Sonique (artist)
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| Sonique | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Sonia Clarke | |
| Born | 21 June 1968 | |
| Origin | England | |
| Genre(s) | House Dance Pop Trance Electro |
|
| Instrument(s) | Synthesizer | |
| Years active | 1985 - present | |
Sonique is the stage name of Sonia Clarke (born 21 June 1968), an English singer and DJ who is well known for her successful career in dance music. She was temporarily the lead vocalist for S'Express. She won the 2001 Brit Award for British female solo artist.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Sonia Clarke was born and raised in Crouch End, North London to parents of Trinidadian descent. She has credited her later music success from listening to her mothers record collection of mostly R&B artists. The first record she ever purchased was Donna Summer's "I Feel Love". When Sonique was sixteen her mother re-married and moved back to Trinidad. She refused to move with her mother and two siblings and she stayed behind in England moving into the YMCA. With mounting debt and disgusted by the sexual advances of the hostel warden, she moved out and slept on the streets.
[edit] Early music career
At the age of seventeen a youth worker commented that she had a nice voice and suggested she utilize it. She put together a reggae band called "Fari" in which she ended up writing all the music. She credits this band with getting her through her time on the streets. After Fari disbanded she set about getting a recording contract.
Sonique released the single "Let Me Hold You", published by Cooltempo, in 1985. The single hit the Top 40 on the British dance charts.
In 1990 she was credited for the transcendental loop-groove on a track called "Zombie Mantra" on the album Set the Controls for the Heart of the Bass, the debut record of William Orbit's project Bass-O-Matic. Soon after she teamed with DJ Mark Moore in S'Express. The dance-pop duo charted in the UK singles chart with such singles as "Nothing to Lose". She maintained a friendship with Mark Moore after S'Express disbanded and shortly afterwards, he gave her the gift of a set of turntables and a mixer with which she began experimenting.
[edit] DJ career
While clubbing she became frustrated at what she considered to be the inept performances by DJs. She decided to take on the challenge herself. For three years she accompanied both Mark Moore and her childhood friend Judge Jules to their DJ gigs to study the crowds. She eventually signed to one of Jules' companies Serious Records where her first single was "Put a spell on You" produced by Simon Belofsky, Julian Elkan, Graeme Pleeth and Chris Alan.
She was DJ in residence at Club Manumission in Ibiza from 1997-1999.
In 1998 she came to the attention of UK legendary promoters/label Fantazia and was asked to mix 1 of the disc on their album Fantazia British Anthems Summertime. The album went gold in the UK.
In 2001 after the phenomenal success of "It Feels So Good (1998)" she announced that she planned to retire from the world of DJing to focus on her singing career. Shortly after "Born to be Free" was released, Sonique started DJing again on special occasions, but later returned to the headlining events.
[edit] On Kosmo
In 2004 Sonique announced she is working on a new album called 'Sonique on Kosmo'. Three tracks were selected as singles, these being 'Another World' (actually released in 2004), 'Why' (released Spring 2005) and 'Alone'. However, as the album got pushed back from the expected release date of February 2006, the single 'Alone' was cancelled and the track 'Sleezy' was chosen as the next single, which was supposed to be released on September 29th, 2006; however, 'Sleezy' was cancelled, and still is. On Kosmo was released Monday 13th November 2006 in the UK but did not break the Top 75 Albums Chart.
Sonique was shown as a celebrity guest at The World Music Awards 2006 in England.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Released | Cover | Album | UK | US | AUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 |  |
Fantazia British Anthems... Summertime (mixed by Sonique) | — | — | — |
| 2000 | |
Serious Sounds of Sonique - In the Mix & on the Mic (live recording) | — | — | — |
| 2000 |  |
Hear My Cry | #33 | #67 | #50 |
| 2001 |  |
Club Mix (mixed by Sonique) | — | — | — |
| 2003 |  |
Born to Be Free | #184 | — | — |
| 2005 | |
Sonique on Kosmo | — | — | — |
[edit] Singles
| Released | Cover | Single | Album | UK | US | AUS | CAN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S'Express | |||||||
| 1990 | |
"Nothing To Lose" | #32 | — | — | ||
| 1991 | |
"Find'em, Fool'em, Forget'em" | #43 | — | — | ||
| Solo artist | |||||||
| 1985 | |
"Let Me Hold You" | #99, #25 Dance | — | — | ||
| 1998 (UK) 1999 (US) 2000 (UK re-release) |
  |
"It Feels So Good" * | #1 | #8 | — | #2 | |
| 2000 |  |
"Sky" | #2 | #10 (HDM/CP) | — | 7 | |
| 2001 |   |
"I Put a Spell on You" ** | #8 | — | — | 28 | |
| 2003 |  |
"Can't Make Up My Mind" | #17 | — | — | ||
| 2003 |  |
"Alive" | #70 | — | — | ||
| 2004 | |
"Another World" | — | — | — | ||
| 2005 |  |
"Why" | — | — | — | ||
| 2006 | |
"Sleezy" | — | — | — | ||
*-Originally released in 1998, reaching #24 on the UK charts **-Originally released in 1998, reaching #36 on the UK charts
[edit] Pop culture occurrences of her music
- In Butters' Very Own Episode, an episode of South Park that mainly focuses on Butters, Sonique's "It Feels So Good" was played in a Gay bathhouse.
[edit] Trivia
- Sonique is dyslexic
[edit] See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
- List of songs that reached number one on the Irish Dance Chart
