| Porcelain Black | |
|---|---|
Porcelain Black at the Falguni and Shane Peacock Spring 2012 fashion show.[1] |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alaina Marie Beaton |
| Also known as | Porcelain and the Tramps |
| Born | October 1, 1985 [2] Sterling Heights, Michigan, United States |
| Genres | Pop rock, electronic rock |
| Occupations | Singer, songwriter, producer, dancer, actress, model |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Virgin, 2101, Universal Republic |
| Website | www.porcelainblack.net |
Alaina Marie Beaton (born October 1, 1985), better known by her stage name Porcelain Black, is an American pop-rock singer-songwriter. She started her music career at 18 under the stage name Porcelain and the Tramps with Virgin Records. However, Black and Virgin could not agree on the music that she recorded and she spent 3 years trying to get out of the contract. She signed with RedOne's Universal Republic imprint late in 2009 and began working on her debut.
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Black grew up in Sterling Heights, Michigan.[3][4] Her father was a hairstylist. He owned a hair salon and brought her along to fashion shows and photoshoots.[5] Her parents separated when she was 6 years old. After her mother remarried, they settled in Rochester where she attended high school.[4] Having lived in less affluent areas prior to the move, Black found that she did not fit in with her privileged classmates,[4] becoming an outcast. She discovered that her biological father had cancer when she was 15, which affected her so much that she was expelled from school in three months for fighting. Two months later, she was expelled from another school.[5][6] He died when she was 16. Black had taken part in national competitive dancing, taking jazz, hip-hop, tap and ballet lessons, since young and at one point was training to perform on Broadway. She also considered becoming a backup dancer.[3] After being expelled from her last school, Black ran away from home. She started begging, doing drugs and drinking while crashing at friends' houses at night. After going on tour with Armor for Sleep, she returned to Detroit and stopped taking drugs.[5]
While on a roadtrip in New York, Black was approached by her first manager who told her to look for him in Los Angeles when she turned 18. Eighteen months later, Black moved to Los Angeles, found her manager and was signed to Virgin Records two weeks later.[5] Recording under the pseudonym Porcelain and the Tramps, Black worked with Tommy Henriksen and John Lowery in London while at Virgin.[4] However, she and the label could not agree on the music she made. Virgin wanted Black to record pop music in the vein of Avril Lavigne, despite already knowing what kind of music she made when signing her.[4] She also faced skepticism from her collaborators who questioned her desire to mix industrial rock sounds with dance pop. Black began posting the songs she recorded on Myspace, gaining upwards of 10 million views in a matter of months.[5] Black co-wrote and sang backup vocals for the song "Lunacy Fringe" by The Used.[7] She was approached by Courtney Love on MySpace to provide backing vocals for a solo album she was working on. She also featured on a song by the Street Drum Corps's "Action!". "How Do You Love Someone?", co-penned by Black around the time she left Virgin was cut by Ashley Tisdale for her second album, Guilty Pleasure.[4] Black was initially reluctant to give the song away, but relented and later got to record the song for her own album with production from RedOne.
Through a mutual A&R friend, producer RedOne heard about Black and was interested in meeting her. RedOne asked to meet Black in his studio in November 2009, which led to them writing her debut single "This Is What Rock n' Roll Looks Like" the next day.[4] RedOne helped Black get out of her contract with Virgin Records and signed her to his Universal Republic imprint, 2101 Records. RedOne also introduced her to a new manager, Derrick "EI" Lawrence, who also manages Lil Wayne. Wayne invited her to join him on his I Am Music Tour after meeting her.[6] She changed her name to Porcelain Black because it caused confusion to people who thought Porcelain and the Tramps was a band.[3] Her stage name came from her childhood nickname, Porcelain, which was due to an extensive collection of porcelain dolls given to her by her aunt. Her aunt thought that the dolls resembled her in appearance, with strawberry blond hair and pale skin.[3] She adopted Black in her name because she felt that it represented the opposite of "fragile" Porcelain.[3] She plans to revisit the Porcelain and the Tramps project in the future.[3] Black co-wrote "Lolita" for Mexican pop singer Belinda. She also made appearances in the music videos for Travie McCoy's "We'll Be Alright",[8] Swizz Beatz's "Rock 'N' Roll"[9] and Jeffree Star's "Get Away With Murder" in 2010.[10]
Black's debut album will be released in January 2012.[11] RedOne produced all the songs on the album and co-wrote all but one of the tracks with her.[3] She has stated that Eminem could appear on "How Do You Love Someone?". Black filmed a cameo role in Rock of Ages with RedOne's help, playing the lead singer of an 80's hair-metal band. She also provided the sole original song for the film, "Rock Angel".[2][12] She made her television debut on The David Letterman Show on July 21, 2011.[13] She also co-wrote "Save You Tonight" with RedOne, for One Direction's debut album Up All Night. "Naughty Naughty", the second single from her album, was released in Sweden on October 24. The single was released in the US on December 13.
Black's voice has been described as raspy. She described her music as a love child between Marilyn Manson and Britney Spears.[14] Additionally, Black cites that Spears inspires her deep love for choreography, while Manson inspires the sound and attitude of her lyrics and performance style. Black's two-tone, blond and black hairstyle and her "leather and lace" fashion style, she claims, is inspired by both Manson and Spears as well, along with her desire to develop a persona in which a stable duality between "good" and "bad" exists. Critics have noted that her sound is more so pop than rock, but Black is militant at her rock and roll image, saying "...I know I'm rock n roll."[15] Her biological father's love for rock music by Led Zeppelin, David Bowie and Jimi Hendrix also influences her. She has also listed Nine Inch Nails and its frontman, Trent Reznor, Bjork, Fiona Apple,[16] Skinny Puppy, AC/DC, Hole and Oasis as musical influences,[6] citing the albums "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?" and "Live Through This" as the most influential to her current sound.[12] The first concert she attended was an AC/DC concert with her father.[12] Recalling the experience, she told Revolver, "...I was like, when I grow up, this is what I want to do!"[12]
Black began dating Jackass star, Bam Margera, in 2011, although they have since reportedly broken up and she has now confirmed that she is single.[17]
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | Hot Club | |||
| 2011 | "This Is What Rock n' Roll Looks Like" (featuring Lil Wayne) | — | 44 | TBA |
| "Naughty Naughty"[18] | 19 | |||