Samantha Mumba facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samantha Mumba
|
|
|---|---|
Mumba in 2009
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Samantha Tamania Anne Cecilia Mumba |
| Born | 18 January 1983 Dublin, Ireland |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels |
|
Samantha Tamania Anne Cecilia Mumba (born 18 January 1983) is an Irish singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. She also works as a fashion model and TV presenter. In 2000, when she was 17, she became famous with her first song, "Gotta Tell You". This song was a huge hit, reaching the top five in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Her first album, also called Gotta Tell You, came out later that year. It reached number four in Ireland and number nine in the UK. Samantha has had many popular songs, with seven reaching the top five in Ireland and six in the UK. She has also acted in movies, starting with The Time Machine in 2002. Samantha Mumba continues to release new music.
Contents
Early Life and How Samantha Started in Music
Samantha Mumba was born in Dublin, Ireland. Her father was from Zambia, and her mother is Irish.
When Samantha was 15, she was discovered on a TV talent show called Let Me Entertain You. This show was on Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ), which is Ireland's national TV and radio service. An Irish music manager named Louis Walsh saw her talent. Louis Walsh is well-known for managing famous bands like Boyzone and Westlife. He was very impressed by Samantha.
After being discovered, Samantha signed a record deal with Polydor Records. She then spent several months traveling between Denmark, Sweden, the UK, and Ireland. During this time, she worked on writing and recording her first album, Gotta Tell You. She decided to leave school to focus completely on her music career. It was hard to do both at the same time.
Samantha Mumba's Music Career
Samantha Mumba sings in a voice range called contralto. Her first song, "Gotta Tell You", was released in 2000. It quickly became a number one hit in Ireland and New Zealand. It also reached number two in the UK, number three in Australia, and number four in the US. The song was popular in many other countries across Europe too. Billboard magazine even listed "Gotta Tell You" as one of the catchiest songs of the 21st century.
When she was 17, Samantha released her first album, Gotta Tell You, in late 2000. The album was very successful, reaching the top ten in both Ireland and the UK. It also made it to number 67 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States.
Acting and Other Projects
After her music success, Samantha was chosen to play a character named Mara in the movie The Time Machine. This film was directed by Simon Wells, who is the great-grandson of H.G.Wells, the author of the original book. Samantha starred alongside actor Guy Pearce and her real-life brother, Omero. She was nominated for awards at the Teen Choice Awards in 2001 and 2002 for her music and acting.
Samantha Mumba and another teen star, Aaron Carter, performed a concert together at Disney's Hollywood Studios. This concert was filmed for the Disney Channel and later released on DVD. They also appeared on an episode of the TV show All That.
In 2001, Samantha sang on a song called "You Raise Me Up" with the Celtic Tenors. She also released a special Christmas collection called Samantha Sings Christmas. This included her versions of classic holiday songs like "White Christmas" and "All I Want for Christmas Is You". This Christmas collection was sometimes included as a bonus with her Gotta Tell You album.
In 2002, Samantha released a new song called "I'm Right Here". The music video for this song featured Damian Marley, who is the son of the famous musician Bob Marley. "I'm Right Here" became Samantha's fifth song to reach the top five in both the UK and Ireland. There were talks about a second album, but it was never officially released. Samantha later explained that she couldn't release new music because of changes at her record label.
Returning to Music and Television
Samantha continued her acting career in 2003, appearing in the movie Spin the Bottle. In 2006, a collection of her songs called The Collection was released. This album included songs from Gotta Tell You, some B-sides (songs usually found on the flip side of a single), and two new tracks.
In June 2013, Samantha Mumba announced on Twitter that she was returning to music. She appeared on the Irish TV show The Hit in August 2013. She competed with a new song called "Somebody Like Me". This song was released online and became a hit, reaching number five on the Irish Singles Chart. This was her first hit song in 11 years.
