Terri Walker facts for kids

Terri Walker (born Chanelle Gstettenbauer on April 14, 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She is known for her R&B and soul music. Terri Walker has released five albums in the United Kingdom: Untitled, L.O.V.E, I Am, Entitled, and My Love Story. She also sang on many songs for Shanks & Bigfoot's first album, Swings and Roundabouts.

About Terri Walker

Her Early Life and Start in Music

Terri Walker was born in Wimbledon, London, England. Her parents were from Jamaica. When she was four, her family moved to Regensburg, Germany. She learned to speak German very well.

Later, Terri moved back to the UK to study at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London. This is a famous school for performing arts. There, she began to study and sing opera. She said that classical training is the best kind of training for a singer.

Terri started her music career by singing for UK garage artists like 187 Lockdown. She also sang on the Shanks & Bigfoot album Swings and Roundabouts. A popular song she sang on was "Sing-A-Long", which became a top 20 hit in the UK.

During this time, she met producers James Yarde, Sammy Jay, and Amber Rene. Terri went to Los Angeles to record some demo songs. Her management then sent these songs to record labels in the US. One of these labels was Def Jam, which later signed her to their 'Def Soul UK' label.

Her First Album: Untitled (2003–2004)

Terri Walker released her first album, Untitled, in 2003. Critics really liked it. The BBC said she was an artist who could compete with big US singers. The album was even nominated for the 2003 Mercury Music Prize. Terri was also nominated for several MOBO Awards that year, including 'Best R&B Act' and 'Best Newcomer'.

The first song from Untitled was "Guess You Didn't Love Me". It featured the artist Mos Def and came out in February 2003. This song reached number 60 on the UK Singles Chart. Her next song, "Ching Ching (Lovin' You Still)", became her biggest hit, reaching the top 40. Terri performed these songs on TV shows like Jools Holland.

Terri named the album Untitled because she wanted people to listen and decide what it meant to them, like looking at an artwork called 'Untitled'. Even though critics loved the album, it did not sell many copies. It reached number 118 on the UK Albums Chart. This led her record label to want her to make more commercial music for her next album.

Terri also sang on Jaimeson's song "Common Ground" and Lemon Jelly's "Make Things Right".

Her Second Album: L.O.V.E (2005)

Terri Walker released her second album, L.O.V.E, in March 2005. The title stands for "Love Overcomes Virtually Everything". Terri said she wanted this album to be more serious. She also explained that the label wanted her to be more mainstream.

Reviews for L.O.V.E were mostly good. The Daily Mirror said she had a voice that was better than many other singers. Contactmusic.com gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, praising the production and her singing.

The first song from the album was "Whoopsie Daisy". It almost made it into the UK Top 40, reaching number 41. The second song was "This Is My Time". Even though a music video was made, this song was not officially released for sale.

Despite trying a more mainstream style, L.O.V.E did not sell as well as her first album. It peaked at number 142 on the UK Albums Chart. Because of this, Terri left Mercury Records and decided to record her third album on her own. She later said she was annoyed because she had to change her style to try and sell more, but it did not work.

Her Third Album: I Am and a Break (2006)

In 2006, just one year after leaving her major record label, Terri Walker released her third album, I Am. This album came out through an independent label called Dekkor Records. Terri liked working with Dekkor because it gave her more creative control. She said it was a step forward from her first two albums, with live instruments and songs about life and love. Terri helped write eight of the ten songs on the album.

The album received good reviews, as Terri returned to her original neo-soul style. The BBC said that Terri was back in top form with this album.

Two songs were released from I Am: "Alright with Me" and the title track "I Am". Neither song had a music video, and they did not appear on the UK charts. After this, Terri's partnership with the label ended.

Terri toured the UK in September and October 2006 to promote I Am. After the tour, she took a break from making music.

Returning to Music and Walk with Me (2008-2011)

While taking a break from being a main artist, Terri Walker worked on other projects. She sang backing vocals for famous singers like Jennifer Hudson and Fergie. She also worked with producer Salaam Remi on a project called Champagne Flutes. In 2008, their song "Hey Baby" was on the ... and the City, Vol. 2: More Music soundtrack.

Terri explained that she was not planning to release another album at first. She thought about just working with other artists. However, she realized there was a need for the kind of music she made, like what Jill Scott and Erykah Badu were doing.

In May 2010, Terri announced she was working on her fourth album. She worked with producer Ski Beatz and planned to release it through Damon Dash's BluRoc label. She said the album would have a hip-hop theme and feature new artists. The first song from this album was "Understanding".

In January 2011, Terri shared a video talking about the album and playing snippets of songs. The album was first called Mz Walker. The first single, "So Hard", was released in April 2011. Terri then announced that the album name had changed to Walk with Me. However, Terri later left BluRoc, and the album Walk with Me was not officially released.

Lady and Their Album (2012-2013)

In 2012, Terri Walker formed a retro-soul duo called Lady with another singer, Nicole Wray. They signed with Truth and Soul Records. Their first album, also called Lady, was released in March 2013. They released two songs from the album: "Money" and "Get Ready".

A few months after the album came out, Terri left the duo to focus on her solo career again. Nicole Wray continued to perform as Lady.

Untitled to Entitled and Entitled (2014-2015)

In 2014, Terri Walker released an EP (a shorter album) with Joe Buhdha called Untitled to Entitled. The name was a nod to her first album and her upcoming fourth album. One song, "Feel Right", was released from this EP.

On December 1, 2014, it was announced that Terri's fourth solo album, Entitled, would be released on March 9, 2015. This was her first solo album in nine years. The first song from Entitled was "Bad Boy", featuring the rapper Frisco.

My Love Story (2023)

Terri Walker released her fifth studio album, My Love Story, on April 14, 2023. This album came out through Wings of a Hummingbird Records.

Terri Walker's Music

Studio Albums

Unreleased Albums

EPs (Extended Plays)

Mixtapes

• 2011: Terri in Wonderland (released on June 10, 2011)

Singles (Individual Songs)

Songs She Appeared On