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Rachel Lauren Stevens (born April 9, 1978) is an English singer and an occasional actress and model. Formerly with the successful pop group S Club 7, she has now launched a solo recording career.

After a successful audition Stevens became a member of the British pop group S Club 7, selling sixteen million records worldwide and achieving four number hit singles in the United Kingdom. The band broke-up in 2003 due to undisclosed reasons. Stevens' became the first member of the band to sign a multi-million dollar recording contract and released her first solo single, "Sweet Dreams My LA Ex", in late 2003, reaching number two on the UK singles chart. Her first album did not fare so well, peaking at disappointing number nine on the UK albums chart and quickly disappearing. Stevens' follow-up single also failed to gain much attention. Critics began to write her off as a one-hit wonder until she came back with the song "Some Girls" (2004) which became an instant hit in the UK, peaking at number two. In late 2005 Stevens released her second solo album, which failed to perform on the charts, becoming a commercial failure even though it was praised by the pop music press and other outlets, such as The New York Times.

Early life

Stevens was born in Southgate, London. Her now-estranged father, Michael Stevens, was only notable for being a guide to the best places to solicit prostitutes in London. Her mother is Linda Stevens. She attended Ashmole School in Southgate, London.

From a very early age, Stevens was drawn to entertaining people. At the age of five she began taking acting lessons at a drama school near London, but as time went on she seemed to be more interested in fashion than acting. At the age of fifteen her first big break when she beat out 4999 competitors in a modeling competition sponsored by Just 17 Magazine. Following her first modeling gig Stevens attended the London School of Fashion and after graduation worked in fashion PR, but began to lose interest and started to seek out a career in music instead.

Then, at the age of twenty, Stevens accompanied her brother to an audition in London for a new pop group, which was being put together by Simon Fuller, the one-time manager of the Spice Girls. Whilst waiting for her brother to audition, she was approached by the judges. After many calls and auditions she was chosen as a member of the new band S Club 7 , along with Tina Barrett, Paul Cattermole, Jon Lee, Bradley McIntosh, Jo O'Meara and Hannah Spearritt.

S Club 7

For more information: S Club 7
Stevens and S Club 7 quickly rose to fame, with their debut single "Bring It All Back" reaching number one on the UK Singles Chart in June 1999. The band's follow-up, "S Club Party" was also a hit, the bands self-titled debut album also sold well. The success of their debut album landed the band their own TV show, S Club 7 in Miami. Minor success in the United States followed.

Stevens probably enjoyed more success then the rest of the band members, as she received the most media attention and was a fan favourite. Despite the negative press the male members of the band had been receiving, Stevens was not affected by it and in 2000 was voted the second sexiest woman on the planet by men's magazine FHM. Around 2002 to 2003, Jo the lead singer had vocal problems for a number of weeks. Rachel took over the job of the lead vocals during this period.

Soon after 2000 the band began to lose steam and they could not live up to past success with both record sales and television ratings down. The band was able to release a successful film in 2003 called S Club Seeing Double but after a UK tour, the members of S Club 7 decided to break up.

Solo career

Funky Dory

After S Club 7 broke up, Stevens signed a £1.5 million solo four-album deal with Polydor Records and re-signed with S Club 7 manager, Simon Fuller. Breaking out on her own after success with S Club 7 was hard for Stevens, "I think we ended up conforming to what people's perceptions was," she said about the band. "This one was the ditzy one, this one was the singer, this one was the dancer. And to come out of that and be a whole person has been a real challenge for me. I didn't have my say, really, in the group. None of us did." Stevens was the first member from the group to sign a solo recording contract and expectations were high for her first release to be a success.

Her first solo single, written by Cathy Dennis (who has also written for Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue) and produced by Bloodshy & Avant, was "Sweet Dreams My LA Ex", released in September 2003. The single was a hit, debuting at number two on the UK singles chart, beaten to the top spot by the Black Eyed Peas and their international hit single "Where Is The Love?. The single was also a hit worldwide peaking in the top ten in multiple countries including Ireland and Sweden.

Taking inspiration from R&B music most reminiscent of TLC and Sugababes, and adult-style pop music by Madonna, Stevens' debut solo album, Funky Dory was released later that month. The album was a minor hit, reaching number nine on the UK albums chart and quickly fading away in subsequent weeks almost without a trace. Although the album was not a huge commercial success it did gain praise from pop-critics. Jamie Gill, in a review for Yahoo! Launch, said that Stevens "eschews the cheap and cheerful approach of her old band for a slinky adult confidence and musical eclecticism."

That December, the album's title track, "Funky Dory" was released as the second single. The song was hailed as being sophisticated and sexy, like its predecessor, and featured a sample of the David Bowie song "Andy Warhol" from his album Hunky Dory. Hopes were high that the single would be able to match the success of "Sweet Dreams My LA Ex", but like her album the single made a low showing on the charts, peaking at number twenty six and then quickly disappearing. The song was given mixed reviews by pop-critics with some calling it "musically better than "Sweet Dreams My LA Ex" with a hybrid of pop, Latin and even a hint of jazz infusion" but not a good choice as a single as it lacked anything special and different, as it did not live up to Stevens' previous single.

