Melissa Tkautz
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| Melissa Tkautz | ||
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 Melissa Tkautz in a promotional photograph, 2006.
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| Background information | ||
| Born | January 27, 1974 (age 32) | |
| Origin | Sydney, Australia | |
| Genre(s) | Pop, Dance & Europop | |
| Years active | 1989–present | |
| Label(s) | Phantom Records & Westside Records (1991) JRB Music Distributors: Big Records & Rajon Music Group (2005–present) |
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| Website | melissatkautz.com.au | |
Melissa Tkautz (born January 24, 1974) is an Australian actress, singer and model of Austrian and Maltese heritage. Born in Sydney, Tkautz began her career at age 3 in a series of TV commercials. Much later she acted in soap operas Richmond Hill and Home & Away in the late 1980s, and in mini-series The Girl from Tomorrow. During this time attended the Academy of Dramatic and Social Arts in Sydney, graduating in 1991.
1991 would prove a breakthrough year for Melissa. She landed the role of Nikki Spencer on the soap opera E Street and became an overnight sensation. Through the record label Westside Records that had been created by the producers of the show, she also recorded music, resulting in what would be her first major dance pop smash, "Read My Lips". She followed this with top-five hit "Sexy (Is the Word)" in 1992, both tracks coming from her album Fresh!. That same year Melissa (sans Tkautz at the time) won several ARIA Awards, including 'Most Popular New Talent' and 'Most Popular Music Video' (for "Read My Lips"). She left E Street to concentrate on recording but returned to the series after her singing career fizzled. After E Street ended in 1993 Tkautz's acting career continued with regular roles in Paradise Beach and Echo Point. In 1996 she joined the series Pacific Drive, where she played a HIV-positive model named Bethany.
Today Tkautz continues to grace covers as a model while still continuing her acting roles. She released a new single in 2005, a cover version of "The Glamorous Life" - a song originally by Prince and Sheila E. Her re-working featured heavy guitars and a strong electro beat, however its release was marred by another cover of the same track by fellow Australian, producer Mr Timothy featuring Inaya Day on vocals. Despite this Tkautz's version achieved some success. It debuted at its peak position - #31 on the ARIA charts top 100. It also reached #6 on ARIA club chart, #8 on ARIA dance chart and #8 on ARIA Australasian chart.
She toured the country promoting the single with her dancers. Her second single, "All I Want", was released on November 20, 2005, and peaked at #72 on the ARIA charts. The video for this single was not released. The album, Lost & Found, was released on December 4, 2005, and did not chart in the top 100 on ARIA. Melissa's new single has been changed from "Fake it Good" to a new track that she recorded whilst in Europe. "Easily Affected" is due to be released on October 21, 2006.Melissa's second album 'Glamorous Life'has been pushed back to a release date of early next year! The album will contain both new tracks and old tracks from lost and found that have been remixed and remastered the albums original first single 'Fake it Good' will be included as well as a new track recorded while in europe recording 'Easily Affected'.
Contents |
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- 1992 Fresh #15 AU ARIA chart
- 2005 Lost & Found
- 2006 Glamorous Life (is set for release early next year).
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Album | Australia ARIA Charts Positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singles Chart | Australasian Chart | Dance Chart | Club Chart | ||||
| 1991 | "Read My Lips" | Fresh | #1 | #1 | |||
| 1991 | "Sexy (Is The Word)" | Fresh | #3 | ||||
| 1992 | "Skin To Skin" | Fresh | #16 | ||||
| 1992 | "My House" | Fresh | |||||
| 1993 | "Is It...?" | Single-only | #39 | ||||
| 2005 | "The Glamorous Life" | Lost & Found | #31 | #8 | #8 | #6 | |
| 2005 | "All I Want" | Lost & Found | #72 | #19 | #10 | #28 | |
| 2006 | "Easily Affected" | Glamorous Life | #86 | #17 | #11 | ||
[edit] Misc
[edit] Compilations
Compilations containing Melissa Tkautz songs.
- 1991: 100% Hits - "Read My Lips"
- 1991: 100% Hits Volume 2 - "Sexy (Is The Word)"
- 1992: 100% Hits Volume 4 - "Skin To Skin"
- 2005: Pepsi More Music - Best Of 2005 (DVD/Video compilation) - "The Glamorous Life"
- 2006: Wild Summer 2006 - "The Glamorous Life"
- 2006: Stonewall The Addiction (Mixed By Luke Leal) - "All I Want"
- 2006: Dance Hits Vol.2 - Eurodance Music Videos (Russian DVD/Video compilation) - "The Glamorous Life"
- Clubworx 2 - (South Africa DVD/Video compilation) - "The Glamorous Life"
[edit] Awards and recognition
| Year | Award-giving Body | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | ARIA Award | Highest Selling Single (Read My Lips) | Won |
| 1992 | ARIA Award | Best New Talent (Read My Lips) | Nominated |
[edit] References
- CelebritiesTime.com. Biography information. Retrieved on April 23, 2006.
- Music-Artists. Information. Retrieved on April 23, 2006.
- Talk About The Music. Information. Retrieved on April 23, 2006.
[edit] External links
- Melissa Tkautz on Myspace site.
- Melissa Tkautz at the Internet Movie Database
- JRB Music & Management - Melissa's current label.
- Big Records site.
- Rajon Music Group site.
- A fan's website
