| Livvi Franc | |
|---|---|
Livvi Franc Performing at 2009 B96 Jingle Bash on December 12, 2009 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Olivia Charlotte Waithe |
| Born | May 31, 1988 Harrogate, North Yorkshire, United Kingdom |
| Genres | Pop, R&B, folk, reggae |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter, dancer |
| Years active | 2007-present |
| Labels | Jive, Beluga Heights |
Olivia Charlotte Waithe (born May 31st, 1988), better known by her stage name Livvi Franc, is an Barbadian British singer-songwriter.
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Franc was born in Harrogate, North Yorkshire,[1] England to an English mother and a Bajan father.[2] Franc's stage name was inspired by her late maternal grandfather, Frank Wilson, she explained to Flavour Magazine that he had "noticed me playing the piano and predicted I was going to be a musician. Sadly he’s no longer here. So, in honour of him, I called myself Livvi Franc; Livvi because it’s my nickname, and Franc because it’s a funkier version of Frank."[3] When Franc was five, the family moved to Barbados, because her parents decided that their daughters, Franc and her elder sister, should experience their Barbadian heritage.[1] They would return to England during the summer holidays.[3] Franc wrote her first song at age eleven and learned the guitar at fifteen and sang in school talent shows and pagaents growing up.[1][4]
Franc's first manager discovered her when a friend of Franc's who babysitted for her gave her one of Franc's cassette tape demos.[1] Franc then went on to record proper demos in studio in Barbados and Miami, where she met her next manager. Soon after, she was in New York meeting label heads and auditioning.[1] She finally signed with Jive Records, after months of negotiations,[2] after singing an Etta James song for them.[3] Prior to signing with Jive, Franc had gone through three years of artist development and attended workshops on it.[2][5] She had attended Queens College in Barbados.[5] Jordin Sparks recorded a song written by Livvi Franc, "Walking On Snow",[6] Franc has also written for Cheryl Cole, Marie Digby, Michael Jackson,and Britney Spears[3], and Cher Lloyd.
Franc's debut single, "Now I'm That Bitch" was released in the summer of 2009. The song topped the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart and became a top 40 hit in New Zealand and the UK.[7] Another song, "This is a Raid" appeared on the reboot of Melrose Place.[7] Franc released her second single named Automatik. Produced by RedOne, the single peaked at #6 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart. During the end of 2010, the album was eventually shelved by Jive and so Livvi left Jive Records, however quickly signed to Beluga Heights/Warner Bros., where she is currently finishing her debut album.
Franc has listed Nelly Furtado, Alicia Keys, Alanis Morissette as her biggest musical inspirations.[3]
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [8] |
NZ [9] |
US [10] |
US Dance | |||||||||||
| 2008 | "Free" | — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 2009 | "Now I'm That Bitch" (featuring Pitbull) |
40 | 24 | 114 | 1 | |||||||||
| 2010 | "Automatik" | — | — | — | 6 | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released. | ||||||||||||||
| Year | Single | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Free" | Laurent Briet[11] |
| 2009 | "Now I'm That Bitch" | Sarah Chatfield[12] |
| 2010 | "Automatik" | Malcom Jones |
| Year | Single | Singer | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | "Overboard" | Marié Digby | Breathing Underwater[13] |
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