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Michelle McManus

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This article is about the Scottish singer and TV personality. For the US politician, see Michelle McManus (Michigan politician).

Michelle McManus
McManus in March 2010
McManus in March 2010
Background information
Also known asMichelle
Born (1980-05-08) 8 May 1980 (age 44)
OriginGlasgow, Scotland
GenresPop, dance, R&B, electropop
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, television host, darts player, actress, columnist, radio DJ,
InstrumentVocals
Years active2003–present
LabelsSony BMG (2003–2005)
McManii (2006–present)
Sanctuary Records (2007–present)
WebsiteOfficial website

Michelle McManus (born May 8, 1980[1]) is a Scottish singer, television presenter, columnist, actress and radio DJ who is perhaps best recalled as the winner of the second series of UK talent show Pop Idol in 2003.

McManus's debut single, "All This Time", entered both the UK Singles Chart and Scottish Singles Chart at number one in January 2004. Her first album, The Meaning of Love, was released in February 2004 and debuted at number three on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the Scottish Albums Chart, despite negative reviews. Later that year, BMG dropped McManus from the label.

In 2009, McManus became co-presenter presenter of STV's lifestyle magazine show The Hour, originally alongside Stephen Jardine and later, Tam Cowan. The programme was cancelled in 2011 due to poor viewing figures.

Early life

Michelle McManus was born in 1980 in Queen Mother's Maternity Hospital, Glasgow, Scotland to John McManus and Helen McManus,[2][failed verification][3][failed verification] and is the oldest of five sisters. Before auditioning for Pop Idol, McManus lived in the Glasgow district of Baillieston, to the east of city with her mother and sisters.[3]

Career

2003: Pop Idol

Main article: Pop Idol (series 2)

In early 2003, McManus auditioned for the second season of Pop Idol, along with thousands of other aspiring singers from around the UK. Of the four judges, Pete Waterman in particular was critical as to whether she could make a career in the music industry, mainly due to her size. However, she was the favourite of Simon Cowell, and after being put through to the semi-final stages, the public voted McManus into the top twelve, though she entered the finals as the bookmaker's rank-outsider. Throughout the finals, McManus was in the bottom 3 only once, and on 20 December 2003, she was declared the winner of Pop Idol.[4]

Performances on Pop Idol

Week Theme Song Original artist Result
Top 12 Your pop idol "All by Myself" Eric Carmen Safe
Top 10 Birthyear songs "On the Radio" Donna Summer Safe
Top 8 Elton John songs "Your Song" Elton John Bottom 3
Top 7 Disco "If I Can't Have You" Yvonne Elliman Safe
Top 6 The Beatles "Hey Jude" The Beatles Safe
Top 5 Big band "Feeling Good" Nina Simone Safe
Top 4 Christmas songs "Merry Christmas Everyone" Shakin' Stevens Safe
"Oh Holy Night" N/A
Top 3 Judges' choice "I Say a Little Prayer" Aretha Franklin Safe
"Without You" Harry Nilsson
Final Contestant's choice "On the Radio" Donna Summer Winner
B-side "The Meaning of Love" N/A
Winner's single "All This Time" Michelle McManus

Criticism

When McManus won the competition, judge Pete Waterman stormed off the Pop Idol set in protest; he later branded her "rubbish".[5] Louis Walsh, a judge of sister show Popstars: The Rivals, was bewildered by McManus's victory, and lamented that "we have to give her, her 15 minutes [of fame]."[6]

Scotsman reporter Fiona Shepherd said of the win: "McManus's victory was not some triumph of talent over image - the very opposite, in fact... If she was a modelesque girl with as unremarkable a voice, the voting public would not have cared."[7] George Tyndale in the Sunday Mercury expressed similar sentiments, arguing that McManus won because of the "fat vote". He disapproved of McManus's professed satisfaction with her weight as well as her elevation to celebrity status, writing: "The harm this has done is incalculable. Lives may, quite literally, be at stake."[8]

Daily Telegraph journalist Viktoria Tolstoy said McManus's victory "seemed to suggest that the pool of talent available to the judges is seriously diminishing".[9] An Entertainment.ie critic labelled McManus the weakest winner of the Pop Idol series and wrote that she made fellow reality television music competition winners Will Young and Alex Parks "look like worldbeaters by comparison".[10]

2003–05: The Meaning of Love

Main article: The Meaning of Love (album)

Following her win on the second season of Pop Idol, McManus was immediately signed to the Sony BMG record label, and going under the single name Michelle, her debut single "All This Time" was released between late 2003 and early 2004. The song went straight to number one on the UK Singles Chart, and stayed there for three weeks;[11] it spent eleven weeks inside the UK Top 100.[12] McManus is the first Scottish female to debut at the top of the UK Singles Chart.[13] In Ireland, the song debuted at Number 5 before rising to 2.[14] Her debut album, the critically panned The Meaning of Love, was released on 16 February 2004 and peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart,[15] number one on the Scottish Albums Chart,[16] and number 64 on the Irish Albums Chart.[17] It went on to receive a Gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry for sales of over 200,000 in the UK.[18] The title track of the album was released as the second single, however it stalled at number sixteen on the UK chart[19] and Number 29 in Ireland,[20] while reaching number seven on the Scottish Singles Chart.[21] As a result of disappointing record sales, McManus was dropped by her label.[22]

