Mica Paris
Encyclopedia
Mica Paris is an English
soul
singer, radio
and television
presenter
, and occasional actress. Her forename is pronounced Misha.
Gospel Joy). She abbreviated her forename to Micha, before adopting a "phonetic version". At the age of seventeen, she got her first break as a backing vocalist
with the UK band Hollywood Beyond
. Paris appeared on their album
, If (1985).
In 1988, she released her debut, platinum-selling album So Good with 4th & Broadway when she was 19 years old. "My One Temptation" was the lead single
. This led to a collaboration with American soul singer Will Downing
on a cover version
of a classic "Where Is the Love", made famous by Donny Hathaway
and Roberta Flack
in the early 1970s.
", written
especially for Paris by Prince
, which she recorded at his Paisley Park studios.
With Omar Lye-Fook
, a classically
trained musician
Paris recorded "I Should Have Known Better" in 1990. It was issued on the B-side
to "I Never Felt Like This Before". Paris also recorded with Anita Baker
, Bonnie Raitt
and Natalie Cole
on the album Nelson Mandela: An International Tribute for a Free South Africa
(1990), and provided the title track to Isaac Julien
's Young Soul Rebels
movie
soundtrack
the following year. She worked with the saxophonist
Courtney Pine
("Redemption Song" - 1992), the Stereo MCs
("Don't Let Up" - 1992) and Bobby Womack
("I Wish I'd Never Met You" - 1991).
Her third album was Whisper A Prayer (1993), which included the Top 20 singles "I Never Felt Like This Before" and "I Wanna Hold On To You". This followed by more collaboration work on album tracks with Guru
on his Jazzmatazz II ("Looking Through Darkness" in 1995), Mark Morrison
("Tears For You" - 1996) and Maxwell
("Mantra" - 1996).
Paris released the album Black Angel on Chrysalis
in 1998. It contained a cover version of U2
's "One
", and a duet with James Ingram
. Black Angel produced two more Top 20 singles in "Stay" and 'Carefree". More collaborations followed with Omar
("Confection" - 1994), Max Beesley
("High Vibes" - 1994), Dubversive ("Police & Thieves" - 1998), the Mobo
All Stars compilation album
in 1998, Mister Exe ("One Million Smiles" - 1998), Prince ("Just My Imagination" - 2000) and Boy George
("I Could Be Someone" - 2000). A collaboration with Pink Floyd
's David Gilmour
and Jools Holland
on Screamin' Jay Hawkins
' track, "I Put A Spell On You
" followed in 2001. The trio had regrouped on occasions to perform the hit.
A best of
collection was released in 1999.
(Touchstone Pictures
) soundtrack for, High Heels and Low Lifes
, which was later included in the Primal Screen soundtrack compilation album (2001).
In 2003, following three sellout nights at London's The Jazz Cafe, Paris released the Moby
sampling "Heart" with Seraphim Suite. Paris also joined Omar onstage for his gig at The Shepherds Bush Empire. She also contributed to the track "I Don't Understand" on Milk & Sugar
album. 2004 saw Paris feature as a guest on The New Inspirational Choir's album Inspirations along with Keisha White
and Jocelyn Brown
.
Paris collaborated on the track "Bodyswerve" by M-Gee in 2005. The track was successful in the club charts and can be found on many dance compilation albums.
In 2005, Paris released the album If You Could Love Me (Wounded Bird Records), featuring backing
from the Brecker Brothers
on the title track, with executive producer Andreas Neumann
and producer Bernard Grobman. Also in 2005, she released an album, Soul Classics, with executive producers Rick Blaskey and Andreas Neumann
. It was a collection of the most celebrated soul tracks chosen by listeners of her BBC Radio 2 programme Soul Solutions. She travelled to Australia for a few months to do some live performances at the Basement in Sydney. Paris can also be found duetting on the track "Run" with Jimmy Barnes
on his 2005 Double Happiness album.
Paris collaborated with Lemar
on the track "Can't You See" on his album The Truth About Love in 2006. In February 2008 she released the duet "Secret Lovers" with Alexander O'Neal
. This was followed by a residency at the Indigo 02.
wrote Paris' first single, "Baby Come Back Now".
