Vanessa Quinones
Encyclopedia
Vanessa Contenay-Quinones (born in Paris, France; aka Vanessa Quinones, also known under the musical alias Vanessa St. James as part of the dueting Vanessa St James and Lou Reed [Sunday Morning 2004]) is a London-based singer-songwriter.
in her early years before returning to Paris (releasing her first record by the age of 16). After that, she moved to England to start her music career. She settled first in Brighton
, absorbing the dance music
culture and starting up Latin infused beats and samples pop duo Espiritu with Chris Taplin, before moving to London.
In the mid '90's she co-wrote/co-produced and recorded as the primary member of Espiritu, assisted by former Frazier Chorus member Taplin. Two Espiritu albums and six singles were released in this time, the album 'Always' being a Japan (EMI Japan) only release and featured the UK and Japanese hit single 'Always Something There To Remind Me'. The second album 'Another Life' was released in the UK by Heavenly/Deconstruction-BMG and in Japan by EMI. In 2003, she co-founded the band Vanessa and the O's
alongside Smashing Pumpkins co-founding member James Iha
, Popsicle's Andreas Mattson and Niclas Frisk of Atomic Swing
releasing debut album 'La Ballade d'O' in 2005. In 2009/10 she started work on the 60's French pop inspired solo project 'Allez Pop!' working with Alex Rizzo and Elliot Ireland of Skeewif in London releasing the album Vanessa presents Allez Pop! to rave reviews.
with Heavenly Records
(then in a distribution deal with Arista Records
, subsidiary of Sony Music
) and released a number of singles
as Espiritu. Their debut single, "Francisca" (remixed by Farley & Heller) was followed by three UK Top 50 entries: "Conquistador" (remixed by The Sabres of Paradise
), "Los Americanos" (remixed by Mark Stent
), and "Bonita Manana".
An album called Manifesto was announced, but did not appear, due to Sony ending its distribution deal with Heavenly. However a remix of the Bacharach
and David
song, "Always Something There to Remind Me" (credited to Tin Tin Out
and featuring Espiritu), went to #14 on the UK single charts, while the original version of the single (without Tin Tin Out) reached #1 in Japan. The Manifesto tracks were then licensed to the Japanese Toshiba-EMI
label, and the first Sony Espiritu album, retitled Always..., was subsequently released in Japan in 1995.
Drum and bass
influences were to be found on the next three (more underground) Espiritu singles, and on the second album Another Life, released after re-signing with Heavenly (then newly acquired by Deconstruction Records
). Espiritu and Deconstruction Records parted company after lack of commercial success (and citing "too underground for mass consumer taste"). Deconstruction Records folded not long after.
In 1999, a cover of the Carly Simon
song "Why
" was released on EMI Music Germany
. In 2000, Quinones provided vocals on the Dario G
song "Voices" on the soundtrack to the Leonardo DiCaprio
film The Beach
.
In 2001, the (Cream Records
) song, "In Praise of the Sun" was released by the Mr. Joshua presents Espiritu (of Brian Higgins/Xenomania) collaboration, co-written by Nick Bracegirdle, better known as the dance artist Chicane
. Subsequently, Espiritu was recruited to re-record the song for the 2003 Chicane album Easy to Assemble.
A 2003 meeting in Manhattan
with James Iha
(formerly of the Smashing Pumpkins), Andreas Mattson (of Popsicle
), and Niclas Frisk (of Atomic Swing
) resulted in the formation of the band Vanessa and the O's
and the release of the limited edition EP Plus Rien.
In 2004, Vanessa recorded an electro/dance version of the Velvet Underground classic "Sunday Morning" with Lou Reed
and released by Warner Bros Germany.
In 2005, Vanessa and the O's released their debut album La Ballade d'O via EMI Records Sweden in Scandinavia only.
