Vanity (singer)

Vanity

Denise Katrina Matthews (born January 4, 1959), better known by her stage name Vanity, but sometimes credited as Denise Matthews-Smith or D.D. Winters, is a Canadian-born singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, model, and full-time preacher. She was the lead singer for the female trio Vanity 6, which recorded the 1982 R&B hit "Nasty Girl".

Early life

Vanity was born as Denise Matthews in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Her mother was of Polish Jewish descent and her father was African American. She is the sister of Canadian model Patricia Matthews. Growing up in Niagara Falls, she came from what she described in interviews as a "broken home". Her parents divorced when she was young, and her mother plunged into alcoholism and depression. Vanity's father was abusive towards her and her sisters. As a child, along with her sisters and step siblings, she regularly moved back and forth between her father and stepmother, mother and grandparents.

Career

Modeling

With Diana Ross as an idol, Matthews dreamed of becoming a Hollywood star. She first began doing local beauty pageants before moving to Toronto, where she modeled. She won Miss Niagara Hospitality in 1977, and went on to compete for Miss Canada in 1978. At the age of 19, Matthews moved to New York to further her career. She signed with Zoli Model Agency, but since she was not very tall, her modeling career was limited to commercials and photoshoots and included no runway work. Matthews became the face for Pearldrops toothpaste, before completing another modeling stint in Japan. In late 1979, Matthews played a bit part in the horror movie Terror Train, which was filmed in Montreal. Matthews went back to Toronto to film the B-movie Tanya's Island. At this time, she billed herself as D.D. Winters.

Music

In 1982, she met Prince at a backstage party at the American Music Awards, where she was working as a model for the night. Prince re-named her Vanity, stating he saw his female reflection when he looked at her. Later that same year, she became the lead singer of the group Vanity 6. Their trademark was explicit sexuality in their lyrics, performances, and attire (extending even to the group's name, with 6 alluding to the number of breasts in the group). The group's biggest hit, "Nasty Girl", was produced by Prince. In late 1982, Vanity 6's album and songs started becoming popular, and they went on the 1999 tour with Prince and The Time until spring 1983. Vanity 6 made headlines and gained many fans with their trademark lingerie outfits as well as provocative lyrics and dancing during the tour.

After one album, Vanity decided to leave her role in Vanity 6 and the proposed film Purple Rain in 1983. Several songs for Vanity 6's proposed second album were recorded. They were later released in bootleg style. The press reported there were a few reasons why she left Prince's camp: from wanting more money for the film than Prince was willing to pay her, to the break up of their relationship, as well as fighting over her newly acquired crack cocaine habit.

She signed a lucrative record deal with Motown Records in 1984 and recorded two albums, Wild Animal and Skin On Skin. Long versions of the singles "Pretty Mess" paired with "Mechanical Emotion" (which featured Morris Day on backing vocals), originally on Wild Animal were released on a 12" by Motown. Her solo albums were moderate successes, with her biggest hit coming from "Under the Influence", off of her 1986 album Skin On Skin. Not long after Vanity's second album was released, she was dropped from Motown and signed with A&M Records. She then signed with Geffen Records.

In 1988, under the production of friend/former The Time member Jesse Johnson she recorded songs for the Action Jackson soundtrack. That year Vanity also worked on a third album with famous Janet Jackson producers (and two more of Vanity's old peers from her days with Prince/former Time band members) Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, as well as Tony LeMans, but the album was either never completed, or never released. This ended Vanity's work as a recording artist.

Acting

Matthews starred in a handful of movies, including Terror Train, The Last Dragon (featuring Vanity's underground hit "7th Heaven"), the gritty 52 Pick-Up and the 1988 action thriller Action Jackson, in which she starred opposite Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, and Sharon Stone.

Throughout the mid 80's to early 90's, she also guest starred on numerous tv shows. Matthews played a villain torturing Nancy Allen's character in 1990's amnesia-plot TV movie Memories of Murder. She guest starred in an episode of Miami Vice in its third season; she posed for Playboy in 1985 and in 1988; and, in 1992, she appeared in an episode of Highlander: The Series opposite Adrian Paul.

Personal life

Besides Prince, Matthews was linked to Adam Ant, Billy Idol, Micki Free, and André Cymone during the 1980s.

In 1987, she and Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx were engaged. She joked during interviews that she would then again become Vanity 6 (Sixx). They never married, however. Matthews was a contributor to Sixx's book, released in 2007, called The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star, in which Sixx gives detailed accounts of his drug-filled year in 1987, which includes numerous and often bizarre incidents with Vanity, who was heavily addicted to crack cocaine.

In 1995, after a month-long courtship, Matthews married football player Anthony Smith, of the Oakland Raiders. They divorced in 1996.

Later life

Matthews formally gave up her stage name Vanity and became a born-again Christian in 1994, the year she almost died from the effects of smoking crack cocaine. According to Matthews, after being rushed to the hospital, doctors said she had three days left to live while on life support. She said that Jesus spoke to her during this time and told her he would save her life if she promised to give up her Vanity persona. In 1995, Matthews was quoted "When I came to the Lord Jesus Christ, I threw out about 1,000 tapes of mine—every interview, every tape, every video. Everything." She has stated that she has chosen to receive no royalties or other revenue from her work as Vanity, and has cut off ties to Hollywood and her former life in the music business. She has expressed embarrassment and shame about her "sinful" life as Vanity, including her drug addiction and lifestyle choices. After a kidney transplant in 1997, Matthews decided to devote her life to evangelism. She now speaks at churches across the United States and overseas. Due to the detrimental effects on her health stemming from her years of drug use while performing as Vanity, Matthews must now perform peritoneal dialysis at home five times a day. In 2010, Matthews published an autobiography, Blame It On Vanity.

Discography

Studio albums

With Vanity 6

• Vanity 6 (1982)

Solo

• Wild Animal (Motown, 1984)
• Skin On Skin (Motown, 1986)

Soundtracks

• (1985) The Last Dragon: the song "7th Heaven"
• (1988) Action Jackson: the songs "Undress", "Faraway Eyes", and "Shotgun" with David Koz and featuring vocalist Kareem

With Vanity 6

Year	Title	U.S.	U.S. R&B	U.S. dance
1982	"He's So Dull"	—	—	—
	"Nasty Girl"	101	7	1
	"Drive Me Wild"	—	—	—

Solo

Year	Title	U.S.	U.S. R&B	U.S. dance
1984	"Pretty Mess"	75	15	13
1985	"Mechanical Emotion"	107	23	—
1986	"Under the Influence"	56	9	6
	"Animals"	—	—	—
1988	"Undress"	—	—	—

External links

• Denise Matthews website (with no Vanity content)
• Vanity at AllMusic