Thea Austin facts for kids

Thea Tereese Austin was born on June 10, 1960. She is an American singer, songwriter, and composer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is best known as the main singer and co-writer of the German Eurodance hit song "Rhythm Is a Dancer" by the group Snap!.

Early Life and Start of Career

Thea Austin was born in Pittsburgh on June 10, 1960. She started singing with her older sister Vontelle when she was just four years old. By the age of eight, singing became her job. Later, in California, she wrote about music for magazines like The R&B Report. Thea has four sisters and one brother. She has been married once.

Musical Journey

Working with Snap!

In the early 1990s, Thea Austin finished a music tour in Japan. When she returned to Los Angeles, she began writing songs for her own album. She worked with music producer Michael Eckart. A friend then introduced her to Penny Ford. Penny had just left the group Snap! after their song "The Power" became a big hit.

Thea then went to Germany and met the producers Michael Münzing and Luca Anzilotti. This meeting led to the Snap! album, The Madman's Return. Thea wrote or helped write all the songs on this album. This included Snap!'s very popular song "Rhythm Is a Dancer". This song was a huge hit in many countries. In 2015, Thea received the BMI Pop Award. This was because her lyrics were used in Jeremih's hit song "Don't 'Tell 'Em".

"Rhythm Is a Dancer" was first planned to be the first song released from the album. However, after some discussion, "Colour of Love" was released instead. Thea also co-wrote "Colour of Love" and sang the main parts. This song reached number 6 in France and Sweden, and number 9 in Germany. "Rhythm Is a Dancer" did even better. It reached number 1 in the UK, France, Netherlands, Italy, and Germany. It also reached number 5 in the US. Other songs from the album that Thea helped write include "Do You See The Light".

Cutoff featuring Thea Austin

In 1993, Thea met German producer Tom Copperfield in Koblenz. She wrote the lyrics for a music project called "Cutoff". They recorded an album called Don't Stop with other artists. A music video for the first song, "Don't Stop", was filmed in Los Angeles. Another song, "Move", became a top 10 hit in many European countries. Other songs followed after that.

Forming Soulsearcher

In 1999, Thea Austin joined forces with Marc Pomeroy. They created a music group called Soulsearcher. Their song "Can't Get Enough" was a big hit. It reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. This song was inspired by and used parts of Gary's Gang's "Let's Lovedance Tonight". Later that year, it reached number 20 on the Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart. Thea and Marc performed at the The Prince's Trust Party in the Park concert in London in 1999. Their second song, "Do It to Me Again", reached number 32 on the UK Singles Chart. After this, the group separated.

Joining Pusaka

Thea Austin became part of the group Pusaka. She wrote and sang the main vocals for their 2001 hit song, "You're the Worst Thing for Me". This song won the Best Underground 12" Award in March 2002. It reached number 34 on the Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales chart and number 1 on the Dance Music/Club Play Singles chart.

Boombox! Concerts

In May 2022, Thea Austin was part of a series of concerts called "Boombox!" in Las Vegas. These shows featured different hip hop artists. They performed with a live DJ and a drummer.

Songs on the Charts

The table below shows some of the songs Thea Austin was involved with that appeared on music charts.

See also

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