In 2006, the La Ballade d'O album was released in Japan by Strange Days Records, in France by Pias, and in Thailand by SmallRoom Records. The album was also made available worldwide digitally via Rushmore Recordings, the bands own label. Vanessa appears as guest vocalist on the Scott Walker
album The Drift.
In 2007, Vanessa & The O's contributed a track to the tribute album We All Love Ennio Morricone (see Ennio Morricone
) with an update of the Francois Hardy 60's classic "Je Changerais d'Avis".
In 2008–2010, Vanessa created a solo side project Vanessa presents Allez Pop! with London based duo Alex Rizzo and Elliot Ireland (of "Skeewiff"/"Jalapeño Records") a 60's French pop inspired analogue recorded album. Original songs from these sessions titled "C'est Magnifique", "Pres de Toi", "Bon Bon Bon", "Quand Tu Me Dis", "Pour Quoi Pas", and "Odyssee" are now available on various compilation albums worldwide, such as Paris Fashion District Volume 2/3 (cool:division Italy), Filles Fragile2 (Zyx – Holland), Cafe De Paris (HiNote Records – Beijing/China), and Musique Fantastique (Netherlands).
The June 2010 Vanessa present's Allez Pop track "Bon Bon Bon" was featured in the action-comedy film, Killers
(aka "Kiss & Kill" in France), starring Ashton Kutcher
, Katherine Heigl
, and Tom Selleck
. The album, Killers, hit the US Box-Office top 3 on its week of release June 2010.
New songs for the second Vanessa & The O's album have been recorded in London and Stockholm 2010/2011. (See Vanessa Contenay-Quinones Facebook page). Niclas Frisk and James Iha do not appear to be involved. The release date is for 2011 under a label to be announced.
May 2011, 'Pourquoi Pas' another track taken from Vanessa's solo French pop album 'Vanessa presents Allez Pop!' appears on the Pschent label compilation L'Alcazar.
June 2011 Vanessa released a specially written song 'Show Me How' for the Vinyl Japan/Red Cross charity album for children orphaned by the March 2011 disaster titled 'Omoiyari For Japan' alongside Tom Verlaine, The Divine Comedy and others.
Biography
Contenay-Quinones was influenced by a wide variety of music early in life with the sounds of the 50/60's being predominant. She was born in Paris, but raised in the Canary IslandsCanary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
in her early years before returning to Paris (releasing her first record by the age of 16). After that, she moved to England to start her music career. She settled first in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, absorbing the dance music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
culture and starting up Latin infused beats and samples pop duo Espiritu with Chris Taplin, before moving to London.
In the mid '90's she co-wrote/co-produced and recorded as the primary member of Espiritu, assisted by former Frazier Chorus member Taplin. Two Espiritu albums and six singles were released in this time, the album 'Always' being a Japan (EMI Japan) only release and featured the UK and Japanese hit single 'Always Something There To Remind Me'. The second album 'Another Life' was released in the UK by Heavenly/Deconstruction-BMG and in Japan by EMI. In 2003, she co-founded the band Vanessa and the O's
Vanessa and the O's
Vanessa and the O's formed in 2003/2004 when Vanessa Contenay-Quinones got together with Swedes Andreas Mattson and Niclas Frisk later joining up with James Iha in New York.They recorded the album La Ballade d'O over the next 18 months...
alongside Smashing Pumpkins co-founding member James Iha
James Iha
James Yoshinobu Iha b. March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois) is a Japanese American rock musician. He is best known as having been a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and for his eclectic musical projects of recent years, most notably being a permanent...
, Popsicle's Andreas Mattson and Niclas Frisk of Atomic Swing
Atomic Swing
Atomic Swing is a Swedish pop rock group formed in 1992. Their debut album, A Car Crash in the Blue, produced several hits in the Swedish charts. After an intense period the band split up, in 1997...
releasing debut album 'La Ballade d'O' in 2005. In 2009/10 she started work on the 60's French pop inspired solo project 'Allez Pop!' working with Alex Rizzo and Elliot Ireland of Skeewif in London releasing the album Vanessa presents Allez Pop! to rave reviews.
