Mary Kiani
Encyclopedia
Mary Kiani, usually spelled Märy Kiani on her records, is a Scottish
singer (born Mary McKloskey on 27 March 1969), who first had hit
song
s as vocalist for dance music
act The Time Frequency
(TTF) in the early 1990s and later a solo career. Before TTF, Kiani was a session musician
and has toured with Donny Osmond
and performed vocals on The Simpsons
' Yellow Album
.
, peaked at #8 in November 1993. Other charting singles were "New Emotion" #36, "The Ultimate High" / "Power Zone" #17, "Such A Phantasy" #25 and "Dreamscape '94" #32. Kiani featured as vocalist on TTF songs; "Real Love", "New Emotion", "Supernature", "Higher Than Heaven", "The Ultimate High", "Real Love '93", "Real Love 2002", and "New Emotion 2000".
recording contract
with Mercury Records
. She topped numerous club charts and her early singles
all made the UK chart. "When I Call Your Name" made #18, the double A-side release "I Give It All To You" / "I Imagine" peaked at #35, and was followed into the charts by the cover of "Let the Music Play" which reached #19. Her fourth release "100%", her last single to be remixed by Motiv8
was another hit at #23, and "With or Without You" (a U2
cover) peaked at #46. All the singles were taken off her album Long Hard Funky Dreams
, which was commercially less successful.
Kiani then disappeared from the music scene for a while resurfacing with an Australia
n only single "Wrap You Up" in 1999, released on Jam Records. She contributed a track called "No Frills Love" to a few dance compilations
, the main ones being The 2002 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Official CD and Gayfest 2003. In the late 1990s, Kiani opened the Glasgow
nightclub 'Slave' in the city's Clyde Street.
She is still a popular performer on the gay club circuit. She returned in 2006 with her album, The Sydney Sessions, which initially received an Australia only release. The album became available on iTunes, alongside the 2005 remix of "Let the Music Play". She toured Australia in support of the album, including a performance at the 2006 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
, where she performed "I Imagine".
She recorded a cover version
of "After All I Live My Life" for Frankie Miller
's tribute album
, which was released in 2003 on Eagle Records
. Kiani toured in Australia during 2007, as well as gave birth to her second child. Kiani's single, "Anything Is Possible", was released in October that year, through the Pumpin' UK label.
Recently Kiani's older hits have experienced a resurgence in popularity, beginning with her single "100%", which appeared on Japan's We Love Tech Para: Mission Style II. Kiani is now based in Sydney, Australia and following a singing career in her new home, appeared at The Midnight Shift birthday party in 2009, and performed at Slide in October 2009 with her 'Live and Intimate Show'.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
singer (born Mary McKloskey on 27 March 1969), who first had hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s as vocalist for dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
act The Time Frequency
The Time Frequency
The Time Frequency are a techno group from Scotland.Founded by Jon Campbell and Steve Nelson in 1988 as Thru The Fire, a synthpop band, before renaming themselves The Time Frequency, they were one of Scotland's first techno groups...
(TTF) in the early 1990s and later a solo career. Before TTF, Kiani was 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 has toured with Donny Osmond
Donny Osmond
Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...
and performed vocals on The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
' Yellow Album
The Yellow Album
The Yellow Album is The Simpsons second album of originally recorded songs, released as a follow up to the 1990 album The Simpsons Sing the Blues. Though it was released in 1998, it had been recorded years earlier, after the success of the first album...
.
The Time Frequency
"Real Love", the group's only Top 10 hit in the UK Singles ChartUK 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 ...
, peaked at #8 in November 1993. Other charting singles were "New Emotion" #36, "The Ultimate High" / "Power Zone" #17, "Such A Phantasy" #25 and "Dreamscape '94" #32. Kiani featured as vocalist on TTF songs; "Real Love", "New Emotion", "Supernature", "Higher Than Heaven", "The Ultimate High", "Real Love '93", "Real Love 2002", and "New Emotion 2000".
Solo career
After leaving the Time Frequency, Kiani signed a soloSolo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
. She topped numerous club charts and her early singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
all made the UK chart. "When I Call Your Name" made #18, the double A-side release "I Give It All To You" / "I Imagine" peaked at #35, and was followed into the charts by the cover of "Let the Music Play" which reached #19. Her fourth release "100%", her last single to be remixed by Motiv8
Steve Rodway
Steve Rodway , also known under the alias Motiv 8 or Motiv8, is an Electronic dance music record producer, songwriter, remixer and sound engineer....
was another hit at #23, and "With or Without You" (a U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
cover) peaked at #46. All the singles were taken off her album Long Hard Funky Dreams
Long Hard Funky Dreams
Long Hard Funky Dreams is the title of Scottish pop singer Mary Kiani's debut album and album track from it.The album was released on January 27, 1997...
, which was commercially less successful.
Kiani then disappeared from the music scene for a while resurfacing with an Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n only single "Wrap You Up" in 1999, released on Jam Records. She contributed a track called "No Frills Love" to a few dance compilations
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
, the main ones being The 2002 Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras Official CD and Gayfest 2003. In the late 1990s, Kiani opened the Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
nightclub 'Slave' in the city's Clyde Street.
She is still a popular performer on the gay club circuit. She returned in 2006 with her album, The Sydney Sessions, which initially received an Australia only release. The album became available on iTunes, alongside the 2005 remix of "Let the Music Play". She toured Australia in support of the album, including a performance at the 2006 Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
The Sydney Mardi Gras is an annual LGBTQI pride parade and festival in Sydney, Australia, and draws in thousands of visitors from around Australia and overseas...
, where she performed "I Imagine".
She recorded a cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of "After All I Live My Life" for Frankie Miller
Frankie Miller
Frankie Miller is a Scottish rock singer-songwriter, who had his biggest success in the 1970s. Miller was raised at Colvend Street, Glasgow with his parents, Cathy and Frank, and elder sisters Letty and Anne. Miller attended Sacred Heart Primary school. He was an altar boy in Sacred Heart Chapel...
's tribute album
Tribute album
A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of songs or instrumental compositions. Its concept may be either various artists making a tribute to a single artist, a single artist making a tribute to various artists, or a single artist making a tribute to another single artist.There...
, which was released in 2003 on Eagle Records
Eagle Records
Eagle Records is a leading independent record label, a division of Edel Records. Also exists as Eagle Rock Entertainment.In the United Kingdom the label's managing director is Lindsay Brown, former manager of Van Halen, while in the United States the head is Mike Carden, formerly of CMC...
. Kiani toured in Australia during 2007, as well as gave birth to her second child. Kiani's single, "Anything Is Possible", was released in October that year, through the Pumpin' UK label.
Recently Kiani's older hits have experienced a resurgence in popularity, beginning with her single "100%", which appeared on Japan's We Love Tech Para: Mission Style II. Kiani is now based in Sydney, Australia and following a singing career in her new home, appeared at The Midnight Shift birthday party in 2009, and performed at Slide in October 2009 with her 'Live and Intimate Show'.