Vanity (singer)
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Vanity |
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Denise Katrina Matthews (born January 4, 1959), better known by her former stage name Vanity, but sometimes credited as Denise Matthews-Smith or D.D. Winters, is a Canadian-born singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, model, and currently a Christian 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.[1] She is the sister of Canadian model Patricia Matthews. Growing up in Niagara Falls, she came from what she described as a "broken home". Her parents divorced when she was young, and her mother suffered from 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 wanted to become a Hollywood star.[citation needed] She began entering 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 a modeling stint in Japan.
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. They were known for their sexually explicit lyrics, performances, and costumes, with the "6" in their name 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 a following with their provocative performance style 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 as bootlegs. Alternate reasons were reported for her leaving the group: her wanting more money for performing in the film than Prince was willing to pay her, the break up of their relationship, and fighting over her crack cocaine addiction.[citation needed]
She signed a record deal with Motown Records in 1984 and recorded two solo albums, Wild Animal and Skin On Skin. Extended versions of the single "Pretty Mess" from Wild Animal b/w "Mechanical Emotion" which featured Morris Day on backing vocals, was 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 two of her peers from her days with Prince, former Time 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 and modeling
Vanity starred in a small number of movies, including Terror Train, The Last Dragon, which featured her underground hit "7th Heaven", 52 Pick-Up and 1988's Action Jackson, her highest profile role, in which she starred opposite Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, and Sharon Stone.
From the mid 80's to the early 90's, she also guest starred on numerous TV shows. She played a villain who tortured Nancy Allen's character in the 1990 TV movie Memories of Murder, guest starred in an episode of Miami Vice's third season, and in 1992 appeared in an episode of Highlander: The Series opposite Adrian Paul. She posed for Playboy in 1985 and 1988.
Personal life
Besides Prince, Vanity was linked to Adam Ant, Billy Idol,[2] 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. In Sixx's 2007 autobiography, The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star, describes his 1987 drug use with Vanity, who was addicted to crack cocaine at the time.
In 1995, Matthews married football player Anthony Smith, of the Oakland Raiders.[3] 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 as saying "When I came to the Lord Jesus Christ, I threw out about 1,000 tapes of mine—every interview, every tape, every video. Everything."[4] 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.[5] 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.[2] 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
Singles
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" | — | — | — |
References
- ^ Courtland, Milloy (1997-06-04). "Former Siren Is Singing A New Song". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-04-15.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help): "Denise K. Matthews, of Niagara Falls... daughter of an African American father and a Polish Jewish mother..." - ^ a b Christian, Margena A. (2007-11-26). "Vanity". Jet. 112 (21). Johnson Publishing Company: 49. ISSN 0021-5996.
- ^ "Vanity Weds Pro Football Star Anthony Smith After Monthlong Courtship". Jet. 87 (23). Johnson Publishing Company: 14. 1995-04-17. ISSN 021-5996.
{{cite journal}}: Check|issn=value (help) - ^ Rettenmund, Matthew (1996). Totally Awesome 80s: A Lexicon Of the Music, Videos, Movies, TV shows, Stars, and Trends Of That Decadent Decade. Macmillan. p. 57. ISBN 0-312-14436-9.
- ^ [1]
External links
- Denise Matthews website (with no Vanity content)
- Please use a more specific IMDb template. See the documentation for available templates.
- Vanity at AllMusic
- 1959 births
- Black Canadian actors
- Black Canadian musicians
- Canadian Christians
- Canadian expatriate actors in the United States
- Canadian female models
- Canadian female singers
- Canadian film actors
- Canadian pop singers
- Canadian rhythm and blues singers
- Canadian television actors
- Living people
- People from Niagara Falls, Ontario
- Vanity 6 members