Vanity (singer)

Vanity
Birth name Denise Katrina Matthews
Also known as Denise Matthews-Smith,
D.D. Winters
Born January 4, 1959[1]
Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada
Genres Soul, R&B, funk
Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter, model, actress, dancer
Years active 1978–1997
Labels Motown, A&M, Geffen
Warner Bros. (with Vanity 6)
Associated acts Vanity 6, Prince, Apollonia 6, Morris Day, The Time, Nikki Sixx
Website www.denisematthews.com

Denise Katrina Matthews (born January 4, 1959),[2][3] formerly known as Vanity and sometimes credited as Denise Matthews-Smith or D.D. Winters, is a Canadian former singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and model who has turned away from performing to concentrate on evangelism.[4] Vanity's career lasted from the 1980s until the early mid-'90s.

She was the lead singer of the female trio Vanity 6 from 1981 until it disbanded in 1983. The group was well known for their 1982 R&B/funk hit "Nasty Girl". Vanity's music career, also included two solo albums on Motown Records; Wild Animal and Skin on Skin, as well as the hit singles, "Pretty Mess", "Mechanical Emotion", and "Under the Influence".

She also had a successful acting career, starring in films The Last Dragon, 52 Pick-Up, and Action Jackson.

Early life

Vanity was born Denise Matthews in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Her mother is of Polish and Jewish descent and was born in Germany[5] while her father was African American.[6]

Career

Modeling

Vanity began entering local beauty pageants before moving to Toronto, where she modeled. She won the Miss Niagara Hospitality title in 1977, and went on to compete for Miss Canada in 1978. At age 17, she moved to New York to further her career. She signed with Zoli Model Agency. Because she was short in stature, her modeling career was limited to commercials and photo shoots; it included no runway work. Matthews appeared in ads for Pearl Drops toothpaste, before completing a modeling stint in Japan. As Vanity, she posed twice for Playboy magazine, in May 1985 and again in April 1988. Throughout the 1980s to the mid-1990s, Vanity appeared in many magazines around the world. Additionally, she was the cover model for the funk/R&B band Cameo's 1982 album Alligator Woman.

Music

In 1980, she met Prince at the American Music Awards.[7] Prince renamed her Vanity because, he said, he saw his female reflection when he looked at her. After learning that Vanity could sing, Prince asked her to become the lead singer of the group Vanity 6.[7] This group was known for its sexually explicit lyrics, performances, and costumes (the "6" in their name referred to the female trio's breasts). The group's biggest hit, "Nasty Girl", was produced by Prince. In late 1982, the group went on the 1999 tour with Prince and The Time until spring 1983. Vanity 6 was known for their provocative performances during the tour.

After one album, Vanity decided to leave Vanity 6. She did not appear in the film Purple Rain in 1983. Several songs for Vanity 6's proposed second album were recorded. They were later released as bootlegs.

Vanity signed a record deal with Motown Records in 1984 and recorded two solo albums, Wild Animal and Skin on Skin. Extended versions of the single "Pretty Mess" from Wild Animal b/w "Mechanical Emotion", were released as a 12" by Motown. Her solo albums were moderate successes. Her biggest hit was "Under the Influence" from her 1986 album Skin On Skin. Not long after Vanity's second album was released, she either left or was dropped from Motown and signed with A&M Records. Later she signed with Geffen Records.

In 1988, under the production of friend/former the Time member Jesse Johnson, she recorded songs for the Action Jackson movie soundtrack, including the song "Faraway Eyes," which became one of her most well-known hits. That year Vanity also worked on a third album with two of her peers from her days with Prince, former Time members Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, as well as Tony LeMans, but the project did not yield an album release. Vanity's work as a recording artist ceased.

Acting

In 1980, Matthews had a small role in the horror movie Terror Train, which was filmed in Montreal a year earlier. She then went to Toronto to film the lead role in the B-movie Tanya's Island. At the time of both film roles, she was billed as D.D. Winters. After her music career started, as Vanity she starred in a number of movies, including The Last Dragon, which featured her underground hit "7th Heaven." In 1986 she starred in Never Too Young to Die opposite John Stamos. The film also featured Gene Simmons. She went on to appear in 52 Pick-Up and 1988's Action Jackson, her highest profile role, in which she starred opposite Carl Weathers, Craig T. Nelson, and Sharon Stone.

