Yazz
Encyclopedia
Yazz is a British
pop
singer, who remains best known for her successful 1988 dance
track
, "The Only Way Is Up
". Some of her records were credited to Yazz & The Plastic Population. Her father is Jamaica
n, her mother English
.
where she excelled at sports including the 400 metres and she was a member of the England under-19s volleyball
team. After a spell as a catwalk model, she scored a number of club
hits after recording
with the group
, Biz, in 1983. Her first commercial success came in early 1988, when she supplied the vocals
on Coldcut
's "Doctorin' the House
". She soon launched a solo career on Big Life
records, a label
set up by her future husband
Jazz Summers, releasing her debut single
"The Only Way Is Up
" in the summer of 1988. It went on to spend five weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart
, eventually becoming the biggest selling UK
single of the year. Suddenly one of Britain's biggest pop acts, her follow-up was another big hit ("Stand Up for Your Love Rights
", UK number 2), whilst her debut album went Top Ten.
She continued to have hits into 1989 (and had her last Top Ten hit with the number 9 hit "Fine Time") but has since recorded only sporadically, releasing one single during 1990 and another in 1992. Her last Top 20 single was 1990's "Treat Me Good", which made number 20 in the UK. She returned to the charts in 1993, performing with Aswad
on the Top 40 hit "How Long". She continued to release singles throughout the 1990s, including a cover version
of The Jackson 5
's "Never Can Say Goodbye
". In 1997 she recorded the album Natural Life, which was only released in some parts of Europe
and Asia
.
Her 2008 album Running Back to You, distributed in the UK by ICC Records, charted her spiritual journey and her new-found Christian
faith. Yazz is now based in Spain
, and is an active member of the Calahonda Baptist
Church. Yazz returns to England occasionally to promote this album, performing songs from it live interspersed with several anecdotes pertaining to her faith.
In August 2009, she performed with a full band on stage for the first time in several years at a church in Southampton
. In October 2010, Yazz performed again with a full band at Cathedral House in Huddersfield
, home of the Huddersfield Christian Fellowship.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pop
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...
singer, who remains best known for her successful 1988 dance
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...
track
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...
, "The Only Way Is Up
The Only Way Is Up
"The Only Way Is Up" is a song written by George Jackson and Johnny Henderson and originally released 1980 as single by soul singer Otis Clay. In 1988, it became a chart-topping single for Yazz and the Plastic Population.-Yazz version:...
". Some of her records were credited to Yazz & The Plastic Population. Her father is Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n, her mother 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...
.
Career
Yazz attended Holland Park SchoolHolland Park School
Holland Park School was opened in London, UK, in 1958. It became the flagship for comprehensive education, and in its heyday had over 2000 in the student body. It became known as the "socialist Eton", and a number of high-profile socialists sent their children to Holland Park School, adding to its...
where she excelled at sports including the 400 metres and she was a member of the England under-19s volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
team. After a spell as a catwalk model, she scored a number of club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
hits after recording
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
with the group
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
, Biz, in 1983. Her first commercial success came in early 1988, when she supplied the vocals
Human voice
The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal folds for talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, etc. Its frequency ranges from about 60 to 7000 Hz. The human voice is specifically that part of human sound production in which the vocal folds are the primary...
on Coldcut
Coldcut
Coldcut are an English dance music duo, comprising Matt Black and Jonathan More. Their signature style is electronic dance music, featuring cut up samples of hip hop, breaks, jazz, spoken word and various other types of music, as well as video and multimedia.-1980s:In 1986, computer programmer Matt...
's "Doctorin' the House
Doctorin' the House
"Doctorin' the House" is a single by Coldcut with British singer Yasmin Evans released in 1988. The track incorporates samples from various sources, mainly TV and film dialogue. The song peaked at #6 on the UK Singles Chart in March 1988 and spent four weeks in the Top 10, making it Coldcut's...
". She soon launched a solo career on Big Life
Big Life
Big Life was a record label established in 1987 by Jazz Summers and Tim Parry. It featured hundreds of releases from artists such as The Orb, Stare, Yazz, Junior Reid, Coldcut, and De La Soul....
records, a label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
set up by her future husband
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
Jazz Summers, releasing her debut 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...
"The Only Way Is Up
The Only Way Is Up
"The Only Way Is Up" is a song written by George Jackson and Johnny Henderson and originally released 1980 as single by soul singer Otis Clay. In 1988, it became a chart-topping single for Yazz and the Plastic Population.-Yazz version:...
" in the summer of 1988. It went on to spend five weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, eventually becoming the biggest selling UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
single of the year. Suddenly one of Britain's biggest pop acts, her follow-up was another big hit ("Stand Up for Your Love Rights
Stand Up for Your Love Rights
"Stand Up for Your Love Rights" is a 1988 single performed by Yazz. The song was particularly successful in Ireland and the UK, where it was respectively #1 and #2.-Track listings:7"single# "Stand Up for Your Love Rights" — 4:21...
