Mary-Jess Leaverland
| Mary-Jess Leaverland | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 March 1990 (age 25) |
| Origin | Gloucester, Gloucestershire |
| Genres | Pop, Classical Crossover, Chinese Classical |
| Years active | 2009–Present |
| Labels |
Universal Music Group Decca Records |
| Website |
maryjess |
Mary-Jess Leaverland (born 28 March 1990) is a British singer[1][2] who won Min Xing Chang Fan Tian (or in English: I Want to Sing to the Stars), a provincial Chinese televised talent competition, in December 2009.[3][4]
Career
Leaverland first came to public attention after winning the Chinese singing contest Min Xing Chang Fan Tian (or in English: I Want to Sing to the Stars). After winning the contest, Leaverland still remained virtually unknown in the UK. The show was not broadcast outside Jiangsu Province, China, so her family and friends could not watch it and her family could not afford to fly over to watch her. When an interview she gave to a local Gloucester paper was picked up by the national press, the news spread, and Leaverland was offered several recording contracts and she signed a contract with Decca Records. She was signed to Decca from March 2010 to November 2011.[1]
She stated in an interview with The Guardian “I was awful at French but Chinese caught my attention with all the different tones. Each word had its own tune.” The Music and Chinese Studies course at Sheffield University took Leaverland to Nanjing, and when she by chance came across auditions for the talent competition she, typically, wanted to get involved. “I really thought they would want a Chinese person to win. I couldn’t believe it when it was me.”[5]
Her debut album Shine was released on 8 August 2011 and peaked at no. 57 on the UK Albums Chart.[6]
Leaverland has already begun writing for her second album and continues to write with debut collaborators Helen Boulding and Paul Carter. She has also contributed to the Downton Abbey soundtrack, by lending vocals to the song "Did I Make the Most of Loving You?".
In December 2011 she appeared as a soloist on the BBC Songs of Praise broadcast from All Saints' Church, Cheltenham.
Her song "Stand as One" is a background theme song for P&G – Proud Sponsor of Mums TV advert (2012).
Leaverland was selected to sing the FA Cup hymn "Abide with Me" before the 2012 FA Cup Final.[7]
Discography
Albums
| Title | Album details | Chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK [8] | ||
|
57 | |
Singles
| Song | Year | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | |||
| "Are You The Way Home?" | 2011 | — | Shine |
| "Glorious" | — | ||
| "Heaven Is Empty"[9] | — |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Decca Records | Mary-Jess
- ↑ Mary-Jess
- ↑ "British student Mary Jess wins Chinese X-factor". BBC News. 22 January 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
- ↑ "British exchange student Mary-Jess Leaverland wins Chinese X Factor". Telegraph Online. 19 January 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
- ↑ Mary Jess X Factor China Guardian online, Sunday 20 June 2010
- ↑ Shine: Mary-Jess: Amazon.co.uk: Music
- ↑ "Gloucester singer selected for FA Cup final". BBC News. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
- ↑ Chart Stats. – Mary-Jess – Shine
- ↑ iTunes – Music – Heaven Is Empty – Single by Mary-Jess