Paris released the second single from Born Again, on 17 August 2009. The track "The Hardest Thing" was remix
ed by Stonebridge, Almighty and 2Darc. Paris performed at various venues prior to the release from the album in March 2010 of the title track "Born Again".
Paris was the special guest of Boyz II Men
on their 20th anniversary UK tour in May 2010.
Mica Paris will be Very Special Guest of Michael Bolton on his UK tour dates in November & December 2010.
and narrated several music documentaries for the station.
She also presented the 2002 Channel 4
television documentary The Gospel of Gospel
which revealed the influence of the black American church tradition on pop music
. Produced and directed by David Upshal
, it featured contributions from Ray Charles
, Isaac Hayes
, B. B. King
, Al Green
, Chaka Khan
, Alexander O'Neal
, Edwin Hawkins
, The Blind Boys of Alabama
and Mary Mary
. Furthermore, she broadcast a two-part show, 'Purple Reign: The Prince Story', on BBC Radio 2 which covered the entirety of the American artist's controversial career and featured interviews with George Clinton, Chaka Khan and Jimmy Jam.
In 2005 she appeared on week three of the ITV reality show, Hit Me, Baby, One More Time, which was won by Carol Decker. The same year she made an appearance in, and was the winner of, week one in the second series of Come Dine With Me
. From 2007, she was a co-host for two seasons of the popular consumer style programme, What Not to Wear for BBC Television
. Other television presenting has followed with Paris being and expert judge on Gok Wan
's Miss Naked Beauty
for Channel 4 and ITV's CelebAir
.
On 8 July 2008, Paris, her mother, father and sister appeared as The Paris Brigade on series 4 episode 9 of Gordon Ramsay
's The F Word, as part of the celebrity brigades series.
Paris has continued to appear on a variety of television program
mes-–from Channel 5's news talk show, The Wright Stuff
, ITV1
's all-female panel talk show, Loose Women
, The Michael Ball Show
and BBC One
's Strictly Come Dancing
.
shows, Mama I Want to Sing and Sweet Lorraine.
In October 2004, Paris took part in the UK tour of the stage play
, The Vagina Monologues
.
In 2007, she played the part of Amelia Walker, a (fictitious) American jazz singer, in a drama made for television, Marple: At Bertram's Hotel; during the drama the character gives a concert at the Royal Albert Hall
, and also sings with Louis Armstrong
's band in the hotel dining room whilst both were guests at the hotel.
a venue owned and operated by registered charity Inner City Music Ltd.
, Paula Wallen, was also a pop music singer. She was known as Alysha Warren, and recorded in the late 1980s to the mid 1990s. She is now working as a psalmist under her original name. Paris is the cousin
of the former World Champion British boxer
, Chris Eubank
.
Paris has two daughters; Monet (born 1991) and Rupert(Russia) (born June 2006). In 2008 Monet began working on her own debut album.
Paris has been an ambassador of Metropolitan Police's Operation Trident since 2001, when her brother was shot dead whilst at work.
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...
soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer, radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
presenter
Presenter
A presenter, or host , is a person or organization responsible for running an event. A museum or university, for example, may be the presenter or host of an exhibit. Likewise, a master of ceremonies is a person that hosts or presents a show...
, and occasional actress. Her forename is pronounced Misha.
Beginnings
Paris' roots are in soul and gospel music. She grew up singing in her grandparents' church and by her mid teens was making regular appearances with 'The Spirit of Watts' gospel choir (with whom she featured on the 1985 EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Gospel Joy). She abbreviated her forename to Micha, before adopting a "phonetic version". At the age of seventeen, she got her first break as a backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
with the UK band Hollywood Beyond
Hollywood Beyond
Hollywood Beyond was a British pop group from Birmingham, England.Hollywood Beyond was more or less a one-man band, the brainchild of singer-songwriter Mark Rogers. Session guitarist Matt 'American' Bianco played on the first single, "What's the Colour of Money", which reached #7 on the UK Singles...
. Paris appeared on their album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, If (1985).