On 22 June 2005, McManus appeared on a 60-minute television special of You Are What You Eat with the author and TV personality Gillian McKeith in a bid to lose weight. A follow-up was broadcast on 13 December 2005, which profiled McManus and her weight loss since the last programme. McManus released a book in December 2005 entitled You Are What You Eat: Michelle's Diary. The book documented her journey from winning Pop Idol to appearing on You Are What You Eat, with particular reference to her weight issues and subsequent slimming.[23] Further to this, in December 2006 McManus released a DVD called The Life Plan, a guide to healthy living, exercise and eating.[24]

In September 2005, McManus appeared in an episode of the BBC One holiday magazine programme Departure Lounge. The episode showed McManus travelling to and around Memphis, Tennessee in the United States, with a budget of £500. As part of the trip, McManus visited Graceland, home to her idol Elvis Presley.[25] In July 2005 it was announced that McManus had parted company with her management company 19 Entertainment, 19 months after winning Pop Idol. She then went on to sign with Sanctuary Entertainment. During a 2007 appearance on ITV's Loose Women, McManus stated that she believed that she was dropped due to her weight, as her record company could not build any merchandise around her image. In 2006, McManus began guest-presenting on the Scottish radio station Clyde 1, and then gained her own regular Saturday show on the station. McManus then hosted two series of the BBC Radio Scotland show titled Let's Do The Show Right Here. On television, McManus announced the Scottish votes during the Making Your Mind Up 2006 programme in March 2006, and in November 2006 she was a reporter on Children in Need live from Scotland. In June 2006, McManus performed in the theatre production, The Vagina Monologues, a role which she has subsequently repeated for various tours.

2007–09: McMannii Records and Different Beat

In 2007, after taking time away from the music industry, McManus decided to set up her own record label to release new material, named McManii Records. She made two appearances on the television show Loose Women. On the first she stated that she was taking her time with her second album as she wanted to make it something to be proud of, and on her second appearance she talked of her departure from Sony BMG, stating that it was a mutual agreement. In November 2007 a single, "Just for You", was released. It was intended to be on her second album, Dancing to a Different Beat, which remains unreleased.[26][27]

In June 2007, McManus guest-starred as herself in an episode of the BBC sitcom Still Game. In December 2007, McManus was seen in a run of the musical Discotivity at the Arts Theatre in London's West End. In January 2008 she toured Asia in a theatre production of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice.[28] In November 2008, McManus switched on the Christmas Lights in Kilmarnock, Scotland.[29]

2009–present: The Hour and presenting

McManus appeared regularly as a guest co-host of the weekday Scottish lifestyle TV programme The Hour during the summer of 2009. In October 2009, McManus became a permanent main presenter alongside Stephen Jardine.[30] The programme was relaunched in September 2011 as a weekly peak-time programme, with McManus co-hosting with new presenter Tam Cowan, but was axed after four weeks due to low viewership.[31]

In addition to The Hour, McManus has also presented Hogmanay programming for STV including the 2009 documentary special Scotland's Always Had Talent and a year later, Midnight, a pre-recorded special edition of The Hour.

In September 2010, McManus performed two songs for Pope Benedict XVI at a ticketed Mass of the Feast of Saint Ninian in Bellahouston Park, as part of the Pope's state visit to the United Kingdom.[32]

McManus is currently a columnist for the Glasgow Evening Times, and was a judge for the papers Glasgow's Star Turn talent contest in 2012.[33]

In September 2012, McManus with Mànran released "Take You There" as the official single of the 2012 STV Children's Appeal.[34][35] It reached number 70 on the Scottish Singles Chart.[36]

Discography

Michelle McManus discography
Studio albums1
Singles4
Music videos3

Studio albums

Year Album details SCO UK IRE Certifications Sales
2004 The Meaning of Love[37] 1 3 64 UK: 250,000+

Singles

Year Song SCO
[36] 		UK
[38] 		IRE Certifications Album
2003 "All This Time" 1 1 2 The Meaning of Love
2004 "The Meaning of Love" 7 16 29
2007 "Just for You" - - - Dancing To a Different Beat
2012 "Take You There" (with Mànran) 70 - - Charity-single

TV appearances and filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
2005 You Are What You Eat Herself[39] After her time on the show, McManus releasead a diary Michelle's Diary in 2005.[40]
2007 Still Game Herself[41] McManus appears in the 2007 episode "Second's Out" as herself
2009–2011 The Hour Co-host[42] Initially appearing as a guest-host, McManus was made permanent co-host in September 2009.
2009 Scotland's Always Had Talent Host[43] McManus hosts STV's main Hogmanay programme, leading into the New Year.
2010 The Midnight Hour Co-host[44] McManus once again hosts STV's main Hogmanay programme, alongside Stephen Jardine.
2011–present STV Children's Appeal Co-host McManus appears on "The Big Live" as a presenter and reporter, usually in amongst the studio audience.
2013 Swing into 2014 Host[45] McManus once again hosts STV's main Hogmanay programme, from The Tron Theatre in Glasgow.

