Rachel StevensRachel Stevens
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 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 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 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. 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 "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 Acting career 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 Deuce Bigalow: 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. Personal life
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. Rachel Stevens Picture Gallery
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Rachel Lauren Stevens (born April 9, 1978) is a British singer
and an occasional actress. Formerly with the successful pop group
S Club 7, she has now launched a solo recording career.