Discography
In 1992, Quinones and Taplin signed a recording contractRecording 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 Heavenly Records
Heavenly Records
Heavenly Records, aka Heavenly Recordings, is a London-based record label, distributed by EMI. Founded by Jeff Barrett, a former press officer for Creation Records and many successful indie bands of the time including Happy Mondays, Heavenly Recordings' first releases were 7" and 12" singles for...
(then in a distribution deal with Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
, subsidiary of Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
) and released a number of 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...
as Espiritu. Their debut single, "Francisca" (remixed by Farley & Heller) was followed by three UK Top 50 entries: "Conquistador" (remixed by The Sabres of Paradise
The Sabres of Paradise
The Sabres of Paradise was a British experimental group formed in London, England in 1992. Although their roots were in the acid house scene, they later produced more dub-inspired work. Andrew Weatherall formed the group with engineers Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns and became responsible for the...
), "Los Americanos" (remixed by Mark Stent
Mark Stent
Mark 'Spike' Stent is a British record producer, and audio engineer who has worked with The KLF, Björk, Keane, Depeche Mode, Muse, Erasure, Hard-Fi, Massive Attack, Janet Jackson, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Marilyn Manson, Pet Shop Boys, Dave Matthews, No Doubt/Gwen Stefani, CSS, Beth Orton,...
), and "Bonita Manana".
An album called Manifesto was announced, but did not appear, due to Sony ending its distribution deal with Heavenly. However a remix of the Bacharach
Burt Bacharach
Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
and David
Hal David
Harold Lane "Hal" David is an American lyricist. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York. David is best known for his collaborations with composer Burt Bacharach.-Career:...
song, "Always Something There to Remind Me" (credited to Tin Tin Out
Tin Tin Out
Tin Tin Out is a UK electronic dance music duo comprising Darren Stokes and Lindsay Edwards.-Career:They are well known as active remixers, working on increasingly higher-profile songs as the 1990s progressed, however also have their own recording careers...
and featuring Espiritu), went to #14 on the UK single charts, while the original version of the single (without Tin Tin Out) reached #1 in Japan. The Manifesto tracks were then licensed to the Japanese Toshiba-EMI
Toshiba-EMI
(formerly , is one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. in June 30, 2007 after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. The current CEO and president is San-e Ichii. When EMI Music Japan was trading as Toshiba-EMI, it was...
label, and the first Sony Espiritu album, retitled Always..., was subsequently released in Japan in 1995.
Drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
influences were to be found on the next three (more underground) Espiritu singles, and on the second album Another Life, released after re-signing with Heavenly (then newly acquired by Deconstruction Records
Deconstruction Records
Deconstruction Records is a record label founded in 1987 by Pete Hadfield and Keith Blackhurst in the United Kingdom. Distribution was via label deals with Parlophone Records, for acts such as K-Klass and Bassheads), and RCA Records for everybody else....
). Espiritu and Deconstruction Records parted company after lack of commercial success (and citing "too underground for mass consumer taste"). Deconstruction Records folded not long after.
In 1999, a cover of the Carly Simon
Carly Simon
Carly Elisabeth Simon is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records, and has since been the recipient of two Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and a Golden Globe Award for her work...
song "Why
Why (Carly Simon song)
"Why", by Carly Simon, was one of a string of film-inspired singles from a less successful period in her career . Following her much publicized break-down on stage in 1980, it was recorded for the movie Soup For One in 1982. The movie flopped but the soundtrack was a success.The song, like all of...
