Hayley Carline (born 22 November 1985),
better known as Ava Leigh, is an English reggae singer from
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...
, England.
Career
Leigh's career first began when she started performing with her school's jazz band.
In her "mid teens" she acquired a manager, and tried out for a variety of labels, singing
R&B. However, Leigh realised that the genre "never, ever worked" for her.
Leigh, in an interview with ''
The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'', attributed her mother for first getting her into reggae: "How I got into reggae ... was from my mother listening to it. She was a big fan of
he British reggae subgenreLover's Rock. When I was about nine or 10, I remember hearing "Silly Games" by Janet Kay, with all those high notes, and thinking, "Hmm, I wonder if I can do that?"
In 2008, Leigh stated that she hoped to become part of a musical movement bringing singers (as opposed to dancehall deejays) back to the forefront in reggae. As she told noted writer Pete Lewis of ''
Blues & Soul
''Blues & Soul'' is a British music magazine, established in 1967 by John Abbey. ''The Independent'' has noted ''Blues & Soul'' as being the equal of magazines such as ''NME'' and '' Q''. ''Billboard'' magazine has called ''Blues & Soul'' "a r ...
'': I think the reason we're now living in the decade of dancehall deejays is because everyone these days is so into hip hop and rap, and dancehall is basically the reggae version of that. But hopefully me doing this can help signal the start of many more successful new reggae vocalists to come."
Leigh worked with writers such as Nick Manasseh,
Future Cut and Feng Shui on her debut album, originally to be titled ''Turned on Underground''.
Partly recorded at
Harry J
Harry Zephaniah Johnson (6 July 1945 – 3 April 2013), known by the stage name Harry J, was a Jamaican reggae record producer.
Biography
Born in Westmoreland Parish, Jamaica, Johnson started to play music with the Virtues as a bass player bef ...
's in Jamaica, the album was reviewed favourably and was described as having the "slick appeal of a US R&B princess." The album was released as a
Promo CD
A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...
titled ''Rollin but never received a full release after the singles "La La La" and "Mad About the Boy" did not achieve commercial success. Leigh released a four-track extended play (EP) of recordings from the album titled ''La La La'', on 5 January 2009.
Leigh's song "Mad About the Boy" was featured on the film ''
Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging'', and her version of "
Mas Que Nada" was featured in a 2008 TV commercial for chain store
Next
Next may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film
* ''Next'' (1990 film), an animated short about William Shakespeare
* ''Next'' (2007 film), a sci-fi film starring Nicolas Cage
* '' Next: A Primer on Urban Painting'', a 2005 documentary film
Lit ...
's summer clothing range. In 2008, Leigh co-wrote
Joss Stone
Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, ''The Soul Sessions'', which made the 2004 Merc ...
's
digital download single "Governmentalist", featuring
Nas
Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones.
Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to:
Aviation
* Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea
* National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia
** Nas Air ( ...
.
Discography
;Studio albums
*''Rollin (unreleased; full album
promo
Promo or promos may refer to:
Promotions and advertising
*Promo (media), a form of commercial advertising used to promote television or radio programs
*Promo (professional wrestling), a televised interview in which a wrestler's on-screen personali ...
available 2008)
;Extended plays
*''iTunes Live: London Festival '08'' (2008)
*''La La La'' (2009)
;Singles
;Notes
*A
^ Released as a double-A side single with "
Mas Que Nada" in some retailers.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leigh, Ava
1985 births
Living people
Reggae fusion artists
English women singer-songwriters
21st-century English women singers
21st-century English singers