Corinne Bailey Rae, the young neo-soul songstress has blown audiences away with her warm gentle vocal ability. Her second single “
Put Your Records On” raced to the top of the charts and received major critical acclaim. Born February 26, 1979 in Leeds, England, Corinne developed a love for music at a very young age singing in the church choir and learning to play the classical violin. In her mid-teens she learned to play the guitar and acquired a deep liking for rock music,
Led Zeppelin being her favorite band. When she was 15, she formed the all female indie rock g
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roup Helen. The band eventually fell apart when one of its members learned she was pregnant. Deciding to pursue her education, Rae enrolled in English Literature at the Leeds University. In the evening, she worked at a local jazz club where she discovered her deep admiration for the musical genre. The music further inspired her to compose soulful songs which she occasionally had the opportunity to perform at the club. In 2003 she collaborated with Leeds funk group The New Mastersounds on “Your Love Is Mine” which was featured on their album Be Yourself. One year later she collaborated with Homecut Directive, another formation from Leeds, on their track “Come the Revolution”. Earning greater recognition in her local music scene, Corinne was approached by Mark Hill from The Artful Dodger who was working on a new album better luck next time under his new pseudonym The stiX. Rae was featured on the popular track “Young and Foolish” in 2005 sparking the interest of many major record label executives. She eventually landed a recording contract with EMI in the spring of 2005.
Inspired by exceptional female artists
Billie Holiday, Jill
Scott, and
Erykah Badu, Corinne recorded her self-titled debut album which was released in 2006. The album peaked at number one in the UK on the Top 75 chart as well as on the Top 40 R&B chart in February and received a double platinum certification. A few months later, the album was issued in the US debuting at number seventeen on the Billboard 200. Featuring the singles “
Like a Star”, “Put Your Records On”, and “
Trouble Sleeping”, Corinne Bailey Rae has been received with incredible praise by both fans and critics. Heading on tour in October 2006, Rae will also begin recording material for her sophomore album.