Samantha performed at the Dublin Pride Festival in 2015. In 2017, she took part in a celebrity version of MasterChef Ireland. She also filled in as a co-host on The 6 O'Clock Show on TV. In 2018, she appeared on British television shows like Loose Women. She also shared pictures of herself in the music studio, working on new songs. She hoped to release a second album in 2019, but it did not happen.
She later released new songs like "Process" and "The Lie" in 2020 and 2023. In May 2023, Samantha performed at Birmingham Pride. In June 2023, she performed at the Mighty Hoopla music festival in London, where she showed a new song called "Run Boy Run".
Samantha Mumba's Modeling Career
After her song "Gotta Tell You" became a big hit, Samantha Mumba also became a popular model.
She became the face of Reebok, a well-known sports brand. Her pictures appeared in advertisements for their Quest range in the UK and Ireland. Around the same time, she also modeled for fashion designer Louise Kennedy's spring and summer clothing collection.
In 2004, Samantha was chosen to model the World's Most Expensive Dress. This amazing dress was worth £5 million and was covered in diamonds. It was designed by Scott Henshall and shown at the London premiere of the movie Spider-Man 2.
Soon after, she became an ambassador for Dior, a famous luxury brand. She helped launch the Dior Watch Collection in Ireland. In 2005, Samantha modeled for the Ultimo Per Amore clothing line, which was sold in Dunnes Stores in Ireland.
Personal Life
Samantha Mumba married Los Angeles police officer Torray Scales in February 2012. In September 2014, she announced that they were expecting their first child. In February 2015, just weeks before her baby was due, she was in a car accident in Los Angeles but was not hurt. On March 3, 2015, Samantha gave birth to their daughter, whom they named Sage.
Samantha Mumba's Music Albums
- Gotta Tell You (2000)
Samantha Mumba in Movies and TV Shows
Movies
- The Time Machine (2002)
- Spin the Bottle (2003)
- Boy Eats Girl (2005)
- Nailed (2006)
- Johnny Was (2006)
- 3 Crosses (2007)
- Shifter (2007)
- Loftus Hall (2011)
- Home (2016)
Television Shows
- Billboard Music Awards (2000)
- Top of the Pops (2000, 2001, 2002)
- Friday Night with Jonathan Ross (2001)
- Royal Variety Performance (2001)
- MOBO Awards (2001)
- Brit Awards (2001, 2002)
- An Audience With Lulu (2002)
- V Graham Norton (2002)
- The Kumars at No. 42 (2003)
- Meteor Ireland Music Awards (2001–2006)
- Get Your Act Together with Harvey Goldsmith (2007)
- Dancing on Ice (2008)
- Celebrity Masterchef Ireland 2017 (2017)
- The 6 O'Clock Show (2017)
- Loose Women (2008, 2018)
- Last Singer Standing (2021)
- Harry Wild (2023–present)
Awards and Nominations
Samantha Mumba has won and been nominated for several awards for her music and acting.
- BMI Pop Awards
- 2002, Won an award for her song, "Gotta Tell You"
- BT Digital Music Awards
- 2002, Nominated for the People's Choice Award
- Billboard Music Video Awards
- 2001, Nominated for Best Pop Video of the Year – New Artist, for "Gotta Tell You"
- Meteor Music Awards
- 2001, Won Best Selling Irish Single – Female Artist, for "Gotta Tell You"
- 2002, Won Best Female Singer
- MOBO Awards
- 2001, Nominated for Best Album, Gotta Tell You
- 2000, Nominated for Best Video, "Gotta Tell You"
- Smash Hits Poll Winners Party
- 2000, Won Best New Female
- 2000, Nominated for Most Fanciable Female
- 2000, Nominated for Best Dressed Female
- 2000, Nominated for Best Dancer in Pop
- 2002, Nominated for Best Female Solo
- Teen Choice Awards
- 2001, Nominated for Choice Music: Breakout Artist
- 2002, Nominated for Choice Movie: Breakout Actress, for The Time Machine
- The Record of the Year
- 2000, Nominated for Record of the Year, for "Gotta Tell You"
See also
In Spanish: Samantha Mumba para niños
