Billie Godfrey is an English

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

Background

Based in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and Brighton, Godfrey has been a vocalist for many artists and in her own right. She started her career as a radio DJ, playing the kind of music she would later go on to record. Godfrey writes much of her own material. Her stated influences include Stevie Wonder,

Toni Braxton Toni Michele Braxton (born October 7, 1967) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won ...

and Aretha Franklin. She is the first female vocalist from the UK to record an entire album in

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

on ''

Number One Number One most commonly refers to: * 1 (number) Number One, No. 1, or #1 may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Number 1'' (Big Bang album), and the title song * ''No. 1'' (BoA album), and the title song * ''No.1'' (EP), by CLC * ''n.1 ...

'' (2001) (JVC/Victor Entertainment Inc). From the mid-1990s until 2017 Godfrey was one of Heaven 17's resident female vocalists, both in the studio and on tour. She is featured on Heaven 17's studio album ''

Naked as Advertised ''Naked as Advertised'' is the eighth studio album by the English synthpop band Heaven 17. It was originally released in 2008, on the label Just Music, three years after their previous album, '' Before After''. The album contained re-workings of t ...

''. On 21 November 2008, she made her first TV appearance with the group, on

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

's ''Now That’s What I Call 1983'' show. She later completed the 2008 'Steel City Tour' where Heaven 17 supported

The Human League The Human League are an English synth-pop band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Initially an experimental electronic outfit, the group signed to Virgin Records in 1979 and later attained widespread commercial success with their third album ''Dare' ...

. Godfrey also frequently supports

Beverley Knight Beverley Knight (born Beverley Anne Smith, 22 March 1973) is an English recording artist and musical theatre actress. She released her first album, '' The B-Funk'', in 1995. Heavily influenced by American soul music icons such as Sam Cooke an ...

as a backing vocalist. Billie Mitchell nee Godfrey was also a lecturer and vocal tutor at the

Brighton Institute of Modern Music The British and Irish Modern Music Institute, now styled as the BIMM Institute, is a group of eight independent colleges which specialise in the provision of creative education in Brighton, Bristol, London, Dublin, Manchester, Berlin, Birmingh ...

She now runs a luxury guest house in France with her husband, musician Ben Mitchell.

Advertising

Billie Godfrey appeared in broadband company Plusnet's national TV advertising campaign in 2010 as part of Heaven 17.

Discography

Albums

*''Ready For Love'' - Pulse-8 Records - 1994 *''Number One'' (CD) - VICP-61461 - 2001 *''The Eden Tree'' - 2009

Singles and EPs

*"This Beat" 6 versions Pulse-8 Records 1994 *"I Love What You Do For Me" (12") Cancan CANIT011 1995 *Boomshanka And Billie Godfrey - "So Hard To Find" (12") Cancan CANIT 010 1995 *D-Ren 1 Feat. Billie Godfrey - "Inside" (12") Ugly Music UGM 006 1996 *Project 2000 Featuring Billie Godfrey - "It's About Time" 5 versions Polydor 2000 *SuReal - "You Take My Breath Away" 2000 *Lazy Grace Feat. Billie Godfrey - "How Deep Is Your Love" (12") Hed Kandi HEDK12001 2003 *Mitchell & Dewbury Featuring Billie Godfrey - "Beyond The Rains" 2 versions Mumo Records 2003

References

External links

Godfrey's official Myspace site

BBC News article
Living people Heaven 17 members English women pop singers 1978 births {{England-musician-stub