In 1988, she released her debut, platinum-selling album So Good with 4th & Broadway when she was 19 years old. "My One Temptation" was the lead single
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...
. This led to a collaboration with American soul singer Will Downing
Will Downing
Will Downing , is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Downing is known in the contemporary jazz and R&B music genres for his rich baritone vocals, and his interpretations of R&B and pop classics that stretch back to the early 1980s...
on 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 a classic "Where Is the Love", made famous by Donny Hathaway
Donny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
and Roberta Flack
Roberta Flack
Roberta Flack is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who is notable for jazz, soul, R&B, and folk music...
in the early 1970s.
The 1990s
The follow-up album, Contribution was released in 1991. This extended Paris' soul and gospel influences to bring in hip-hop and house music and featured the track "If I Love U 2 NiteIf I Love U 2nite
"If I Love U 2nite" is Mayte's solo debut, and the first single from her album, Child of the Sun. Mayte's narration of her love story, in which she and her lover's first date was "in bed", and she asks him if he'll love her forever. The song was suggested to be about Prince, whom she was dating at...
", written
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...
especially for Paris by Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, which she recorded at his Paisley Park studios.
With Omar Lye-Fook
Omar Lye-Fook
Omar Lye-Fook and known as Omar, is an internationally acclaimed British soul singer, songwriter and musician. Omar grew up in Canterbury, Kent. He learned his craft classically, playing the trumpet, piano and percussion. Omar also spent two years at Chetham's School of Music in Manchester, and...
, a classically
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
trained musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
Paris recorded "I Should Have Known Better" in 1990. It was issued on the B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to "I Never Felt Like This Before". Paris also recorded with Anita Baker
Anita Baker
Anita Baker is an American R&B/soul jazz singer-songwriter. To date, Baker has won eight Grammy Awards, and has four platinum albums and two gold albums to her credit....
, Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
and Natalie Cole
Natalie Cole
Natalie Maria Cole , is an American singer, songwriter and performer. The daughter of jazz legend Nat King Cole, Cole rode to musical success in the mid-1970s as an R&B artist with the hits "This Will Be ", "Inseparable" and "Our Love"...
on the album Nelson Mandela: An International Tribute for a Free South Africa
Nelson Mandela: An International Tribute for a Free South Africa
Nelson Mandela: An International Tribute for a Free South Africa was a popular-music concert that took place on April 16 1990 at Wembley Stadium, London, and was broadcast to more than 60 countries. It was held two months after the release of Nelson Mandela from a South African apartheid prison and...
(1990), and provided the title track to Isaac Julien
Isaac Julien
Isaac Julien is an installation artist and filmmaker.-Biography:Julien graduated from St Martin's School of Art in 1985, where he studied painting and fine art film...
's Young Soul Rebels
Young Soul Rebels
Young Soul Rebels is a 1991 critically acclaimed coming-of-age/drama British film written by Isaac Julien and Paul Hallam, and directed by Juilen. The film examines the interaction between youth cultural movements during the late 1970s in the UK. Namely skinheads, punks and soulboys along with the...
movie
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
the following year. She worked with the saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Courtney Pine
Courtney Pine
Courtney Pine CBE is an English jazz musician. At school he studied the clarinet, although he is known primarily for his saxophone playing. Pine is a multi-instrumentalist, also playing the flute, clarinet, bass Clarinet and keyboards...
("Redemption Song" - 1992), the Stereo MCs
Stereo MCs
Stereo MCs are an English electronic dance group, which formed in Clapham, London in 1985. They are best known worldwide for their 1992 transatlantic Top 20 hit single, "Connected"...
("Don't Let Up" - 1992) and Bobby Womack
Bobby Womack
Robert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...
("I Wish I'd Never Met You" - 1991).
