Speech Debelle: Difference between revisions
rv promotional blurb and reinstated notable info |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 23: | Line 23: | ||
Drawing inspiration from [[Michael Jackson]] and in particular [[Human Nature (Michael Jackson Song)]] Speech started rapping. Back then, other inspiration came courtesy of [[Blackstreet]], [[Mary J. Blige]], [[TLC (band)|TLC]] and [[reggae]] music.<ref name="Introducing Speech Debelle"/> |
Drawing inspiration from [[Michael Jackson]] and in particular [[Human Nature (Michael Jackson Song)]] Speech started rapping. Back then, other inspiration came courtesy of [[Blackstreet]], [[Mary J. Blige]], [[TLC (band)|TLC]] and [[reggae]] music.<ref name="Introducing Speech Debelle"/> |
||
She left home aged 19 and lived in [[homeless shelter|homeless hostels]] as well as living with friends<ref name="mirror1"/> She returned to her mother's house age 23 and began calling record labels, eventually being signed by [[Big Dada]] records.<ref name="mirror1"/>. |
She left home aged 19 and lived in [[homeless shelter|homeless hostels]] as well as living with friends<ref name="mirror1">[http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2009/09/10/exclusive-interview-mercury-music-prize-winner-speech-debelle-on-her-tough-childhood-115875-21661683 Exclusive interview: Speech Debelle] ''The Mirror'' 10 September 2009</ref> She returned to her mother's house age 23 and began calling record labels, eventually being signed by [[Big Dada]] records.<ref name="mirror1"/>. |
||
== Career == |
== Career == |
||
Revision as of 22:27, 26 September 2011
Speech Debelle | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1983 (age 40–41) |
Corynne Elliot (born 1983, London, England), better known as Speech Debelle,[1] is a British rapper currently signed to the Big Dada record label.[2][3] She was the winner of the 2009 Mercury Prize.[4]
Early life
Debelle spent time in hostels in London while estranged from her mother, although admitting keeping in regular contact. Now reconciled, Speech cites these as the formative years for creating her ambition and material. She attended Harris City Academy, and from the age of 9 she began writing poetry.
Drawing inspiration from Michael Jackson and in particular Human Nature (Michael Jackson Song) Speech started rapping. Back then, other inspiration came courtesy of Blackstreet, Mary J. Blige, TLC and reggae music.[3]
She left home aged 19 and lived in homeless hostels as well as living with friends[5] She returned to her mother's house age 23 and began calling record labels, eventually being signed by Big Dada records.[5].
Career
Speech Therapy (2009)
Debelle's debut album, Speech Therapy, was released in the United Kingdom on 31 May 2009. The album was lead by a white label limited release of "Searching", thereafter the album had three singles released, "The Key", “Better Days” featuring Micachu, "Go Then, Bye" and finally “Spinning”. Recorded mostly in Australia and engineered by Wayne Lotek, the album documenting her formative years in London.
The Key won Best Budget Video for Pop, Dance, Urban at the UK Music Video Awards in 2009 [6]
In 2009, she performed at Glastonbury Festival.[7]
Her 2009 Glastonbury appearance was also accompanied with her first live TV performance of “Searching”.[8] As the broadcast was made the after Michael Jackson died, after the song she gave her sentiments to a formative figure to her artistry. Later in the year during an interview with the Guardian, when asked what/who she could bring back to life, she answered Michael Jackson.[9]
On 21 July 2009 Speech Therapy was announced as one of the twelve shortlisted albums for the year's Mercury Music Award. She won the 2009 Mercury Prize with Speech Therapy, beating albums from the Horrors, Florence and the Machine, Kasabian and Friendly Fires, among others.[10]
Further praise came from the then editor of the Guardian Music Podcast, Paul Macinnes who nominated Speech Therapy as his favourite album of 2009.[11] OHM Monthly cited Speech’s work as “biggest thing in UK hip-hop for many a long years”,[12].