In July 2004, Stevens released a brand new single, "Some Girls" which was produced by Richard X. After the commercial failure of both her album and previous single hopes were high for "Some Girls" to perform well on the charts, with critics calling the single her career make or break release. The single became a hit across Europe, and reached number two in the UK. All profits from the single went to the BBC Sport Relief charity. On its release HMV.co.uk called the single Stevens' "finest song to date", and Yahoo! Launch commented "she came to save her career. She ended up saving pop."

Due to the success of "Some Girls", Funky Dory was re-released to include "Some Girls" and another new track, a cover of Andrea True Connection's "More More More". On its single release, "More More More" peaked at number three in the UK, giving Stevens her third top ten solo single in the UK. The song was not well received by critics who called the vocals on the song weak and the fact that the song is a cover uninspiring. Stevens herself has stated that she dislikes the song. Nevertheless, the song was a hit and due to the re-release of the album, Funky Dory has sold close to 200,000 copies in the UK to date and was a minor success.

That November, Stevens was nominated for seven awards at the Smash Hits Poll Winners Party. She took home two awards, Most Fanciable Female and Best Dressed Star.

Come And Get It

In late 2004, Stevens began working on her second solo album with producers and songwriters Richard X, Alexis Strum and Xenomania. The following March she released the first single from her upcoming album, "Negotiate With Love". The song was a minor hit in the UK, reaching the top ten and received good reviews by critics for its mature and confident sound.

"Negotiate with Love" was followed-up by the song "So Good", which was released in July and was another success when it peaked at number ten in the UK. It was hailed as a good pop song that was "tastily produced and sassily delivered."

The singles were followed by Stevens' second full length studio album, Come And Get It in October 2005. The album was, like her previous effort, a minor success peaking at number twenty eight in the UK. Come And Get It sold only 18,000 copies in Britain in its first 3 months and has been deemed a commercial failure, even though the British pop magazines hailed it as a great pop album. The album was also released as a special 'Limited Edition' CD and DVD, which subsequently became a highly priced item at online auction sites like Ebay.com

The last single released from the album was "I Said Never Again (But Here We Are)", released in October 2005 the song peaked at number twelve in the UK. The single received some of the best reviews of Stevens' career with it being hailed by HMV.co.uk for its "astonishingly flawless vocal performance" and as Stevens' "most commercially accessible and quirky single since "Some Girls"."

Due to the low charting of the album and its singles no further singles were released, although multiple rumors stated that "Nothing Good About This Goodbye" and the Richard X produced "Crazy Boys" were going to be released as singles. In early January 2006, rumors surfaced that Stevens was dropped from Polydor Records. However, a statement arose from the Polydor executives stating that she is still with Polydor.

Just before the release of Come And Get It, Stevens was featured in a documentary, Rachel: My World which was shown on Channel 4's teenage strand T4, with cameras following Stevens around for the summer, at roadshows, recording her album, and doing more humble things such as eating out and going to the gym.

Future in music

Currently, Steven's next musical career move is unknown. It was originally believed that a new single would be released in the spring/summer of 2006, but no plans have been released. She played The University of Birmingham Graduation Ball in June and it is believed she will continue with her career after a short break.

Discography

Studio Albums

  1. Funky Dory (2003)
  2. Come And Get It (2005)

=Other Albums
=
  1. Funky Dory (re-release) (2004)

Singles

Year Single Album UK IRL WLS UK Sales
2003 "Sweet Dreams My LA Ex" Funky Dory 2 3 1 225,000
2003 "Funky Dory" Funky Dory 26 24 24 20,000
2004 "Some Girls" Funky Dory (re-release), Come And Get It 2 13 1 130,000
2004 "More More More" Funky Dory (re-release) 3 5 3 68,000
2005 "Negotiate With Love" Come And Get It 10 27 13 31,000
2005 "So Good" Come And Get It 10 27 8 32,000
2005 "I Said Never Again (But Here We Are)" Come And Get It 12 34 9 32,000

Acting career

During her times with S Club 7, she was able to act in all S Club series like Hollywood 7, S Club in Miami, Viva S Club and all of it got high ratings worldwide. Before their break up, they were able to release an S Club movie entitled Seeing Double which was a huge success.

In her solo career, Stevens was offered and auditioned for many acting projects. She auditioned for a role in the Jude Law movie Alfie, but lost the role to Sienna Miller. She also secretly auditioned for a role as the leading lady in the re-make of the hit series Doctor Who, but also lost the part to Billie Piper. Stevens appeared in a minor role in European Gigolo. She has also been called numbers of times to star in the Dr. Who spin-off Torchwood, and has been called for a meeting to sit with the show's producers. She has recently stated to New! magazine that she would like to attend drama school to receive proper training. She has previously announced that she would love to act with Oscar nominees such as Clive Owen and Hollywood heartthrob Brad Pitt.

Stevens spent the first few months of 2006 in Los Angeles in preparation for launching an acting career. According to Stevens, she is working with the William Morris Agency, one of the largest acting agencies in the world and she has been seen visiting the same acting class that Brad Pitt used to attend.

