Vanessa-Mae facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Vanessa-Mae
Vanessa-Mae in 2014
Born	Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson (1978-10-27) 27 October 1978 (age 46) Singapore
Nationality	British
Other names	Vanessa Vanakorn
Occupation	Violinist musician
Years active	1990–present
Partner(s)	Lionel Catalan (1999-present)
Musical career
Genres	Classical techno synth-pop electropop fantasia
Instruments	Violin
Labels	Sony Classical/SME Virgin/EMI EMI Classics

Vanessa-Mae (born October 27, 1978), also known as Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson, is a famous British violinist. Her albums have sold millions of copies worldwide. In 2006, she was named the wealthiest entertainer under 30 in the United Kingdom. Vanessa-Mae also has a passion for skiing. She competed for Thailand in alpine skiing at the 2014 Winter Olympics, using the name Vanessa Vanakorn.

She faced a challenge when the International Ski Federation (FIS) initially banned her from skiing. This happened after a qualifying race that was thought to be set up just for her to qualify for the Olympics. However, she appealed this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The ban was later removed because there was no proof that she had done anything wrong. The FIS even apologized to her afterward.

Musical Career and Achievements

Vanessa-Mae started her professional music journey at a young age. She made her first public performance when she was just ten years old at a music festival in Germany.

Early Success in Classical Music

By the age of thirteen, Vanessa-Mae achieved a remarkable feat. She became the youngest solo artist to record two famous violin concertos: those by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. This achievement was recognized by the Guinness World Records.

Venturing into Pop Music

In 1995, Vanessa-Mae released her first pop-style album, The Violin Player. This album was very popular, selling four million copies. She also collaborated with other artists. In 1997, she played a violin solo on the song "Velvet Rope" for Janet Jackson's album The Velvet Rope.

She also appeared on producer George Martin's album In My Life in 1998. On this album, she performed a violin version of the 1969 Beatles song "Because".

Notable Performances and Recognition

In May 1998, Vanessa-Mae performed during the break at the Eurovision Song Contest in Birmingham. The following year, in June 1999, she performed at the Michael Jackson & Friends concerts in Seoul and Munich.

On March 7, 2002, she performed a special version of Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons during the opening ceremonies of the 2002 Winter Paralympics.

In April 2006, Vanessa-Mae was recognized as one of the wealthiest young entertainers in the UK. The Sunday Times Rich List estimated her fortune to be around £32 million.

Vanessa-Mae in 2004

Creating Her Own Music

Vanessa-Mae has also written some of her own music. Her 1997 album China Girl: The Classical Album 2 included two pieces she helped write. These were Violin Fantasy on Puccini's 'Turandot' and Reunification Overture. The second piece celebrated the reunification of China and Hong Kong.

In 2017, Classic FM listed the 300 best-selling classical albums over 25 years. Vanessa-Mae had three albums on this list. Her album The Classical Album 1 was number 244, Storm was number 135, and The Violin Player was the 76th best-selling. Her total album sales make her the top-selling solo violinist on their chart.

Skiing Career and Olympic Dream

Vanessa-Mae started skiing at a very young age, around four years old. She loved it so much that she dreamed of becoming a professional skier since she was 14. In 2009, she moved to Zermatt, a ski resort in Switzerland.

Representing Thailand

In August 2010, Vanessa-Mae shared that she wanted to represent Thailand in skiing. She explained that while she is British, it would be difficult to represent the UK. However, because her biological father is Thai, Thailand accepted her to compete for their country. She officially registered as a Thai alpine skier.

Qualifying for the Olympics

For the 2014 Winter Olympics, Thailand did not have any Alpine skiers ranked in the top 500. This meant they could send one male and one female skier to the Olympics for slalom and giant slalom. To qualify, a skier needed to have 140 points or less in the International Ski Federation (FIS) system. Lower scores are better in this system. They also needed to start at least five internationally recognized slalom or giant slalom events.

A giant slalom competition was organized in Slovenia in January 2014. This was Vanessa-Mae's last chance to get the score needed for the Olympics. She managed to lower her score to 131.15, which was enough to qualify. The FIS confirmed she was eligible for the 2014 Olympics.

Competing at the Olympics

Vanessa-Mae carrying the Olympic torch at the Southbank Centre in 2008

Vanessa-Mae was one of two alpine skiers representing Thailand at the 2014 Winter Olympics. She competed under the name "Vanessa Vanakorn".

On February 18, 2014, she finished 67th out of 90 skiers in the giant slalom event. She completed her first run in 1 minute and 44.86 seconds. In her second run, she finished in 1 minute and 42.11 seconds. Her total time for both runs was 3 minutes and 26.97 seconds. She was the last of the 67 racers who finished the event.

Olympic Results Summary

Investigation and Appeal Outcome

After the Olympics, there was an investigation into the qualifying races in Slovenia. In November 2014, the FIS found issues with how the races were held. They initially banned Vanessa-Mae from skiing for four years.

Vanessa-Mae called the ban "nonsensical" and decided to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). In June 2015, the CAS removed her four-year ban. They stated there was not enough evidence that she herself had manipulated the races. However, the CAS also agreed that the qualifying races were flawed, so her qualifying results could not stand. This meant she remained ineligible for the 2014 Olympics based on those specific races.

Despite this, in January 2016, the International Olympic Committee confirmed that Vanessa-Mae could still be called an Olympian. In 2016, Vanessa-Mae and the FIS reached an agreement. The FIS issued a full apology, stating that Vanessa-Mae and her team did not improperly influence the races.

Return to Skiing

Vanessa-Mae returned to skiing in 2017, hoping to qualify for the 2018 Winter Olympics. However, she had to withdraw from competition in January 2018 due to a shoulder injury. As a result, the spot for Thailand went to another skier, Alexia Arisarah Schenkel.

Personal Life

Vanessa-Mae has a long-term boyfriend, Lionel Catalan, who is French. She has mentioned that she is not interested in marriage, believing that "you don't need a ring to say I love you". She has also decided not to have biological children but is open to adopting in the future.

Awards and Nominations

Discography

• Violin (1990)
• Kids' Classics (1991)
• Tchaikovsky & Beethoven Violin Concertos (1991)
• The Violin Player (1995)
• The Classical Album 1 (1996)
• China Girl: The Classical Album 2 (1997)
• Storm (1997)
• The Original Four Seasons and the Devil's Trill Sonata: The Classical Album 3 (1999)
• Subject to Change (2001)
• Choreography (2004)

Filmography

• Live at the Royal Albert Hall, The Red Hot Tour (1995) (concert documentary)
• Live at the Berlin Philharmonie (1997)
• The Alternative Classical Concert - Live at the Symphony Hall Birmingham (1997)
• Storm on World Tour (1998)
• The Violin Fantasy (1998)
• Arabian Nights (2000) (actor in the series)
• The Making of Me (2008) (subject of episode 3)

See also

In Spanish: Vanessa Mae para niños