Livvi Franc
Encyclopedia
Olivia Charlotte Waithe better known by her stage name Livvi Franc, is an Barbadian British
singer-songwriter.
, North Yorkshire
, England to an English
mother and a Bajan
father. Franc's stage name was inspired by her late maternal grandfather, Frank Wilson, she explained to Flavour Magazine that he had "noticed me playing the piano and predicted I was going to be a musician. Sadly he’s no longer here. So, in honour of him, I called myself Livvi Franc; Livvi because it’s my nickname, and Franc because it’s a funkier version of Frank." When Franc was five, the family moved to Barbados, because her parents decided that their daughters, Franc and her elder sister, should experience their Barbadian heritage. They would return to England during the summer holidays. Franc wrote her first song at age eleven and learned the guitar at fifteen and sang in school talent shows and pagaents growing up.
Franc's first manager discovered her when a friend of Franc's who babysitted for her gave her one of Franc's cassette tape demos. Franc then went on to record proper demos in studio in Barbados and Miami, where she met her next manager. Soon after, she was in New York meeting label heads and auditioning. She finally signed with Jive Records
, after months of negotiations, after singing an Etta James
song for them. Prior to signing with Jive, Franc had gone through three years of artist development and attended workshops on it. She had attended Queens College
in Barbados. Jordin Sparks
recorded a song written by Livvi Franc, "Walking On Snow", Franc has also written for Cheryl Cole
, Marie Digby
, Michael Jackson
,and Britney Spears
, and Cher Lloyd
.
" was released in the summer of 2009. The song topped the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart and became a top 40 hit in New Zealand and the UK. Another song, "This is a Raid" appeared on the reboot of Melrose Place
.
Franc released her second single named Automatik
. Produced by RedOne
, the single peaked at #6 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart. During the end of 2010, the album was eventually shelved by Jive and so Livvi left Jive Records, however quickly signed to Beluga Heights
/Warner Bros.
, where she is currently finishing her debut album. The album will be released in early 2012.
, Alicia Keys
, Alanis Morissette
as her biggest musical inspirations.
Barbadian British
Barbadian British people, or Bajan-Brits are citizens or residents of the United Kingdom whose ethnic origins lie fully or partially in the Caribbean island of Barbados...
singer-songwriter.
Life and career
Franc was born in HarrogateHarrogate
Harrogate is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. The town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters, RHS Harlow Carr gardens, and Betty's Tea Rooms. From the town one can explore the nearby Yorkshire Dales national park. Harrogate originated in the 17th...
, North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England to an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
mother and a Bajan
Barbadian people
Barbadians are people originating on the Caribbean island of Barbados whether they live there or in the Barbadian diaspora.Rihanna is by far the most popular Barbadian on the planet.-Diaspora:...
father. Franc's stage name was inspired by her late maternal grandfather, Frank Wilson, she explained to Flavour Magazine that he had "noticed me playing the piano and predicted I was going to be a musician. Sadly he’s no longer here. So, in honour of him, I called myself Livvi Franc; Livvi because it’s my nickname, and Franc because it’s a funkier version of Frank." When Franc was five, the family moved to Barbados, because her parents decided that their daughters, Franc and her elder sister, should experience their Barbadian heritage. They would return to England during the summer holidays. Franc wrote her first song at age eleven and learned the guitar at fifteen and sang in school talent shows and pagaents growing up.
Franc's first manager discovered her when a friend of Franc's who babysitted for her gave her one of Franc's cassette tape demos. Franc then went on to record proper demos in studio in Barbados and Miami, where she met her next manager. Soon after, she was in New York meeting label heads and auditioning. She finally signed with Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
, after months of negotiations, after singing an Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
song for them. Prior to signing with Jive, Franc had gone through three years of artist development and attended workshops on it. She had attended Queens College
Queen's College (Barbados)
Queen's College was established as a result of the recommendation of an Education Commission whose report suggested that Barbados required a first grade school for girls...
in Barbados. Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
recorded a song written by Livvi Franc, "Walking On Snow", Franc has also written for Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Cole
Cheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
, Marie Digby
Marié Digby
Marié Christina Digby is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist and actress. She is known for her acoustic cover version of Rihanna's "Umbrella", which attracted attention on YouTube in 2007...
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
,and Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
, and Cher Lloyd
Cher Lloyd
Cher Lloyd is a British singer and rapper from Malvern, Worcestershire. Lloyd rose to fame in 2010 when she participated in reality TV series The X Factor, to which she finished in fourth place. Shortly afterwards, Lloyd was signed by Simon Cowell to Sony Records subsidary SyCo Music, releasing...
.
2008-present: Debut album
Franc's debut single, "Now I'm That BitchNow I'm That Bitch
"Now I'm That Bitch" is a song by Barbadian British singer-songwriter Livvi Franc, featuring guest vocals from rapper Pitbull. The song was written and produced by Salaam Gibbs, while additional writing was done by Olivia Waithe and Armando Pérez. It was released as Franc's debut single on June 13,...
" was released in the summer of 2009. The song topped the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart and became a top 40 hit in New Zealand and the UK. Another song, "This is a Raid" appeared on the reboot of Melrose Place
Melrose Place (2009 TV series)
Melrose Place is an American television series broadcast on The CW Television Network from September 8, 2009 to April 13, 2010. The fifth series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise, it is an updated version of the 1990s Fox prime time drama of the same name, featuring a group of young adults...