Her third album was Whisper A Prayer (1993), which included the Top 20 singles "I Never Felt Like This Before" and "I Wanna Hold On To You". This followed by more collaboration work on album tracks with Guru
Guru (rapper)
Keith Edward Elam , better known by his stage name Guru, was an American emcee and member of the hip-hop duo Gang Starr, along with DJ Premier. He was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts...
on his Jazzmatazz II ("Looking Through Darkness" in 1995), Mark Morrison
Mark Morrison
Mark Morrison is a British R&B singer. He was the most successful UK R&B singer of the mid-90s and the first black male solo artist to reach number one in the 90s. His single "Return of the Mack" became a #1 or Top 10 hit in several European countries in 1996...
("Tears For You" - 1996) and Maxwell
Maxwell (musician)
Maxwell , is an American R&B, funk and neo soul musician. He played an important role in the development of the soul sub-genre, neo-soul.-Early life:...
("Mantra" - 1996).
Paris released the album Black Angel on Chrysalis
Chrysalis Records
Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis...
in 1998. It contained a cover version of 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...
's "One
One (U2 song)
"One" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1991 album Achtung Baby, and it was released as the record's third single in March 1992. It was recorded at three recording studios, Hansa Ton Studios, Elsinore, and Windmill Lane Studios...
", and a duet with James Ingram
James Ingram
James Ingram is an American soul musician. He is best known as a vocalist. He is also a self-taught musician who plays piano, guitar, bass, drums and keyboards...
. Black Angel produced two more Top 20 singles in "Stay" and 'Carefree". More collaborations followed with Omar
Omar
Omar can refer to:-Name:* Omar , including a list of people with the given name or surname Omar, Omer or Umar as well-Places:* Omar, Konar, a village in Afghanistan...
("Confection" - 1994), Max Beesley
Max Beesley
Maxton Gig Beesley Jr. , known simply as Max Beesley, is an English actor and musician.Beesley rose to fame for his role of Andy Simpson in Every Woman, Every Man from 1993 to 1998, and has since appeared in a variety of television shows including Bodies, Hotel Babylon, London Ink, Survivors and...
("High Vibes" - 1994), Dubversive ("Police & Thieves" - 1998), the Mobo
Mobo
Mobo can refer to:*Shorthand for the motherboard in computers and other electronic equipment*Shorthand for a mobile [network] operator or MNO *Shorthand for a mobile bohemian, a person who embraces mobile technology...
All Stars compilation album
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...
in 1998, Mister Exe ("One Million Smiles" - 1998), Prince ("Just My Imagination" - 2000) and Boy George
Boy George
Boy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
("I Could Be Someone" - 2000). A collaboration with Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
's David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
and 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...
on Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Jalacy Hawkins , best known as Screamin' Jay Hawkins was an American musician, singer, and actor...
' track, "I Put A Spell On You
I Put a Spell on You
"I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, whose recording was selected as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It was also ranked #320 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.Although Hawkins'...
" followed in 2001. The trio had regrouped on occasions to perform the hit.
A best of
Greatest hits
A greatest hits album is a music compilation album of successful, previously released songs by a particular artist or band...
collection was released in 1999.
2000 - 2009
Two years later Paris lent her voice to Walt Disney PicturesWalt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
(Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Touchstone Pictures is an American film production label and is one of several film labels of the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group. Established in 1984, its releases typically feature more mature themes and darker tones than those that are released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner.Touchstone...
) soundtrack for, High Heels and Low Lifes
High Heels and Low Lifes
High Heels and Low Lifes is a 2001 action comedy-drama film starring Minnie Driver, Mary McCormack, Kevin McNally, Mark Williams, Danny Dyer and Michael Gambon. It was directed by Mel Smith and written by Kim Fuller and Georgia Pritchett...
, which was later included in the Primal Screen soundtrack compilation album (2001).
In 2003, following three sellout nights at London's The Jazz Cafe, Paris released the Moby
Moby
Richard Melville Hall , better known by his stage name Moby, is an American musician, DJ, and photographer. He is known mainly for his sample-based electronic music and his outspoken liberal political views, including his support of veganism and animal rights.Moby gained attention in the early...
sampling "Heart" with Seraphim Suite. Paris also joined Omar onstage for his gig at The Shepherds Bush Empire. She also contributed to the track "I Don't Understand" on Milk & Sugar
Milk & Sugar
Milk & Sugar are German housemusic producers and record label owners Mike Milk and Steven Sugar...
album. 2004 saw Paris feature as a guest on The New Inspirational Choir's album Inspirations along with Keisha White
Keisha White
Keisha White is an English R&B singer. She has released two albums so far, Seventeen, which was released in 2005, and her latest album Out Of My Hands, which was released on 3 July 2006.-Biography:...
and Jocelyn Brown
Jocelyn Brown
Jocelyn Lorette Brown is an American R&B and dance music singer...