" was released on EMI Music Germany
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. In 2000, Quinones provided vocals on the Dario G
Dario G
Dario G is the name of a dance music trio from Crewe, Cheshire, England. Despite popular belief the group are not named after the manager of Crewe Alexandra, Dario Gradi but changed their name from Dario to Dario G after being threatened with legal action from an artist of the same name...
song "Voices" on the soundtrack to the Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio is an American actor and film producer. He has received many awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in The Aviator , and has been nominated by the Academy Awards, Screen Actors Guild and the British Academy of Film and Television...
film The Beach
The Beach (film)
The Beach is a 2000 adventure drama film directed by Danny Boyle and based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Alex Garland, which was adapted for the film by John Hodge. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and features Tilda Swinton, Robert Carlyle, Virginie Ledoyen and Guillaume Canet...
.
In 2001, the (Cream Records
Cream Records
Cream Records is a record label started by Alvin Bennett in 1968, after he sold Liberty Records to Transamerica Corporation. In 1977, it acquired Hi Records from Willie Mitchell...
) song, "In Praise of the Sun" was released by the Mr. Joshua presents Espiritu (of Brian Higgins/Xenomania) collaboration, co-written by Nick Bracegirdle, better known as the dance artist Chicane
Chicane (recording artist)
Chicane is a British electronic dance music act, and the guise of British musician, composer, songwriter and record producer, Nicholas Bracegirdle....
. Subsequently, Espiritu was recruited to re-record the song for the 2003 Chicane album Easy to Assemble.
A 2003 meeting in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
with James Iha
James Iha
James Yoshinobu Iha b. March 26, 1968 in Chicago, Illinois) is a Japanese American rock musician. He is best known as having been a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band The Smashing Pumpkins and for his eclectic musical projects of recent years, most notably being a permanent...
(formerly of the Smashing Pumpkins), Andreas Mattson (of Popsicle
Popsicle (band)
Popsicle was a pop group in Piteå in Sweden, which together with This Perfect Day, The Wannadies and Brainpool started the 1990s indiepop wave in Sweden....
), and Niclas Frisk (of Atomic Swing
Atomic Swing
Atomic Swing is a Swedish pop rock group formed in 1992. Their debut album, A Car Crash in the Blue, produced several hits in the Swedish charts. After an intense period the band split up, in 1997...
) resulted in the formation of the band Vanessa and the O's
Vanessa and the O's
Vanessa and the O's formed in 2003/2004 when Vanessa Contenay-Quinones got together with Swedes Andreas Mattson and Niclas Frisk later joining up with James Iha in New York.They recorded the album La Ballade d'O over the next 18 months...
and the release of the limited edition EP Plus Rien.
In 2004, Vanessa recorded an electro/dance version of the Velvet Underground classic "Sunday Morning" with Lou Reed
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which has spanned several decades...
and released by Warner Bros Germany.
In 2005, Vanessa and the O's released their debut album La Ballade d'O via EMI Records Sweden in Scandinavia only.
In 2006, the La Ballade d'O album was released in Japan by Strange Days Records, in France by Pias, and in Thailand by SmallRoom Records. The album was also made available worldwide digitally via Rushmore Recordings, the bands own label. Vanessa appears as guest vocalist on the Scott Walker
Scott Walker (singer)
Scott Walker, born Noel Scott Engel on January 9, 1943 is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer, and the former lead singer of The Walker Brothers. Despite being American born, Walker's chart success has largely come in the United Kingdom, where his first four solo albums...
album The Drift.
In 2007, Vanessa & The O's contributed a track to the tribute album We All Love Ennio Morricone (see Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone, Grand Officer OMRI, , is an Italian composer and conductor, who wrote music to more than 500 motion pictures and television series, in a career lasting over 50 years. His scores have been included in over 20 award-winning films as well as several symphonic and choral pieces...
) with an update of the Francois Hardy 60's classic "Je Changerais d'Avis".