.
Franc released her second single named Automatik
Automatik
"Automatik" is the second official single from the self-titled debut album by Barbadian British singer Livvi Franc. The song was announced to be released on Franc's official website on 17 September, and premiered on her official MySpace two days later...
. Produced by RedOne
RedOne
Nadir Khayat , known by the stage name RedOne, is a Moroccan producer and songwriter. Renowned for co-producing hit singles such as "Just Dance", "Poker Face", "LoveGame", "Bad Romance", "Alejandro" and "Judas", he is attributed by some as the key to Lady Gaga's success...
, the single peaked at #6 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart. During the end of 2010, the album was eventually shelved by Jive and so Livvi left Jive Records, however quickly signed to Beluga Heights
Beluga Heights Records
Beluga Heights Records is a Los Angeles-based record label founded by producer J. R. Rotem. The label is known for working with top musical artists such as Rihanna and Leona Lewis as well as discovering and developing new acts like Sean Kingston, Jason Derülo, Iyaz, Auburn and Mann.-History:The...
/Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
, where she is currently finishing her debut album. The album will be released in early 2012.
Artistry
Franc has listed Nelly FurtadoNelly Furtado
Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm Like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy...
, Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
, Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
as her biggest musical inspirations.
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK 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 ... |
NZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US Dance | |||||||||||
| 2008 | "Free" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 2009 | "Now I'm That Bitch Now I'm That Bitch "Now I'm That Bitch" is a song by Barbadian British singer-songwriter Livvi Franc, featuring guest vocals from rapper Pitbull. The song was written and produced by Salaam Gibbs, while additional writing was done by Olivia Waithe and Armando Pérez. It was released as Franc's debut single on June 13,... "(featuring Pitbull Pitbull (rapper) Armando Christian Pérez , better known by his stage name Pitbull, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. His first recorded performance was from the Lil Jon album Kings of Crunk in 2002, after which he released his debut album in 2004 titled M.I.A.M.I. under TVT Records... ) |
40 | 24 | 114 | 1 | |||||||||
| 2010 | "Automatik Automatik "Automatik" is the second official single from the self-titled debut album by Barbadian British singer Livvi Franc. The song was announced to be released on Franc's official website on 17 September, and premiered on her official MySpace two days later... " |
— | — | — | 6 | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released. | ||||||||||||||
Music videos
| Year | Single | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Free" | Laurent Briet |
| 2009 | "Now I'm That Bitch Now I'm That Bitch "Now I'm That Bitch" is a song by Barbadian British singer-songwriter Livvi Franc, featuring guest vocals from rapper Pitbull. The song was written and produced by Salaam Gibbs, while additional writing was done by Olivia Waithe and Armando Pérez. It was released as Franc's debut single on June 13,... " |
Sarah Chatfield |
| 2010 | "Automatik Automatik "Automatik" is the second official single from the self-titled debut album by Barbadian British singer Livvi Franc. The song was announced to be released on Franc's official website on 17 September, and premiered on her official MySpace two days later... " |
Malcom Jones |
Notable songwriting credits
- "Rain on Me" by Cheryl ColeCheryl ColeCheryl Ann Cole is an English pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress and model. She rose to fame in late 2002 when she auditioned for the reality television show Popstars: The Rivals on ITV. The programme announced that Cole had won a place as a member of the girl group, Girls...
(2009: 3 Words3 Words3 Words is the debut studio album from British pop singer Cheryl Cole, released on 23 October 2009 by Fascination Records. The project is Cole's first solo release following a break from releasing material with her band Girls Aloud whom after seven years have enjoyed five successful albums and...
) - "Walking on Snow" by Jordin SparksJordin SparksJordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
(2009: Battlefield) - "Trouble for Me" by Britney SpearsBritney SpearsBritney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
(2011: Femme FataleFemme Fatale (Britney Spears album)Femme Fatale is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Britney Spears. The album was released on March 25, 2011 by Jive Records . Recorded between 2009 and 2011, the album featured Spears working mainly alongside longtime collaborators Max Martin and Dr. Luke, who served as the...
) - "The War Is Over" by Kelly ClarksonKelly ClarksonKelly Brianne Clarkson is an American pop rock singer-songwriter and actress. Clarkson came into prominence after becoming the winner of the inaugural season of the television series American Idol in 2002 and would later become the runner-up in the television special World Idol in 2003.In 2003,...
(2011: StrongerStronger (Kelly Clarkson album)Stronger is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Kelly Clarkson. The album was released on October 21, 2011 in Australia and October 24, 2011 in the United States and the United Kingdom through RCA Records...
)
Other appearances
| Year | Single | Singer | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Overboard" | Marié Digby Marié Digby Marié Christina Digby is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist and actress. She is known for her acoustic cover version of Rihanna's "Umbrella", which attracted attention on YouTube in 2007... |
Breathing Underwater Breathing Underwater (Marie Digby album) - Digital Singles :The album's lead U.S. single "Avalanche" was released on April 13, 2009. On September 21, 2009. A music video for Avalanche was posted on Marié's official YouTube... |