Sonique (musician)
 | This article needs to be updated. (March 2018) |
Sonique | |
|---|---|
 Sonique at the 7th Asian Awards in 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sonia Marina Clarke |
| Also known as | Sonique |
| Born | 21 June 1965 Crouch End, North London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1985–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | soniqueclarke |
Sonia Marina Clarke[2] (born 21 June 1965),[3] better known by her stage name Sonique, is a British singer, musician and DJ.[4] She came to public attention as a member of dance band S'Express during the early 1990s, but achieved greater success as a solo artist in the early-to mid 2000s. During this period, she achieved UK top 20 hits with "It Feels So Good", "Sky", "I Put a Spell on You" and "Can't Make Up My Mind", and won the 2001 BRIT Award for British female solo artist.
Biography
[edit]1965–1983: Early life
[edit]Sonia Clarke was born and raised in Crouch End to parents of Trinidadian descent. The first record she ever purchased was Donna Summer's "I Feel Love". When Sonique was sixteen, her mother remarried and moved back to Trinidad. She refused to move with her mother and two siblings and instead stayed in London, moving into the YMCA.
1983–1991: Early music career
[edit]At the age of seventeen, a youth worker commented that she had a nice voice and suggested she use it. She put together a reggae band called 'Fari', in which she ended up writing all the music. After Fari disbanded she set about getting a recording contract.
Sonique released the single "Let Me Hold You", published by Cooltempo, in 1985.[5] The single hit the Top 40 on the UK Dance Chart.
In 1990, she was credited for the track "Zombie Mantra", which was included on the album Set the Controls for the Heart of the Bass, the debut record of William Orbit's project Bass-O-Matic. Soon after, she teamed again with DJ Mark Moore, a few years after providing vocals for S'Express.[5] The dance-pop duo charted in the UK Singles Chart with singles such as "Nothing to Lose".[5] She maintained a friendship with Mark Moore after S'Express disbanded and, shortly afterwards, he gave her the gift of a set of turntables and a mixer with which she began experimenting.
1997–2001: DJ career
[edit]For three years, she accompanied both Mark Moore and her childhood friend Judge Jules to their gigs. She eventually signed to London-based label Serious Records, where her first single was "I Put a Spell on You" produced by Chris Allen and ex-Wang Chung keyboardist Graeme Pleeth.[6] She was DJ-in-residence at Club Manumission in Ibiza between 1997 and 1999.
In 1998, she came to the attention of UK promoters/label Fantazia and was asked to mix one of the discs on their album Fantazia British Anthems Summertime.[5] The album was certified gold in the UK.
Sonique released her debut solo album Hear My Cry in 1998.[7] Re-released in 2000, the album's hit single "It Feels So Good" topped the UK chart for three weeks in May/June of that year. After 14 weeks in the Top 40, it became the UK's third best-selling single of 2000. In 2001, after the success of "It Feels So Good" she announced that she planned to retire from the world of DJing to focus on her singing career. After finishing the album Born to Be Free, Sonique did return to DJing on a few special occasions.
2002–2006: On Kosmo
[edit]In 2004, Sonique announced she was working on an album called On Kosmo. The first single was "Another World", which reached number 57 in Germany when released in 2004. "Why" (released Spring 2005), reached number 90 in Germany.
"Alone" was selected as the third single with which the album would be launched, but when the album got pushed back from the expected release date of February 2006, the single was cancelled. When the new release date of 29 September 2006 was announced, the track "Sleezy" was chosen as the single with which the album was to be released. However, "Sleezy" was also cancelled when the release date was pushed back once again. When On Kosmo was finally released, on Monday 13 November 2006, it failed to chart significantly in the UK. Nevertheless, Sonique was shown as a celebrity guest at 2006 edition of the World Music Awards, in London.