In 2008–2010, Vanessa created a solo side project Vanessa presents Allez Pop! with London based duo Alex Rizzo and Elliot Ireland (of "Skeewiff"/"Jalapeño Records") a 60's French pop inspired analogue recorded album. Original songs from these sessions titled "C'est Magnifique", "Pres de Toi", "Bon Bon Bon", "Quand Tu Me Dis", "Pour Quoi Pas", and "Odyssee" are now available on various compilation albums worldwide, such as Paris Fashion District Volume 2/3 (cool:division Italy), Filles Fragile2 (Zyx – Holland), Cafe De Paris (HiNote Records – Beijing/China), and Musique Fantastique (Netherlands).
The June 2010 Vanessa present's Allez Pop track "Bon Bon Bon" was featured in the action-comedy film, Killers
Killers (2010 film)
Killers is a 2010 American romantic comedy action film starring Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Tom Selleck and Catherine O'Hara. The film was released in the United States and Canada on June 4, 2010...
(aka "Kiss & Kill" in France), starring Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher
Christopher Ashton Kutcher , best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show...
, Katherine Heigl
Katherine Heigl
Katherine Marie Heigl is an American actress and producer. She is possibly best known for her role as Dr. Izzie Stevens on ABC's Grey's Anatomy from 2005 to 2010, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Drama Series in 2007...
, and Tom Selleck
Tom Selleck
Thomas William "Tom" Selleck is an American actor, and film producer. He is best known for his starring role as Hawaii-based private investigator Thomas Magnum on the 1980s television show Magnum, P.I.. He also plays Police Chief Jesse Stone in a series of made-for-TV movies based on the Robert B....
. The album, Killers, hit the US Box-Office top 3 on its week of release June 2010.
New songs for the second Vanessa & The O's album have been recorded in London and Stockholm 2010/2011. (See Vanessa Contenay-Quinones Facebook page). Niclas Frisk and James Iha do not appear to be involved. The release date is for 2011 under a label to be announced.
May 2011, 'Pourquoi Pas' another track taken from Vanessa's solo French pop album 'Vanessa presents Allez Pop!' appears on the Pschent label compilation L'Alcazar.
June 2011 Vanessa released a specially written song 'Show Me How' for the Vinyl Japan/Red Cross charity album for children orphaned by the March 2011 disaster titled 'Omoiyari For Japan' alongside Tom Verlaine, The Divine Comedy and others.
See also
- Oxaï RouraOxaï RouraOxaï Roura is a composer, a multi-instrumentalist, a singer, a film maker, and a researcher in the field of ethnomusicology... Fascinated by the ancient African polyrhythms and chants, Roura received instruction from traditional artists...
- William BessonWilliam BessonWilliam Besson is a Parisian singer-songwriter. Born in France he writes and sings in English.Besson refers to his sound as Electri-pop – a mixture of electro, trip-hop and pop. He spent a stint in London, where he developed his music and live performances....
- DJ CamDJ CamDJ Cam is a French DJ. His tunes are almost entirely a hybrid of both hip-hop and jazz music, and is presented in an abstract manner. His first LP was Underground Vibes in 1994, and was revolutionary for its time, featuring familiar jazz samples and many vibe samples and heavy hip-hop influences...
- Willy DenzeyWilly DenzeyWilliam Thongrasamy, known under the pseudonym Willy Denzey is a Contemporary R&B and soul French-born singer with Laotian origins.-Biography:...
- Sidney DuteilSidney DuteilSidney Duteil , better known as Sidney, is a French musician, rapper, DJ, television and radio host, and occasional actor. He is well known in France for his connection with the beginnings of the French hip hop scene. In 1984, he was the host of the popular weekly French Rap television show...
- Abd al Malik (rapper)Abd al Malik (rapper)Abd al Malik, born Régis Fayette-Mikano is a French rapper and spoken word artist of Congolese origin. He took part in the group NAP . In 1999, he converted to Islam. He is married to French Moroccan singer Wallen with whom he has a child...
External links
- Vanessa and the O's (official website)
- Vanessa and the O's (on MySpace)