| Suze DeMarchi | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Born | 14 February 1964 |
| Origin | Perth, Western Australia, Australia |
| Genres | Hard rock Rock Pop |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | Mushroom Records |
Suze DeMarchi (born 14 February 1964) is an Australian singer/songwriter best known for fronting the band Baby Animals (1989–1994).
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DeMarchi was born in Perth, Western Australia to Walter and Shirley DeMarchi and has three older siblings; her sister Denise is also a singer. DeMarchi began her singing career in the early 1980s when she was just 17, playing in local bands in Australia. In 1985, she moved to London, England where she was signed to EMI and had a fairly successful solo career in pop music, where she released a number of singles: "Young Hearts", "Big Wednesday" and "Dry Your Eyes".
During this time she dated Gavin Rossdale, former lead singer and guitarist for the band Bush. Bush's song "Comedown" from 1994's Sixteen Stone is about their relationship.[1]
Disheartened by the record company's attempt to slide her into a pop career, along with missing working with a band, she returned to Australia in mid 1989, where she and fellow Perth musicians Frank Celenza, Eddie Parise and Dave Leslie formed the band Baby Animals. The band met with success in their native Australia, releasing two albums, touring with Van Halen, and winning various awards before permanently disbanding in 1996.[2] This was mostly due to legal battles with their record label Imago and Suze having nodules in her throat - she even had to stop singing for a short while because of them[3] - in 1993, which forced the band to cut short the tour for their second album.
During this time, DeMarchi met Nuno Bettencourt, guitarist at that time for hard rock band Extreme. They co-wrote and performed the song "Because I Can" for Baby Animals' second record Shaved and Dangerous. On 27 August 1994 the couple married in the Azores, Portugal where Bettencourt's family is from. On 2 February 1996 they had their first child, daughter Bebe Orleans.
After the demise of Baby Animals in 1994, DeMarchi pursued a solo career. Although living in Boston with her husband and young daughter (apparently temporarily in her mother-in-law's basement at one point), she signed to Mushroom Records Australia and released 1999's Telelove, which featured the single "Satellite". DeMarchi supported the album with a May tour around Australia as the singles "Karma" and eventually, "Open Windows" hit the shelves. DeMarchi was also nominated for an ARIA in 1999 for Best Female Artist. A second national tour was pencilled in for September, but it never materialized.
In 2001 it was rumoured that DeMarchi to be joining INXS as their new frontperson to replace Michael Hutchence, who died in 1997,[4] following her performance with them at a concert in December 2000 where she sang "Shine Like It Does", "Never Tear Us Apart", and dueted with Jon Stevens (frequent replacement frontman for INXS, and formerly of the band Noiseworks) for "Good Times" and "Don't Change".
On 12 August 2002 DeMarchi and Bettencourt welcomed their second child, Lorenzo Aureolino in Los Angeles, United States where they now reside.[5]
In June 2004 DeMarchi was recognised by the West Australian Music Industry Association and inducted as one of the inaugural inductees into the WAM Hall of Fame.
When asked about the Baby Animals reunion rumours that started around 2004 with the sightings of all four members at a recording studio in Perth, Suze replied that the time was not yet right.
It was confirmed in 2007 that all the original members of Baby Animals have reunited.
2007 DeMarchi collaborated with husband Nuno Bettencourt to perform vocals on several songs for the soundtrack of the motion picture Smart People, on which Bettencourt was credited for the musical score.
"Young Hearts" is the debut single by Suze DeMarchi, released by EMI Records in 1986.
"Big Wednesday" is the second single by Suze DeMarchi, released by EMI Records in 1987.
"Dry Your Eyes" is the third single by Suze DeMarchi, released by EMI Records in 1988.
"God Took a Picture" is a promotional single by Suze DeMarchi from the film Highlander III: The Final Dimension. It was released by Colourblind Records in 1995 as a one-track promotional single only. It can not be found on the soundtrack and is heard only on the US video release at the closing scene.
"Satellite" is the first single taken from Suze DeMarchi's album Telelove. It was released by Mushroom Records in December 1998. The single reached #90 on the Australian singles charts.
"Karma" is the second single taken from Suze DeMarchi's album Telelove. It was released by Mushroom Records in March 1999. The acoustic live version of "Satellite" was recorded at Triple M in Melbourne during DeMarchi's promotional tour in October 1998.
"Open Windows" is the third single taken from Suze DeMarchi's album Telelove. It was released by Mushroom Records in July 1999.