Karen David facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Karen David
David in 2017
Background information
Born	(1979-04-15) 15 April 1979 (age 46) Shillong, Meghalaya, India
Genres	Pop
Occupation(s)	Actress, singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1999–present
Labels	AWAL

Karen Shenaz David (born 15 April 1979) is a Canadian actress, singer, and songwriter. She is well-known for playing Princess Isabella in the TV show Galavant. She also played Cesca Montoya in the BBC drama Waterloo Road. You might also know her as Layla from the movie The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior.

Karen also starred as Angela in the ITV series Cold Feet. She played Princess Jasmine/Shirin in the sixth season of Once Upon a Time. She had a repeating role as Emma, a guidance counselor and witch, on The CW's Legacies. She was also a regular character, Grace Mukherjee, in Fear the Walking Dead.

Early Life and Education

Karen David was born in Shillong, Meghalaya, India. Her family has different backgrounds, including Chinese, Indian, and Jewish heritage. She grew up in Canada.

When she was 17, Karen moved to Britain. She studied acting at the Guildford School of Acting. Later, in the late 1990s, she returned to Canada. She studied radio and television arts at Ryerson University in Toronto.

Karen David's Career

Acting Roles

After finishing drama school, Karen joined the first cast of the West End musical Mamma Mia!. She was part of the group and also filled in for other roles. A famous musician, A. R. Rahman, saw her perform. He asked Karen to help him create songs for the musical Bombay Dreams. She sang songs for the show's tours in the US and Canada. She also worked with Rahman in India.

She appeared in a music video called "Higher & Higher" in 2000. She also acted in two short TV videos in 2002. One was Dancers: The Trailer, where she played Jenny. The other was The Paper Round, where she was a policewoman. In 2003, she got a role in the musical Bollywood Queen. From 2004 to 2005, she played Scarlet in MTV's Top Buzzer.

Karen played Lyla, a main character, in the London film Take 3 Girls (2006). She also appeared in Flight of Fury (2007) and The Colour of Magic (2008). In 2009, she was Fairy Frampton in The Legend of Dick and Dom. Karen was the main female lead, Layla, in The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior (2008). This movie was filmed in South Africa.

In September 2010, Karen played Cesca Montoya, a Spanish teacher, in Waterloo Road. This was a drama series on BBC One. While still on Waterloo Road, Karen got the role of Alexia Alderton in Pixelface. This was a CBBC children's comedy show about video game characters. The second season aired in 2012.

Karen appeared on American TV in 2012. She had a guest role on the Fox series Touch. She played Kayla Graham and sang the song "Three Little Birds" on the episode. This song was later released as a single.

In February 2013, Karen was in two episodes of the ABC TV series Castle. She played Sara El-Masri. During filming, Karen and a stuntman were hurt when a van door didn't close right. Karen had to wear a neck brace.

Karen returned to US television as Princess Isabella in Galavant. This ABC series started on 4 January 2015. In 2019, Karen joined the cast of Fear the Walking Dead. She played Grace Mukherjee until the final season began.

Music Career

Karen David working on music.

Karen David released her first song, "It's Me (You're Talking To)", in 2003. It was a popular song in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

She worked with A. R. Rahman again in 2006. They created the main song for the film Provoked. In 2007, she went back to his studio in India. There, she wrote and recorded the song "Alive". The next year, she released her first music collection, The Live Sessions EP. In 2009, she released another collection called Magic Carpet Ride.

In May 2010, Karen released the song "Hypnotize". She also released different versions of the song. In 2011, she released the album The Girl in the Pink Glasses. In 2012, her song "Three Little Birds" from the TV show Touch was released.

In 2013, Karen released her latest music collection, Dust to Stars. She worked with other songwriters and producers on this project. Since then, she has been part of the cast soundtracks for Galavant in 2015 and 2016.

Helping Others

Karen David cares about helping others. She supports Designers Against Aids and the SOS Children's Villages Foundation.

She designed a T-shirt to raise money for ActionAid's PoverTee Day in 2010. In December 2010, Karen released a Christmas music collection called My Christmas List. The money raised went to Shelter, a charity that helps people with housing and homelessness.

Karen also painted a self-portrait to help raise money for Face Britain. This project supports The Prince's Trust Foundation.

Personal Life

In 2013, Karen David married Carl Ryden. He is a Swedish songwriter and music producer. Their wedding took place in Palos Verdes Peninsula, California.

Filmography

Music Videos

Official Music Videos

Remixes and Radio Edits

See also

In Spanish: Karen David para niños