", UK number 2), whilst her debut album went Top Ten.
She continued to have hits into 1989 (and had her last Top Ten hit with the number 9 hit "Fine Time") but has since recorded only sporadically, releasing one single during 1990 and another in 1992. Her last Top 20 single was 1990's "Treat Me Good", which made number 20 in the UK. She returned to the charts in 1993, performing with Aswad
Aswad
Aswad are a long-lasting British reggae group, noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound. They have been performing since the mid 1970s, having released a total of twenty-one albums.-History:...
on the Top 40 hit "How Long". She continued to release singles throughout the 1990s, including 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 The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
's "Never Can Say Goodbye
Never Can Say Goodbye
"Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by The Jackson 5. Released as a single in 1971, it was one of the group's most successful songs...
". In 1997 she recorded the album Natural Life, which was only released in some parts of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
.
Her 2008 album Running Back to You, distributed in the UK by ICC Records, charted her spiritual journey and her new-found Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
faith. Yazz is now based in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, and is an active member of the Calahonda Baptist
Baptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Church. Yazz returns to England occasionally to promote this album, performing songs from it live interspersed with several anecdotes pertaining to her faith.
In August 2009, she performed with a full band on stage for the first time in several years at a church in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
. In October 2010, Yazz performed again with a full band at Cathedral House in Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, home of the Huddersfield Christian Fellowship.
Albums
| Year | Album | 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... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Wanted Wanted (Yazz album) Wanted is the debut album by British pop singer Yazz. It was released in 1988.-Overview:The album includes the number one single "The Only Way Is Up" along with the other singles "Stand Up for Your Love Rights", "Fine Time" and "Where Has All The Love Gone"... |
3 | 43 |
| 1989 | The Wanted Remixes | - | - |
| 1994 | One on One | - | - |
| 1997 | The Natural Life | - | - |
| 2001 | At Her Very Best and All the Greatest Hits | 166 | - |
| 2008 | Running Back to You | - | - |
| 2011 | This Is Love | - | - |
Singles
| Year | Song | 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... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
NZ New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
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... |
NL Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
SWE Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... |
FRA France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | "Doctorin' the House Doctorin' the House "Doctorin' the House" is a single by Coldcut with British singer Yasmin Evans released in 1988. The track incorporates samples from various sources, mainly TV and film dialogue. The song peaked at #6 on the UK Singles Chart in March 1988 and spent four weeks in the Top 10, making it Coldcut's... " (with Coldcut Coldcut Coldcut are an English dance music duo, comprising Matt Black and Jonathan More. Their signature style is electronic dance music, featuring cut up samples of hip hop, breaks, jazz, spoken word and various other types of music, as well as video and multimedia.-1980s:In 1986, computer programmer Matt... ) |
6 | 45 | 11 | - | - | 20 | - | - |
| "The Only Way Is Up The Only Way Is Up "The Only Way Is Up" is a song written by George Jackson and Johnny Henderson and originally released 1980 as single by soul singer Otis Clay. In 1988, it became a chart-topping single for Yazz and the Plastic Population.-Yazz version:... " (as Yazz & The Plastic Population) |
1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 96 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| "Stand Up for Your Love Rights Stand Up for Your Love Rights "Stand Up for Your Love Rights" is a 1988 single performed by Yazz. The song was particularly successful in Ireland and the UK, where it was respectively #1 and #2.-Track listings:7"single# "Stand Up for Your Love Rights" — 4:21... " |
2 | 22 | 10 | 8 | - | 6 | - | 19 | |
| 1989 | "Fine Time" | 9 | 56 | 32 | 18 | - | 42 | - | 31 |
| "Where Has All the Love Gone" | 16 | 90 | 40 | - | - | 86 | - | - | |
| 1990 | "Yazz' Megamix" (France only) | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| "Treat Me Good" | 20 | 100 | 55 | - | - | 48 | - | - | |
| 1992 | "One True Woman" | 60 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1993 | "How Long" (with Aswad Aswad Aswad are a long-lasting British reggae group, noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound. They have been performing since the mid 1970s, having released a total of twenty-one albums.-History:... ) |
31 | - | 52 | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1994 | "Have Mercy" | 42 | - | 86 | - | - | - | - | - |
| "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime" | 56 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 1996 | "Good Thing Going" | 53 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1997 | "Never Can Say Goodbye Never Can Say Goodbye "Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by The Jackson 5. Released as a single in 1971, it was one of the group's most successful songs... " |
61 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1998 | "Abandon Me" | 79 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |