has involved him with many artists including Sting, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, The Who, David Gilmour and Bono.Holland is a...
as a session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
and backing vocalist.
Kavana's public image was compromised during his first major tour when rumours of his bizarre personal life began to make the tabloid press. In particular, reports that Kavana kept the embalmed corpse of his father backstage in his dressing room so that he could touch it for good luck led the singer to be famously branded 'dead weird' by Take That
Take That
Take That are a British five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter...
's Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow
Gary Barlow is an English singer-songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is frontman and lead vocalist of pop group Take That and is currently the head judge on the eighth series of The X Factor. Barlow is one of Britain's most successful songwriters...
. The behaviour came to a head at the climax of the same tour, when the corpse was catapulted into the crowd.
He appeared as a contestant on Grease Is the Word
Grease Is the Word
Grease Is the Word was the UK version of NBCs Grease: You're the One that I Want!. It aired during Spring/Summer 2007, and was produced by Syco TV ....
in April 2007 and got put through to 'boot camp', where he was paired with Alison Crawford. Although Crawford was eliminated, Kavana booked a place in the final of the competition, where he was declared runner-up on 9 June 2007.
In 2008, he appeared in the theatre production The Extra Factor, a fictional on-stage musical based on the X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
.
He is currently touring with G*Mania, a musical show inspired by the TV series Glee
Glee (TV series)
Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
. The cast have also recorded a Christmas single, a cover of "Don't Stop Believing
Don't Stop Believing
Don't Stop Believing is a British television talent show that aired on Channel 5 in summer 2010. It was inspired by the musical comedy-drama Glee, which airs in the United States on the Fox network. The series featured live shows in which musical performance groups competed against each other, with...
" by Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
. Kavana appeared in the music video for the song.
Albums
| Year | Album | UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Kavana Kavana (album) Kavana is the debut album by British singer Kavana. Kavana was discovered by Take That's manager Nigel Martin-Smith. The album was recorded throughout 1996 and the beginning of 1997. Kavana worked with many big name stars on the album including Lulu and Howard Donald... |
No.29 |
| 1999 | Instinct Instinct (Kavana album) Instinct is the second album by British singer Kavana. The album was recorded in Italy during the summer of 1998 and was produced by Absolute. The album was scheduled to be released in April 1999 in the UK but the released was cancelled by Virgin Records and Kavana was dropped from the label... |
— |
| 2007 | Special Kind Of Something - The Best Of Kavana Special Kind of Something - The Best of Kavana Special Kind Of Something - The Best Of Kavana is a compilation by British singer Kavana. The album was released in July 2007 after renewed interest in the singer due to his appearance on the British talent show Grease Is the Word.... |
— |
Singles
| Year | Single | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | *"Crazy Chance" | No.35 | Kavana |
| "Where Are You" | No.26 | ||
| 1997 | "I Can Make You Feel Good" | No.8 | |
| "MFEO" | No.8 | ||
| "Crazy Chance '97" | No.16 | ||
| 1998 | "Special Kind of Something" | No.13 | Instinct |
| "Funky Love" | No.32 | ||
| 1999 | "Will You Wait For Me" | No.29 |
Acting
| Year | Show | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Undressed Undressed (TV series) Undressed is an American anthology series that aired on MTV from July 26, 1999 to September 5, 2002. The series was created and executive produced by British director Roland Joffé.-Synopsis:... |
Dr. Johnny | Season 5; recurring |
| 2006 | Hollyoaks: In the City Hollyoaks: In the City Hollyoaks: In the City was a British television drama series set in Liverpool and first broadcast in 2006. Hollyoaks: In the City was a spin-off of Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks, originally devised by Phil Redmond... |
Will | 3 episodes; recurring |