Yazz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 This article does not cite any references or sources. (December 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
This article is about the solo artist 'Yazz'. For the synthpop duo known as 'Yaz' in the US, see Yazoo (band). For other uses of the word 'Yaz', see Yaz.


Yazz

Background information
Birth name Yasmina Evans
Also known as Yasmin Evans
Born May 19, 1960 (1960-05-19) (age 48)
Shepherd's Bush, London, UK
Origin London, UK
Genre(s) Pop, Funk
Occupation(s) musician, model
Instrument(s) vocals
Years active 1988–present
Label(s) Big Life
Website http://www.yazzmusic.co.uk

Yazz (born Yasmina Evans, 19 May 1960, in Shepherd's Bush, London) is a British pop singer, who remains best known for her successful 1988 dance track, "The Only Way Is Up".


Contents

[edit] Career

Yazz attended Holland Park School. After a spell as a catwalk model, she scored a number of club hits after recording with the group, Biz, in 1983. Her first commercial success came in early 1988, when she supplied the vocals on Coldcut's "Doctorin' the House". She soon launched a solo career on Big Life records, a label set up by her future husband Jazz Summers, releasing her debut single "The Only Way Is Up" in the summer of 1988. It went on to spend five weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart, eventually becoming the biggest selling UK single of the year. Suddenly one of Britain's biggest pop acts, her follow up was another big hit ("Stand Up For Your Love Rights", UK number 2), whilst her debut album went Top Ten.

She continued to have hits into 1989 (and had her last Top Ten hit with the number 9 hit "Fine Time") but has since recorded only sporadically, releasing one single during 1990 and not releasing another until 1992. Her last Top 20 single was 1990's "Treat Me Good", which made number 20 in the UK. She returned to the charts in 1993, performing with Aswad on the Top 40 hit "How Long". She continued to release singles throughout the 1990s, including a cover version of The Jackson 5's "Never Can Say Goodbye". In 1997 she recorded the album Natural Life, which was only released in some parts of Europe and Asia.

Her 2008 album Running Back to You, distributed in the UK by ICC Records, charts her spiritual journey and her new-found Christian faith. Yazz is now based in Spain and is an active member of the Calahonda Baptist Church

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

Year Album UK AUS
1988 Wanted 3 43
1989 The Wanted Remixes 53 -
1994 One on One - -
1997 Natural Life - -
2001 At Her Very Best 166 -
2008 Running Back to You - -

[edit] Singles

Year Song UK AUS GER NZ U.S.
1988 "Doctorin' the House" (with Coldcut) 6 45 11 - -
1988 "The Only Way Is Up" (as Yazz and the Plastic Population) 1 2 3 1 96
1988 "Stand Up for Your Love Rights" 2 22 10 8 -
1989 "Fine Time" 9 56 32 18 -
1989 "Where Has All the Love Gone" 16 90 40 - -
1990 "Treat Me Good" 20 100 55 - -
1992 "One True Woman" 60 - - - -
1993 "How Long" (with Aswad) 31 - 52 - -
1994 "Have Mercy" 42 - 86 - -
1994 "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime" 56 - - - -
1996 "Good Thing Going" 53 - - - -
1997 "Never Can Say Goodbye" 61 - - - -
1998 "Abandon Me" 79 - - - -

[edit] References

[edit] External links