2009–present
[edit]In 2007, when promotional work for her previous album, On Kosmo, was finished, Sonique announced she would continue touring Europe despite the flop of the album. A teaser from some of the new material she had been working on, entitled "Better Than That", 'leaked' online on 5 October 2008. Due to the positive reception of this 'leak', the track was posted available to download on various legal MP3 download sites.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2009, for which she underwent surgery at a London clinic. Following her operations, Sonique opted to receive 5 months of chemotherapy in an effort to prevent a recurrence.[8] She was given the all clear in 2010 and celebrated by appearing on a cover version of the Cyndi Lauper song Girls Just Want To Have Fun, which was released to raise funds for the Cancer Research UK charity.[9]
The single "World of Change" was released on 23 October 2009 and the official video was posted by Sonique's label on YouTube.
The year 2011 brought the release of the album Sweet Vibrations, which contains the previously released singles "Better Than That" and "World of Change".
In March 2024 Sonique sold out her own show at the Royal Festival Hall with special guests Baby-D and Rozalla and added a string-section and choir to her band.[10]
On 27 June 2024, Sonique performed a DJ set on the Silver Hayes stage at the Glastonbury Festival.
Discography
[edit]Albums
[edit]| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [11] |
AUS [12] |
AUT [13] |
GER [14] |
IRE [15] |
NOR [16] |
NZ [17] |
SWE [18] |
SWI [19] |
US [20] | ||||
| Hear My Cry | 6 | 69 | 9 | 17 | 45 | 12 | 20 | 10 | 2 | 67 | |||
| Born to Be Free |
|
142 | — | — | 97 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| On Kosmo |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| Sweet Vibrations |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [11] |
AUT [13] |
FRA [23] |
GER [24] |
IRE [15] |
NOR [16] |
NZ [17] |
SWE [18] |
SWI [19] |
US [25] | ||||
| "Let Me Hold You" | 1985 | 99 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "I Put a Spell on You"[A] | 1998 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Hear My Cry | |
| "It Feels So Good"[B] | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "It Feels So Good" (re-release) | 2000 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 8 | ||
| "Sky" | 2 | 8 | 22 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 48 | 13 | 18 | — |
| ||
| "I Put a Spell on You" (re-release) | 8 | — | — | 70 | 18 | — | — | 28 | 44 | — | |||
| "Can't Make Up My Mind" | 2003 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Born to Be Free | |
| "Alive" | 70 | 33 | — | 39 | — | — | — | — | 80 | — | |||
| "Another World" (with Tomcraft) |
2004 | — | 75 | — | 57 | — | — | — | — | — | — | Sonique on Kosmo | |
| "Why" | 2005 | — | — | — | 90 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Sleezy" | 2006 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Better Than That" | 2009 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Sweet Vibrations | |
| "World of Change" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Only You" (with Paul Morrell) |
2010 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Don't Give a Damn" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Givin' It Up" (with Christian Luke) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "What You're Doin'" (with Paul Morrell) |
2011 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Tonight" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Carry On" (with Johnny Gerontakis) |
2013 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Don't Put Me Down" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Feels So Good" (with Ramiro) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Melody" (with Mauro Picotto) |
2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Shake" (featuring Power of Muzik) |
2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Keep On Lovin" (with Dario G)[30] |
2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Prisoner" | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Notes
[edit]- A ^ "I Put a Spell on You" peaked at number 36 in the United Kingdom upon its original release in 1998; it was later re-released in 2001, and served as the third single from Hear My Cry in all other territories.[11]
- B ^ "It Feels So Good" peaked at number 24 in the United Kingdom upon its original release in 1998; it was later re-released in 2000, and served as the first single from Hear My Cry in all other territories.[11]
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Awards | Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | MOBO Awards | "It Feels So Good" | Best UK Single | Nominated | [31] |
| MTV Europe Music Awards | Best Song | Nominated | [32] | ||
| Herself | Best New Act | Nominated | |||
| Best Dance | Nominated | ||||
| Best UK & Ireland Act | Nominated | ||||
| NME Awards | Best Dance Act | Nominated | [33] | ||
| Smash Hits Poll Winners Party | Best Dance/Soul Act | Nominated | [34] | ||
| "It Feels So Good" | Best Dance Choon | Nominated | [35] | ||
| The Record of the Year | Record of the Year | Nominated | |||
| 2001 | BMI Pop Awards | Award-Winning Song | Won | [36] | |
| Ivor Novello Awards | International Hit of the Year | Won | |||
| Best Selling UK Single | Nominated | ||||
| Hungarian Music Awards | Hear My Cry | Best Foreign Dance Album | Nominated | ||
| International Dance Music Awards | Herself | Best New Dance Artist Solo | Won | ||
| DanceStar Awards | DanceStar of the Year | Won | |||
| Brit Awards | British Female Solo Artist | Won | [37] | ||
| British Dance Act | Nominated | ||||
| "It Feels So Good" | British Single of the Year | Nominated | |||
| British Video of the Year | Nominated |
See also
[edit]- List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
References
[edit]- ^ "Sonique ; publicity photograph". Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ^ Phillips, Dom (2009). Superstar DJs Here We Go!: The Rise and Fall of the Superstar DJ. Ebury Publishing. pp. 177–. ISBN 978-1-4070-2695-4.
