Tanita Tikaram
| Tanita Tikaram | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 August 1969 |
| Origin | Münster, Germany |
| Genres | Pop, folk |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, piano |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Reprise, Naïve |
| Website | Tanita-Tikaram.com |
Tanita Tikaram (born 12 August 1969, Münster, Germany) is a British pop/folk singer-songwriter, best known for the hits "Twist in My Sobriety" and "Good Tradition" from her 1988 debut album, Ancient Heart.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Background
Tikaram was born in Münster, Germany, the daughter of a Malaysian mother, Fatimah Rohani, and an Indo-Fijian father, Pramod Tikaram. Her father's military career meant that she spent her early life in Germany before moving to Basingstoke in Hampshire, England when she was in her early teens.[1] She is the younger sister of actor Ramon Tikaram and the great-niece of Sir Moti Tikaram, who was the first Lord Chief Justice of an independent Fiji and the world's longest-serving national ombudsman.[citation needed]
She studied A-level politics, sociology and English at Queen Mary's College, Basingstoke: her final grades were AAB.[citation needed]
She had a place at Manchester University to study English and American literature but left in order to follow her musical career.[citation needed]
[edit] Career
Tikaram started singing in nightclubs while she was still a teenager and came to the attention of WEA Records. Her debut album, Ancient Heart, produced by Rod Argent and Peter Van Hooke, was released in September 1988 when she was 19 years old.[1] The album peaked at Number 3 in the United Kingdom, where it was certfied Double Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. It also became an international hit and led to a world concert tour. The singles "Good Tradition" and "Twist In My Sobriety" were Top 10 hits in Europe, the latter accompanied by an award-winning sepia coloured video set in a rural village in the Bolivian Altiplano and directed by Gerard de Thame. The track was covered by Liza Minnelli for her 1989 album Results, produced by the Pet Shop Boys.
Tikaram's second album, The Sweet Keeper, was released in 1990. While it also peaked at Number 3 in the UK, it was less successful than her debut, earning just a Gold disc. No singles from the album were Top 40 hits. Everybody's Angel followed in 1991, with Jennifer Warnes providing vocals on two tracks, including the lead single "Only The Ones We Love". On this album, Tikaram also co-produced for the first time. The album was less successful than her previous releases, peaking at Number 19 in the UK.
1992 saw the release of Eleven Kinds Of Loneliness. On this album she ceased collaborating with Argent and Van Hooke and produced the album entirely by herself. It was her worst seller yet, not charting at all in the UK.[1]
In 1995, she released Lovers in the City, which she co-produced with Thomas Newman. Again, the album was a commercial failure and in 1996 her contract with WEA was ended with the release of a best of compilation. She then signed to Mother Records. In 1998 she released The Cappuccino Songs, which was produced by Marco Sabiu. Again, commercial succcess eluded here, despite one of the singles off the album, "I Don't Wanna Lose At Love", being remixed by the Asian Dub Foundation. She then retired from the music scene for several years.
In 2005, Tikaram released her latest album, Sentimental. The album, which features two collaborations with Nick Lowe, was released on the French label, Naïve Records.
Tikaram began recording her eighth studio album in 2010 in Los Angeles, California. She played some "Acoustic Sessions" live dates in Europe from September to November 2011, her first tour in 10 years.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Ancient Heart (1988) UK #3, US #59
- The Sweet Keeper (1990) UK #3, US #124
- Everybody's Angel (1991) UK #19, US #142
- Eleven Kinds of Loneliness (1992)
- Lovers in the City (1995) UK #75
- The Best of Tanita Tikaram (1996) - compilation
- The Cappuccino Songs (1998) UK #69
- Sentimental (2005)[1][2]
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart[2] | US Modern Rock | |||
| 1988 | "Good Tradition" | 10 | - | Ancient Heart |
| "Twist in My Sobriety" | 22 | 25 | ||
| 1989 | "Cathedral Song" | 48 | - | |
| "World Outside Your Window" | 58 | - | ||
| 1990 | "We Almost Got It Together" | 52 | - | The Sweet Keeper |
| "Little Sister Leaving Town" | - | - | ||
| "Thursday's Child" | - | - | ||
| 1991 | "Only the Ones We Love" | 69 | - | Everybody's Angel |
| "I Love The Heaven's Solo" | - | - | ||
| 1992 | "You Make the Whole World Cry" | - | - | Eleven Kinds of Loneliness |
| 1995 | "I Might Be Crying" | 64 | - | Lovers in the City |
| "Wonderful Shadow" | 198 | - | ||
| "Yodelling Song" | - | - | ||
| 1996 | "Twist in My Sobriety (remix)" | 82 | - | The Best of Tanita Tikaram |
| "And I Think of You - E penso a te" (promo only) | - | - | ||
| 1998 | "Stop Listening" | 67 | - | The Cappuccino Songs |
| "I Don't Wanna Lose at Love" | 73 | - | ||
| "If I Ever" | - | - | ||
| 2005 | "Don't Let the Cold" (promo only) | - | - | Sentimental |
[edit] Other works
[edit] Music
- Vocals for Bronte Brothers debut The Way Through The Woods.
- Vocals for Christie Hennessy Lord of Your Eyes.
- Harmony vocals for the 1989 self-titled third album by Brendan Croker and the Five O'Clock Shadows.
- Cover version of Elvis Presley's 1957 "Loving You", included in the 1990 tribute album The Last Temptation of Elvis.
- Vocals for the 1990 Mark Isham album Mark Isham; he covers her B-side "I Never Will Know".
- Vocals for the 1991 Nanci Griffith album Late Night Grande Hotel.
- Musician for the 1997 Moodswings collaboration, Psychedelicatessen, and also sang vocals on the song "Redemption Song (Oh Happy Day)".
- Adaptation of "Not Waving But Drowning."
[edit] Film
- Producer of the Jared Katsiane documentary drama Solace, also known as Everyday Is New (similar to a track on her album Sentimental), released 2005.
- "Twist in my Sobriety" features in the film, Bandits (Bruce Willis and Cate Blanchett on the beach scene)
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- 1969 births
- Living people
- Indo-Fijian people
- English female singers
- English songwriters
- British people of South Asian descent
- British people of Indo-Fijian descent
- British expatriates in France
- German emigrants to the United Kingdom
- People from Basingstoke
- People from Münster
- British people of Malaysian descent
- British people of Fijian descent