.
Paris collaborated on the track "Bodyswerve" by M-Gee in 2005. The track was successful in the club charts and can be found on many dance compilation albums.
In 2005, Paris released the album If You Could Love Me (Wounded Bird Records), featuring backing
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
from the Brecker Brothers
Brecker Brothers
The Brecker Brothers was the musical duo of Michael and Randy Brecker , who recorded commercially successful jazz fusion albums together in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. They had a notable hit single with "East River" in 1979...
on the title track, with executive producer Andreas Neumann
Andreas Neumann
Andreas Neumann is an entrepreneur, film producer, record producer and photographer. He is commonly referred to by the nickname, Dre....
and producer Bernard Grobman. Also in 2005, she released an album, Soul Classics, with executive producers Rick Blaskey and Andreas Neumann
Andreas Neumann
Andreas Neumann is an entrepreneur, film producer, record producer and photographer. He is commonly referred to by the nickname, Dre....
. It was a collection of the most celebrated soul tracks chosen by listeners of her BBC Radio 2 programme Soul Solutions. She travelled to Australia for a few months to do some live performances at the Basement in Sydney. Paris can also be found duetting on the track "Run" with Jimmy Barnes
Jimmy Barnes
James Dixon Swan , better known as Jimmy Barnes, is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer-songwriter. His father Jim Swan was a prizefighter and his older brother John Swan is also a rock singer. It was actually John who had encouraged and taught Jim how to sing as he wasn't really interested at...
on his 2005 Double Happiness album.
Paris collaborated with Lemar
Lemar
Lemar Obika , professionally known simply as Lemar, is an English recording artist. Obika has had a run of chart success in the UK, Europe and Australia...
on the track "Can't You See" on his album The Truth About Love in 2006. In February 2008 she released the duet "Secret Lovers" with Alexander O'Neal
Alexander O'Neal
Alexander O'Neal is an American R&B singer. He is best-known for the songs "If You Were Here Tonight" and "Fake", and the duets with Cherrelle, "Saturday Love" and "Never Knew Love Like This".-Biography:...
. This was followed by a residency at the Indigo 02.
Born Again
Paris' latest album, Born Again, was released in June 2009. She embarked on a nationwide tour, which included sell out dates at the Jazz Cafe in February 2009 to showcase her upcoming material. The album was produced by Brian Rawling. James MorrisonJames Morrison (singer)
James Morrison is a BRIT Award-winning English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Rugby, Warwickshire. In 2006, his debut single "You Give Me Something" became a hit in Europe, Australia, and Japan, peaking in the top five in the UK and New Zealand. His debut album, Undiscovered, debuted at the...
wrote Paris' first single, "Baby Come Back Now".
Paris released the second single from Born Again, on 17 August 2009. The track "The Hardest Thing" was remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
ed by Stonebridge, Almighty and 2Darc. Paris performed at various venues prior to the release from the album in March 2010 of the title track "Born Again".
Paris was the special guest of Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
on their 20th anniversary UK tour in May 2010.
Mica Paris will be Very Special Guest of Michael Bolton on his UK tour dates in November & December 2010.
Television and radio
Although she remained behind the microphone, in 2002 Paris moved to the presenter's chair, when she hosted the 'Soul Solutions' programme on BBC Radio 2BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
and narrated several music documentaries for the station.
She also presented the 2002 Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
television documentary The Gospel of Gospel
The Gospel of Gospel
The Gospel Of Gospel is a 2001 TV documentary made by independent production company Lion Television for Channel 4 in the UK. It was presented by the singer Mica Paris. It was produced and directed by David Upshal....
which revealed the influence of the black American church tradition on pop music
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...
. Produced and directed by David Upshal
David Upshal
David Upshal is an Executive Producer for Lion Television, one of Britain's largest independent television companies.His work includes Victorian Farm, Victorian Pharmacy , Edwardian Farm , Tales from the Green Valley , The True Face of War , Days That Shook The World , Gordon Brown's Missing...
, it featured contributions from Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson , known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records...
, Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
, B. B. King
B. B. King
Riley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M...
, Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
, Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
, Alexander O'Neal
Alexander O'Neal
Alexander O'Neal is an American R&B singer. He is best-known for the songs "If You Were Here Tonight" and "Fake", and the duets with Cherrelle, "Saturday Love" and "Never Knew Love Like This".-Biography:...
, Edwin Hawkins
Edwin Hawkins
Edwin Hawkins is a Grammy Award-winning American gospel and R&B musician, pianist, choir master, composer and arranger. He is one of the originators of the urban contemporary gospel sound. He are best known for his arrangement of "Oh Happy Day" , which was included on the Songs of the Century list...
, The Blind Boys of Alabama
The Blind Boys of Alabama
The Blind Boys of Alabama are a gospel group from Alabama that first formed at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind at Talladega, Alabama in 1939. The three main vocalists of the group and their drummer/percussionist are all blind....
and Mary Mary
Mary Mary
Mary Mary is an American gospel music duo, consisting of sisters Erica Atkins-Campbell and Tina Atkins-Campbell . The duo are often credited along with Kirk Franklin for broadening the fan base of urban contemporary gospel in the 2000s by introducing elements of soul music, hip hop, funk and jazz...
. Furthermore, she broadcast a two-part show, 'Purple Reign: The Prince Story', on BBC Radio 2 which covered the entirety of the American artist's controversial career and featured interviews with George Clinton, Chaka Khan and Jimmy Jam.
In 2005 she appeared on week three of the ITV reality show, Hit Me, Baby, One More Time, which was won by Carol Decker. The same year she made an appearance in, and was the winner of, week one in the second series of Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...
. From 2007, she was a co-host for two seasons of the popular consumer style programme, What Not to Wear for 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...
. Other television presenting has followed with Paris being and expert judge on Gok Wan
Gok Wan
Gok Wan is a British fashion consultant, author and television presenter of British Chinese heritage. He is known for his appearances on many television programmes , for providing fashion advice to celebrities and for contributing his views to fashion magazines published internationally.-Early...
's Miss Naked Beauty
Miss Naked Beauty
Miss Naked Beauty is a short-lived, six-episode reality television show produced by Maverick Television, aired on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom....
for Channel 4 and ITV's CelebAir
CelebAir
CelebAir is a reality TV series in which 11 celebrities performed the duties of cabin crew and check-in attendants. The series is presented by Angellica Bell and aired on ITV2 from 2 September 2008 until 23 October 2008, when Lisa Maffia was declared the winner.For the show, Monarch Airlines...
.
On 8 July 2008, Paris, her mother, father and sister appeared as The Paris Brigade on series 4 episode 9 of Gordon Ramsay
Gordon Ramsay
Gordon James Ramsay, OBE is a Scottish chef, television personality and restaurateur. He has been awarded 13 Michelin stars....
's The F Word, as part of the celebrity brigades series.
Paris has continued to appear on a variety of television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
mes-–from Channel 5's news talk show, The Wright Stuff
The Wright Stuff
The Wright Stuff is a British television chat show, hosted by Matthew Wright, and currently airing on Channel 5 each weekday morning from 9:15 to 11:10am....
, ITV1
ITV1
ITV1 is a generic brand that is used by twelve franchises of the British ITV Network in the English regions, Wales, southern Scotland , the Isle of Man and the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey. The ITV1 brand was introduced by Carlton and Granada in 2001, alongside the regional identities of their...
's all-female panel talk show, Loose Women
Loose Women
Loose Women is a British lunchtime television programme, first broadcast in 1999 on ITV. It consists of a panel of four women who interview celebrities and discuss topical issues, ranging from daily politics and current affairs, to celebrity gossip...
, The Michael Ball Show
The Michael Ball Show
The Michael Ball Show was a British topical entertainment show broadcast on ITV and ITV1 HD/STV HD in 2010. It featured entertainment, discussion and showbiz glamour with the occasional musical performance from Michael himself, often on the Friday edition of the show...
and BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
's Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing (Series 4)
The fourth series of Strictly Come Dancing started on 7 October 2006 and ended on 23 December 2006. It was presented by Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly, and the winner was Mark Ramprakash along with his dancing partner Karen Hardy.-The show:...
.
Theatre
In 1993, Paris starred in two West EndWest End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
shows, Mama I Want to Sing and Sweet Lorraine.
In October 2004, Paris took part in the UK tour of the stage play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
, The Vagina Monologues
The Vagina Monologues
The Vagina Monologues is an episodic play written by Eve Ensler which ran at the Off Broadway Westside Theatre after a limited run at AFRICA in 1996. Ensler originally starred in the production which was produced by David Stone, Nina Essman, Dan Markley, The Araca Group, Willa Shalit, Mike Skipper...
.
In 2007, she played the part of Amelia Walker, a (fictitious) American jazz singer, in a drama made for television, Marple: At Bertram's Hotel; during the drama the character gives a concert at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
, and also sings with Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
's band in the hotel dining room whilst both were guests at the hotel.
Author
While presenting What Not To Wear, Paris encountered many woman whose stories touched her. She began to examine her own life and choices, and was compelled to tell her story in a bid to inspire confidence and self-esteem to those woman and others. Her book Beautiful Within: Finding Happiness and Confidence in Your Own Skin was published by Simon & Shuster UK; ISBN 1847370853. The paperback was released in August 2008.Charity Work
She has also designed a pillow-case for ByteNight a charity event organized to raise funds for the NCH and youth homelessness. Mica is the patron for the Space For Music project, the project to renovate Band on the WallBand on the Wall
Band on the Wall is a live music venue at 25 Swan Street in the Northern Quarter area of Manchester city centre.-Early history:The building dates back to around 1862 when a local brewery, the McKenna Brothers, built it as the flagship pub of their operation. It was called the George and Dragon; the...
a venue owned and operated by registered charity Inner City Music Ltd.
Awards
2003 saw Paris being presented with the Gold Badge Award by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters for her special contribution to the British entertainment industry. In 2004 she was in the Top 10 list of the 100 Great Black Britons, which was compiled to celebrate the achievements and contributions made by the British Black community over the centuries.Personal life
Paris' sisterSibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
, Paula Wallen, was also a pop music singer. She was known as Alysha Warren, and recorded in the late 1980s to the mid 1990s. She is now working as a psalmist under her original name. Paris is the cousin
Cousin
In kinship terminology, a cousin is a relative with whom one shares one or more common ancestors. The term is rarely used when referring to a relative in one's immediate family where there is a more specific term . The term "blood relative" can be used synonymously and establishes the existence of...
of the former World Champion British boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
, Chris Eubank
Chris Eubank
Chris Eubank, Lord of the Manor of Brighton is a retired British boxer who held world titles at middleweight and super middleweight...
.
Paris has two daughters; Monet (born 1991) and Rupert(Russia) (born June 2006). In 2008 Monet began working on her own debut album.
Paris has been an ambassador of Metropolitan Police's Operation Trident since 2001, when her brother was shot dead whilst at work.