- ^ Gregory, Andy (2002).The International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002. p.477
- ^ "Sonique Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2007. Retrieved 1 April 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Sonique – Biography". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on 5 May 2008. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ "AskMen.com – Sonique pictures". AskMen.com. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 13 May 2007.
- ^ "Sonique." Contemporary Musicians. Vol. 45. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2004. Retrieved via Biography in Context database, 16 April 2017. Also available online via Encyclopedia.com Archived 17 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Sonique Steps Up for Chemotherapy". Breastcancer.about.com. Archived from the original on 5 October 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ^ "Girls Just Want To Have Fun: Sonique Records Cancer Charity Single After Beating Breast Cancer". Sky News. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ^ Dalton, Stephen (18 March 2024). "Sonique review — high-energy dance-pop given the high art treatment". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d Peak chart positions in the United Kingdom:
- All except noted: "Sonique". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 27 June 2012. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
- Born to Be Free: Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK: DJ S – The System Of Life". Zobbel.de. Tobias Zywietz. Archived from the original on 22 March 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 260.
- ^ a b "Discographie Sonique". austriancharts.at (in German). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ "Chartverfolgung / Sonique / Longplay". musicline.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Discography Sonique". irish-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Discography Sonique". norwegiancharts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 1 February 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Discography Sonique". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Discography Sonique". swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Discographie Sonique". hitparade.ch (in German). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 22 May 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ "Sonique Album & Song Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ a b c "BPI Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (insert "Sonique" into the "Search" box, and then select "Go") on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ a b "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Sonique)". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
- ^ "Discographie Sonique". lescharts.com (in French). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 10 March 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
- ^ "Chartverfolgung / Sonique / Single". musicline.de (in German). Media Control Charts. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
- ^ "Sonique Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank: Sonique" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
- ^ "Norwegian single certifications – Sonique – It Feels So Good" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
- ^ "(Guld & Platina) ÅR 2001" [(Gold & Platinum) Year 2001] (PDF) (in Swedish). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. p. 5. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
- ^ "Certifications Singles Argent – année 2001" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 29 August 2012.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Keep On Lovin - single on Apple Music". 25 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
- ^ "BBC News | ENTERTAINMENT | Mobo Awards: The nominations".
- ^ "UKMIX – Articles – MTV Europe Music Awards 2000". 23 September 2010. Archived from the original on 23 September 2010. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ "Rocklist.net...NME End of Year Lists 2000". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- ^ "Page 13 – Smash Hits – Issue 575 – 13th December – 26th December 2000". 15 July 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2020 – via Flickr.
- ^ "Page 12 – Smash Hits – Issue 575 – 13th December – 26th December 2000". 4 February 2019. Retrieved 27 April 2020 – via Flickr.
- ^ "BMI's Pop Awards 2001 Song List | Press". Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "BRIT Awards 2001 - YouTube". YouTube.
External links
[edit]- Official site
- Sonique Profile on Fantazia
- Sonique discography at Discogs
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
- 1965 births
- 20th-century Black British women singers
- 21st-century Black British women singers
- Brit Award winners
- British club DJs
- English dance musicians
- English electronic musicians
- English house musicians
- English people of Trinidad and Tobago descent
- English women DJs
- English women in electronic music
- British electronic dance music DJs
- Living people
- People from Crouch End
- Republic Records artists
- Singers from the London Borough of Haringey
- Universal Music Group artists
- ZYX Music artists