Rumours say Stevens has been casted for three movies, all of different kinds: Hostel 2, Pink Panther 2 and Daisy Scarlett.

Personal life

On Valentines Day in 2002, Stevens made headline when she became engaged to her longtime boyfriend, actor Jeremy Edwards. The engagement would not last long though, the couple broke up in early 2004 after they had been dating for over three years. Stevens made headlines in March 2004 when she was dumped by her rumoured boyfriend, businessman Simon Brodin. The couple were rumoured to have dated for two months after Stevens broke-up with Edwards. The relationship was never confirmed by either side. Six months later Stevens again was in the tabloids as she started dating Gavin Dein, son of Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein, the relationship would not last long with the couple splitting up in August 2005. Since then she has been linked to Arsenal midfielder Freddie Ljungberg after taking interest in him because she wanted him to star as her boyfriend in an upcoming music video. Stevens' commented on the rumors by telling Neil Sean of Sky Showbiz Gossip "It's all top secret but my dream is to have the lovely Freddie in the video for the song as my boyfriend. I'd like that in real life too, but I’ll start with the video." She has also been spotted recently in LA in February 2006 with a mystery man claimed to be her new boyfriend, but it has neither been confirmed nor denied. She has also been spotted with the same man in Barbados in the last week of April 2006. The April 30, 2006 issue of The Daily Star and The News of the World claim she met the man in LA and since then their relationship has grown romantically and she is surely smitten. The People also reported a similar story as did The Daily Record who quote an onlooker as saying they look very much in love.

Awareness campaigns

Although 2005 did not bring the commercial success of earlier years, Stevens made headlines when she followed in the footsteps of fellow British popstar Robbie Williams to front the Everyman Testicular Cancer Awareness campaign. Stevens' role was notable as she was the first woman to front the campaign. Her television commercial raised eyebrows with its suggestive content that included her telling men to "put one hand down their trousers and give their testicles a good feel". On the commercial, Stevens commented, "Sometimes men need a little encouragement to think about their health. This is a funny way of raising awareness about a serious subject."

In 2005 Stevens also took part in the Make Poverty History campaign, which aims to eliminate poverty in third world countries by supplying aid to them through food, money and other resources that these countries do not have. Stevens donated an undisclosed amount of money to the campaign, and also starred in television and magazine advertisements supporting the cause. Her official website also displayed the campaigns official online banner.

See also

Footnotes

  1. Dan Cairns. "She's Movin' On Up". Sunday Times Culture. Feb. 13, 2005.
  2. Rachel Stevens 2. Rachel Stevens Online. 2006. Retrieved Jan. 28, 2006.
  3. Dan Cairns. "She's Movin' On Up". Sunday Times Culture. Feb. 13, 2005.
  4. Jamie Gill. Rachel Stevens 3. Rachel Stevens Online - originally from Yahoo! Launch. Oct. 7, 2003. Retrieved Feb. 5, 2006.
  5. Azeem Ahmad. Rachel Stevens 5. MusicOMH. Dec. 8, 2003. Retrieved Feb. 5, 2006.
  6. Rachel Stevens 6. Rachel Stevens Online - originally from HMV.co.uk. June 2004. Retrieved Feb. 5, 2006.
  7. Rachel Stevens 7. Rachel Stevens Online - originally from Yahoo! Launch. July 2004. Retrieved Feb. 5, 2006.
  8. Rachel Stevens 8. Rachel Stevens Online - originally from London News Review. Sept. 23, 2004. Retrieved Feb. 5, 2006.
  9. Rachel Stevens 9. Virgin.net. 2005. Retrieved Feb. 6, 2006.
  10. Rachel Stevens 10. HMV.co.uk. Aug. 2005. Retrieved Feb. 6, 2006.
  11. Rachel Stevens 11. Rachel Stevens Online. 2006. Retrieved Feb. 03, 2006.
  12. Rachel Stevens 12. Rachel Stevens Online. 2006. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2006.
  13. Rachel Stevens 13. Rachel Stevens Online. 2006. Retrieved Feb. 03, 2006.
  14. Rachel Stevens 14. The Mirror. 2006. Retrieved Feb. 19, 2006.
  15. Rachel Stevens 15. "Rachel Stevens' Barbados Boyfriend". JustJared.com. 2006. Retrieved April 30, 2006.
  16. Rachel Stevens 16. The Daily Record. 2006. Retrieved May 1, 2006.
  17. Rachel Stevens 17. Everyman. 2005. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2006.
  18. Rachel Stevens 18. RSO: Make Poverty History. 2005. Retrieved Jan. 29, 2006.

References

  • Rachel Stevens Online. link Jan. 28, 2006. Retrieved Jan. 28, 2006. - Biography, trivia and discography.
  • Rachel Stevens Official Website. link Jan. 23, 2006. Retrieved Jan. 28, 2006. - Biography and discography.

External links

1978 births | English pop singers | British Jews | English female singers | Living people | Rachel Stevens

Rachel Stevens | Rachel Stevens | Rachel Stevens | Rachel Stevens

 

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