Albums
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Singles | ||
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| UK 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... |
U.S. Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
U.S. R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
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| 1988 | So Good
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6 | 86 | 29 | "My One Temptation" "Like Dreamers Do" (featuring Courtney Pine Courtney Pine Courtney Pine CBE is an English jazz musician. At school he studied the clarinet, although he is known primarily for his saxophone playing. Pine is a multi-instrumentalist, also playing the flute, clarinet, bass Clarinet and keyboards... ) "Breathe Life Into Me" "Where Is The Love" (with Will Downing Will Downing Will Downing , is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Downing is known in the contemporary jazz and R&B music genres for his rich baritone vocals, and his interpretations of R&B and pop classics that stretch back to the early 1980s... ) |
| 1990 | Contribution
Island Records Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group... |
26 | — | 58 | "Contribution" "South Of The River" "If I Love U 2 Nite" |
| 1993 | Whisper A Prayer
Island Records Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group... |
20 | — | 99 | "I Never Felt Like This Before" "I Wanna Hold On To You" "Two In A Million" "Whisper A Prayer" |
| 1998 | Black Angel
Cooltempo Records Cooltempo Records is a subsidiary of EMI. The label released albums by artists such as Kenny Thomas, Milli Vanilli, Adeva, Shara Nelson, Mica Paris or Innocence.-History:... / Chrysalis Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records was a British record label that was created in 1969. The name was both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis... |
59 | — | — | "One" "Stay" "Black Angel" |
| 1999 | The Best Of Mica Paris
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| 2005 | If You Could Love Me
Wounded Bird Records Wounded Bird Records is a CD only, re-issue record label, that was founded in 1998 in Guilderland, New York. They re-release lesser known albums from both popular and lesser known artists, including Deborah Harry, Chic, David Blue, Marilyn Martin, Gordon Haskell, Jon Anderson, Adrian Belew, Ellen... |
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| 2005 | Soul Classics
Sanctuary Records Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and a subsidiary of Universal Music Group. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest independent music management company in the world... |
— | — | — | "Tracks of My Tears" |
| 2009 | Born Again
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Singles
| Year | Title | Album | Chart positions | ||||||
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| 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 ... |
U.S. 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... |
U.S. R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
U.S. AC Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States... |
U.S. Dance Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
IRE Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
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| 1989 | "Where Is the Love" (with Will Downing Will Downing Will Downing , is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Downing is known in the contemporary jazz and R&B music genres for his rich baritone vocals, and his interpretations of R&B and pop classics that stretch back to the early 1980s... ) |
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| 1991 | "If I Love U 2 Nite If I Love U 2nite "If I Love U 2nite" is Mayte's solo debut, and the first single from her album, Child of the Sun. Mayte's narration of her love story, in which she and her lover's first date was "in bed", and she asks him if he'll love her forever. The song was suggested to be about Prince, whom she was dating at... " |
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| "Young Soul Rebels Young Soul Rebels Young Soul Rebels is a 1991 critically acclaimed coming-of-age/drama British film written by Isaac Julien and Paul Hallam, and directed by Juilen. The film examines the interaction between youth cultural movements during the late 1970s in the UK. Namely skinheads, punks and soulboys along with the... " |
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| 1993 | "I Never Felt Like This Before" | Whisper A Prayer | |
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| 1995 | "One One (U2 song) "One" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1991 album Achtung Baby, and it was released as the record's third single in March 1992. It was recorded at three recording studios, Hansa Ton Studios, Elsinore, and Windmill Lane Studios... " |
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| 2005 | "Tracks of My Tears The Tracks of My Tears "The Tracks of My Tears" is a much recorded love ballad introduced in 1965 by The Miracles on Motown's' Tamla label. This song is considered to be among the finest recordings of The Miracles, and it sold over one million records within two years, making it The Miracles' fourth million-selling... " |
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Other appearances
| Year | Song | Album |
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| 2002 | "I Put a Spell on You I Put a Spell on You "I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, whose recording was selected as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. It was also ranked #320 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.Although Hawkins'... " (with David Gilmour David Gilmour David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of... ) |
Jools Holland's Big Band Rhythm & Blues |
See also
- List of black Britons
- 100 Great Black Britons100 Great Black BritonsThe 100 Great Black Britons list was compiled as a response to the BBC's 100 Greatest Britons debate of .Patrick Vernon, founder of black heritage website Every Generation, pointed out that no black people had made it to the top 100, saying that this was due in part to many people being unaware of...
- List of performers on Top of the Pops
- List of former Island Records artists
- List of stage names
External links
- Official website
- Mica Paris interview by Pete Lewis for 'Blues & Soul', June 2009
- Mica Paris interview by Lisa Verrico for BMI Voyager magazine, November 2007
- http://books.simonandschuster.co.uk/Beautiful-Within/Mica-Paris/9781847370853