References

  1. ^ https://mobile.twitter.com/ladym_mcmanus/status/596772266081439747
  2. ^ Michelle McManus Biography Contactmusic.com
  3. ^ a b Michelle McManus Biography sing365.com
  4. ^ Michelle McManus Wins ‘Pop Idol’ popdirt.com
  5. ^ Wilkes, Neil (23 January 2004). "Pete Waterman: 'Michelle is rubbish'". Digital Spy. Hearst Corporation. Retrieved 28 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |website= (help)
  6. ^ Lyons, Beverley; Fullerton, Lee-Ann (4 February 2004). "The Razz: Michelle's 'big cruiser' attack". Daily Record. Trinity Mirror.
  7. ^ Shepherd, Fiona (13 February 2004). "An emotional wreck". The Scotsman. Retrieved 28 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ Tyndale, George (28 December 2003). "TV show's big mistake". Sunday Mercury. Retrieved 28 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Hanley, Lynsey (16 February 2004). "CD reviews: Viktoria Tolstoy and more". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 September 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ "Michelle - The Meaning of Love". entertainment.ie. 23 February 2004. Retrieved 28 September 2016.
  11. ^ ""All This Time" UK Chart details". Chartstats. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  12. ^ http://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/all%20this%20time/
  13. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3387601.stm
  14. ^ Michelle Mcmanus – All This Time Music Charts
  15. ^ "''The Meaning of Love'' UK Chart details". Chartstats. 28 February 2004. Archived from the original on 19 January 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-albums-chart/20040222/40/
  17. ^ Michelle McManus – The Meaning Of Love Music Charts
  18. ^ a b https://www.bpi.co.uk/certified-awards.aspx
  19. ^ ""The Meaning of Love" UK Chart details". Chartstats. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  20. ^ Michelle McManus – The Meaning Of Love Music Charts
  21. ^ http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-singles-chart/20040411/41/
  22. ^ English, Paul (4 September 2010). "Michelle McManus: How I fought back from Pop Idol rejection to sing for the Pope". Daily Record. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
  23. ^ "You Are What You Eat: Michelle's Diary: Amazon.co.uk: Michelle McManus: Books". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  24. ^ "Michelle McManus – The Lifeplan Workout Film Review (Movie) Michelle McManus, Dax Moy". Futuremovies.co.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  25. ^ "Memphis? It's worse than Glasgow for fry ups.. I had to live off fruit for 3 days; POP IDOL MICHELLE ON HER BATTLE FOR SUCCESS. – Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  26. ^ Euro Solution | Release information|Michelle McManus: Just For You (limited mail-out) [dead link‍]
  27. ^ "Michelle McManus : Home". Michelleofficial.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  28. ^ "Michelle McManus". Starmanagement.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ Michelle McManus will switch on Kilmarnock's Christmas lights Kilmarnock Standard, 21 November 2008
  30. ^ [1] Archived 9 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  31. ^ "BBC News – STV drops magazine show The Hour". Bbc.co.uk. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  32. ^ ROME REPORTS TV News Agency (20 August 2010). "Susan Boyle and Michelle McManus will sing for the pope during his visit to the United Kingdom". Romereports.com. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  33. ^ Custom byline text:  By MATTY SUTTON (30 July 2012). "Acts set to battle it out in final of our Glasgow's Star Turn talent contest". Evening Times. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  34. ^ "Details of the charity single – Take You There by Mànran featuring Michelle McManus. | Latest News | About Us | STV Appeal | STV Campaigns". Campaigns.stv.tv. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  35. ^ "It's The Big Live – The climax of the STV Appeal 2012 is here | Home | Entertainment | STV". Entertainment. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 18 December 2012.
  36. ^ a b http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/scottish-singles-chart/20120902/41/
  37. ^ Michelle McManus Music Charts
  38. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 363. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  39. ^ Mini Michelle? Archived 18 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine GMTV, 23 February 2007
  40. ^ You Are What You Eat: Michelle's Diary (Paperback) amazon.co.uk
  41. ^ Singer Michelle’s a Still Game star! Evening Times, 22 June 2007
  42. ^ Michelle McManus joins The Hour on a permanent basis STV – The Hour, 30 September 2009
  43. ^ STV announces Hogmanay line-up celebrating Scottish talent Archived 2 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine STV, 15 December 2009
  44. ^ STV has announced its Hogmanay line-up of comedy and entertainment STV Entertainment, 22 November 2010
  45. ^ Swing into 2014 with Michelle McManus on STV STV Shows, 31 December 2013
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