Charlotte (singer) facts for kids

Charlotte Kelly is a talented British singer, songwriter, and music producer. She became well-known in the mid-1990s as one of the main singers for the famous British R&B group Soul II Soul. This group was one of London's most successful bands ever!

Charlotte sang the lead vocals on their song "I Care" from their album Volume V: Believe in 1995. She continued to work with the group until their last album, Time for Change, in 1997. During a break from the group, Charlotte released her first solo album, Just Another Girl, in 1998, which was sold only in Japan. Her second album, Charlotte (1999), featured the popular dance song "Skin".

In 2010, Charlotte reunited with Soul II Soul for their Reunion Tour. She continued to perform as their lead singer after the tour. In 2013, she decided to leave the group again to focus on her own music career. Charlotte's hard work has earned her many awards, including three United Nations Music Aid Awards and a UK Songwriting Contest Award. She also received a special Heritage Award with Soul II Soul from the Performing Right Society.

Early life and family

Charlotte Kelly was born in Coventry, England, in 1976. Her parents, Michelle and Tony Kelly, used to own a record store called "Moonshine." This store was in a part of Coventry called Hillfields. Charlotte has two sisters and a brother.

When she was born, Charlotte was blind. She had no sight in her left eye and very little in her right eye. From a young age, Charlotte knew she wanted to be a singer. She was inspired by all the music she heard playing in her parents' record store. Charlotte has three children.

Music career

Starting out: 1992–1993

Charlotte Kelly began her music journey at just sixteen years old. She signed her first record deal with Big Life Records. In 1993, she released her first song, "Sugar Tree." The music video for this song was shown on the ITV Chart Show in October 1993.

The next year, 1994, she released two more songs: "Climb My Stairs" and "All of Your Love." Later that year, she met Jazzie B from Soul II Soul. He helped produce her next song, "Queen of Hearts." Another singer from Soul II Soul, Lamya, sang background vocals on the track.

Joining Soul II Soul: 1994–1997

After making her demo song, Charlotte toured as a background singer for Soul II Soul. Soon, she was asked to become a full-time member and one of the main singers of the group.

In August 1995, Soul II Soul released their fourth album, Volume V: Believe. This album reached number 13 on the UK Albums chart. The second song from the album, "I Care," featured Charlotte's lead vocals. It became a hit, reaching number 17 on the UK Singles chart. Charlotte also sang lead on other songs from the album, "Don't You Dream" and "Pride."

In 1997, Soul II Soul released their fifth album, Time for Change. Charlotte sang the lead vocals on the title track, "Time for Change." Later that year, Charlotte decided to leave Soul II Soul to start her solo career. She signed a new record deal with Parlophone Rhythm Series.

Solo albums: 1998–2000

In February 1998, Charlotte released the song "Be Mine." This song reached number 59 on the UK Singles chart. In November 1998, her first solo album, Just Another Girl, was released. It was sold only in Japan.

In February 1999, "Skin" was released as the first song from her second album. This song was very popular, reaching number 1 on Billboard's Club Play chart. It also sold over 40,000 copies around the world. In June 1999, the album's second song, "Someday," reached number 74 on the UK Singles chart. Charlotte also released a remix project called "Remixed to Infinity" only in Japan. This album had eight remixed versions of her songs "Skin," "Someday," and "Be Mine."

In September 1999, Charlotte released her second album, simply called Charlotte. The final song from this album, "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark," was released in 2000. It reached number 11 on Billboard's Dance chart.

Songwriting and production: 2002–2010

In 2002, Charlotte released a song called "Golden Gate (Lovin' You)." It was included on a music collection album called WMC Allstars. In 2004, Charlotte entered the USA Songwriting Competition. She submitted four songs and won first prize in the R&B category for her song "Cheeky."

In 2006, she entered the UK Songwriting Competition and won first prize in the R&B category again. She also placed second in the Pop category. In the same year, Charlotte won two Music Aid Awards: "Best UK Female Artist" and "Best UK Songwriter."

In 2010, Charlotte helped write the main melody for the UK number 1 song "Good Times" by the group Roll Deep. This was Charlotte's first song to reach number 1 in the UK.

Back with Soul II Soul: 2010–2013

In 2010, the original members of Soul II Soul got back together for a reunion tour. After the tour, Charlotte rejoined the group as their lead singer. The group performed at the annual Rewind Festival in 2012.

In June 2012, Soul II Soul received a special PRS Heritage Plaque award. In November 2013, Charlotte decided to leave the group again to focus on her solo music career.

Solo career continues: 2013–present

In 2013, Charlotte released a song called "Somebody's Baby." In 2014, she released three more songs: "Tell the Sun," "All Coming Back," and "Sonic ...".

Discography

Albums

• Just Another Girl (1998)
• Remixed to Infinity (1999)
• Charlotte (1999)

Singles

Awards and nominations

USA Songwriting competition

UK Songwriting competition

United Nations Music Aid Awards

Unisong International Song Contest

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the US Dance chart