Victoria Wilson-James facts for kids

Victoria Wilson-James is a talented singer, songwriter, and record producer. She was born in Gary, Indiana, in the United States, but also has English roots. As a teenager, she loved performing in plays and musicals.

After releasing her first song, "I Want You in My Movie," she joined the famous R&B group Soul II Soul. The group was led by Jazzie B, who also managed her. Soul II Soul became one of London's most popular groups ever! Their second album, Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade (1990), was a huge hit. It sold so many copies that it earned "gold status" in both the US and the UK. Victoria sang the lead on their top song, "A Dream's a Dream."

Victoria left Soul II Soul in late 1990 to start her solo career. Her first solo album, Perseverance (1991), included popular songs like "Through" and "Bright Lights." In 1993, she joined another band called the Shamen and stayed with them until they split up in 1999. She released her second solo album, Colorfields, in 1997, which featured her well-known song "Reach 4 the Melody."

Besides music, Victoria has acted in many theater shows. These include The Wiz (2001), Purlie (2004), and Lush Life (2005). In 2005, she also formed a music duo called Avitas. They released an album together called A Course in Miracles.

In 2012, Soul II Soul received a special Heritage Award for their music. Victoria also received this award, even though she couldn't be there. Her third solo album, The Rapture, came out in March 2013.

Early Life and Training

Victoria Wilson-James studied at the Los Angeles Academy of Performing Arts. She earned a degree in Theatre Arts, which helped her with acting and singing. She also took classes at Phil Moore's Singers Workshop in Hollywood. This helped her become an even better singer.

Music Career Highlights

In 1988, Victoria released her very first song, "I Want You in My Movie." It came out on Risin' Records.

Joining Soul II Soul

In 1990, Jazzie B asked Victoria to join the British music group Soul II Soul. This happened after some of their earlier members left. In May 1990, Soul II Soul released their song "A Dream's a Dream." Victoria sang the main vocals on this song, which was part of their album Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade. The song became a top-ten hit in the UK Singles Chart.

That same month, Soul II Soul's second album, Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade, reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. It also earned "gold status" in the United Kingdom, meaning it sold a lot of copies. Victoria toured with the group during the summer of 1990. One of their concerts at Brixton Academy was even recorded and released as an album called A New Decade: Live from Brixton Academy. After the tour, Victoria decided to leave the group to focus on her own music.

Solo Success

In late 1990, Victoria started working on her first solo album. It was produced by Jazzie B (from Soul II Soul) and a talented musical director named Michael J McEvoy. Her album, Perseverance, was released on March 26, 1991. It reached number 55 on Billboard's R&B Albums chart.

The first song from the album, "Through," came out in March 1991. It was a hit, reaching number 22 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Victoria promoted her album by performing on popular TV shows like The Party Machine with Nia Peeples, Soul Train, The Word, and Video Soul. In July 1991, her second song, "Bright Lights," was released. It reached number 83 on the R&B Songs chart. The last song from the album, "One World," came out later in 1991.

With The Shamen

In 1993, Victoria became the lead singer for the techno-pop band the Shamen. In 1995, they released their first album together, Axis Mutatis. It reached number 27 on the UK Albums Chart. This album had popular songs like "Destination Eschaton" and "Transamazonia," which both made it into the top thirty of the UK Singles Chart. Their song "Heal (The Separation)" reached number 31.

In 1997, Victoria released her solo song "Reach 4 the Melody." Her second solo album, Colorfields, came out that same year. In 1998, she rejoined The Shamen for their last album, UV. Their final song, "Universal," was released before the band peacefully decided to stop making music in 1999.

Theater and Collaborations

After The Shamen, Victoria returned to musical theater. In 1999, she played a new role called Roxy in the UK musical Oh What a Night!. In 2001, she played Glinda, the good witch, in a UK show of The Wiz.

In 2001, she sang on Superchumbo's song "The Revolution." This song reached number 43 on the Dance Club Songs chart. In 2002, she was featured on Mr. C's song "Circles of Love." Victoria also acted in the film Road to Damascus in 2004, playing the lead role of Greta. That same year, she played Missy Judson in the musical Purlie.

In 2005, Victoria starred in the musical Lush Life. She played two roles: the famous singer Ella Fitzgerald and a police officer. Her performances received great reviews. In June 2005, she worked with Ralph Falcon on the song "Swim." Later in 2005, Victoria formed a music duo called Avitas with Kinan Atassi. They released an album called A Course in Miracles in September 2005, which included songs like "Re-Creation" and "Cantate."

In March 2007, she released a two-disc album called Indestructible. It featured the song "Yo' Freek." She also sang on Ralph Falcon's song "I Need Someone," which became a big hit, reaching number two on the U.S. Dance chart.

In June 2013, Victoria released her third album, The Rapture. This album included songs like "Never Stop," "Deep in Vogue," "Say It Ain't So," and "Red Lipstick." In November 2016, Victoria performed her own one-woman show called "Perseverance." In November 2017, she released a song called "Pray" as a free download.

Music Albums

Here are some of the albums Victoria Wilson-James has released:

Studio Albums

Compilation Albums

Singles (Songs)

Here are some of the songs Victoria Wilson-James has released as a main artist:

Here are some songs where Victoria Wilson-James was a featured artist:

Acting Roles

Victoria Wilson-James has also shown her talent in acting, both in films and on stage.

Film Appearances

Theatre Performances