The Times praised the production of the album and awarded the album the place of being the 76th best album of the 00’s. In the US her critical acclaim continued as Pitchfork gave a favourable review praising her relaxed, conversational delivery.[13], although her planned US performance debut, on 5 November 2009, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, had to be called off, claimed to be due to visa problems.[14]
Despite the Mercury Prize win, sales of Speech Therapy were low; with the album notable for having the worst-ever chart showing and performance by a Mercury winner; failing to make the top 40 and only 10,000 units sold by November 2009, in comparison to the 300,000+ album sales of the 2008 winner, Elbow's The Seldom Seen Kid and 2010's winners The xx, whose winning album xx went platinum shortly after winning the award.[15][16][17][18] Debelle quit the Big Dada record label in November 2009, blaming them for failing to adequately market and distribute the album.[19] Her post-Mercury music gigs were sparsely attended and received mixed to poor reviews.[16][20]
In November 2009 she was booed off the stage at a Take That event to promote their SingStar game, after attempting to rap to their 1993 hit "Pray" and claiming she "did it better than Take That".[17][21][22]
Charitable Work
In 2009, Speech appeared alongside Gary Barlow, David Arnold and Jimmy Carr for a CARE charity concert in aid of youth education.[23]
In 2010, Speech was a guest speaker at the Progressive London conference alongside Ken Livingston MP, Sadiq Khan MP, and other notable academics. The annual conference explores and discusses the application of liberal politics to the benefit of London.[24] Her liberal stance on ethnic diversity was also lent to the Hope Not Hate campaign.[25]
Speech began teaming up with Chuka Umunna the MP for Streatham on her community work to speak about the importance of voting.[26] She has also volunteered with Barnardos to promote youth inclusion through a project to deliver an alternate Christmas day video message to their elders on Youtube.[27]
References
- ^ Speech Debelle: homeless to Mercury nomination The Times, 26 July 2009
- ^ Oboe'n'bass: Dispatches from hostel territory. Rob Fitzpatrick meets Speech Debelle The Guardian
- ^ a b Introducing Speech Debelle BBC News
- ^ Speech Debelle Is Surprise Winner of U.K.’s Mercury Music Prize Bloomberg, 8 September 2009
- ^ a b Exclusive interview: Speech Debelle The Mirror 10 September 2009
- '^ Music Week – Music Business Magazine – UK Music Video Awards “ “Music Week – Music Business Magazine'
- ^ Glastonbury Interview The Telegraph
- ^ Glastonbury 2009 Youtube
- ^ Q&A: Speech Debelle 'Guardian'
- ^ Speech Debelle wins Mercury music prize 'Guardian'
- ^ 2009 Guardian First Album award 'Guardian'
- ^ Speech Debelle – Speech Therapy | album reviews 'OHM Monthly'
- ^ Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Speech Debelle: Speech Therapy “Pitchfork'
- ^ Budding British talent hits Brooklyn The Independent
- ^ Speech Debelle ditches record label over poor sales The Guardian
- ^ a b Mercury Winner Speech Debelle Loses Record Deal The Sun
- ^ a b Speech Debelle: I knew I would win Mercury BBC News Cite error: The named reference "bbc4" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Speech Debelle rises from streets of London to win Mercury Prize The Independent
- ^ BBC News Mercury winner Debelle quits label over poor sales BBC News
- ^ Has winning the Mercury prize caused Speech Debelle's career to stutter? The Guardian
- ^ Video of Speech Debelle booed and jeered for her rendition of "Pray"
- ^ Debelle booed for Take That rap Press Association
- ^ Speech Debelle, Gary Barlow, Jimmy Carr for CARE London gig” 'NME'
- ^ Speech Debelle joins line-up for Progressive London conference” 'Progressive London'
- ^ Hope Not Hate 2010L Speech Debelle launches Daily Mirror campaign” “Mirror.co.uk
- ^ Umunna and Speech Debelle team up at community event” “Umunna.org.uk
- ^ Celebrity News - Speech Debelle” “Barnardos.co.uk
External links
- Speech Debelle Interviewed by Sophie Elmhirst on New Statesman