From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, Vanity guest-starred on numerous TV shows. She played a villain who tortured Nancy Allen's character in the 1990 TV movie Memories of Murder, guest-starred in an episode of Miami Vice‍ '​s third season, and in 1992 appeared in an episode of Highlander: The Series She also appeared in Friday the 13th: The Series in the episode entitled "Mesmer's Bauble".

Personal life

Besides Prince, Vanity was linked romantically to Adam Ant and Billy Idol.[8] In 1987, she stated that she and Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx were engaged (although Sixx denied this claim). She joked that she would become Vanity 6 (Sixx) again. They never married. In Sixx's 2007 autobiography, The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star, he describes his 1987 drug use with Vanity, who was addicted to crack cocaine at the time. In 1995, Vanity married football player Anthony Smith of the Oakland Raiders,[9] but they divorced the following year. Due to the effects on her kidneys of years of drug use while a performer, she must now undergo peritoneal dialysis five times a day (each session is 20 minutes long).[8]

Matthews currently lives in Fremont, California.[10]

Christian conversion

Vanity gave up her stage name and became a born-again Christian in 1994, the year she almost died from the effects of smoking crack cocaine. She recalled that after being rushed to the hospital, doctors said she had three days to live while on life support. She said that Jesus appeared to her at this time and spoke to her, saying if she promised to give up her Vanity persona, he would save her. In 1995, she said, "When I came to the Lord Jesus Christ, I threw out about 1,000 tapes of mine — every interview, every tape, every video. Everything."[11] She has stated that she has chosen not to receive any further revenue from her work as Vanity, and has cut off all ties with Hollywood and her former life in the music business.[12] After a kidney transplant in 1997, she decided to devote her life to evangelism. She now speaks at churches across the United States and worldwide.

In 2010, Matthews released her autobiography, Blame It On Vanity.[13]

Discography

Studio albums

With Vanity 6

Solo discography

Soundtracks

Guest vocals

Other work and unreleased songs

While the versions with Vanity's vocals remain officially unreleased, all three have been leaked extensively to the internet.

With Vanity 6

Year Title U.S. U.S. R&B U.S. dance
1982 "He's So Dull" — — —
"Nasty Girl" 101[14] 7 1[15]
"Drive Me Wild" — — —

Solo

Year Title U.S. U.S. R&B U.S. dance
1984 "Pretty Mess" 75[16] 15 13[15]
1985 "Mechanical Emotion" 107[14] 23 —
1986 "Under the Influence" 56[16] 9 6[15]
"Animals" — — —
1988 "Undress" — — —

Music videos

Vanity appeared in 7 released music videos:

Unreleased music video

Filmography

Television work

References

  1. ↑ Vanity 6 Lives Out Daring Fantasies On Stage (Jet Magazine, January 24, 1983)
  2. ↑ "Denise Matthews Formerly Known As Vanity: "I Knew I Wasn’t Fit For The Kingdom"". elev8.com. Retrieved October 12, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Happy Birthday to Denise Matthews (Formerly Known As Vanity)". according2g.com. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
  4. ↑ The New York Times
  5. ↑ NNDB
  6. ↑ Courtland, Milloy (1997-06-04). "Former Siren Is Singing A New Song". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2010-04-15.: "Denise K. Matthews, of Niagara Falls... daughter of an African American father and a Polish Jewish mother..."
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Buchalter, Gail. (1984-10-15) Her Romance with Prince Hit the Rocks, but Vanity's Singing Career Is Going Grrr-Eat. Peopledf.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-18.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Christian, Margena A. (2007-11-26). "Vanity". Jet (Johnson Publishing Company) 112 (21): 49. ISSN 0021-5996.
  9. ↑ "Vanity Weds Pro Football Star Anthony Smith After Monthlong Courtship". Jet (Johnson Publishing Company) 87 (23): 14. 1995-04-17. ISSN 0021-5996.
  10. ↑ "denisematthews.com". denisematthews.com. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
  11. ↑ Rettenmund, Matthew (1996). Totally Awesome 80s: A Lexicon Of the Music, Videos, Movies, TV shows, Stars, and Trends Of That Decadent Decade. Macmillan. p. 57. ISBN 0-312-14436-9.
  12. ↑ denisematthews.com. denisematthews.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-18.
  13. ↑ Blame It On Vanity. Blame It On Vanity. Retrieved on 2010-08-18.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Whitburn, Joel (2005). Bubbling Under The Billboard Hot 100 1959-2004 (2nd ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 277. ISBN 0-89820-162-4.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 ((( Vanity > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles ))). allmusic (1959-01-04). Retrieved on 2010-08-18.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 (10th ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 739. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.

External links