Vanessa Contenay-Quinones (born Vanessa Lydia Eve Contenay in Paris, France) is a London-based singer-songwriter from

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. She is a member of the band Vanessa & The O's and is currently releasing solo records in collaboration with UK based duo

Skeewiff Shaft are an English electronic music production duo, known for their covers and remixes of " (Mucho Mambo) Sway" and " Mambo Italiano". The former entered and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart in August 1999, then reached number ...

as Vanessa Contenay-Quinones. She was also briefly known as Vanessa St. James in 2002–03 working with

Brian Higgins Brian Michael Higgins (born October 6, 1959) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for , serving since 2005. The district, numbered as the 27th district from 2005 to 2013 but as the 26th since 2013, includes Buffalo and Ni ...

and

Nick Coler Nick Coler (born 10 April 1952) is an English musician, producer, composer and songwriter. He has been nominated for and won awards for songwriting and music production and has written, produced and played on hit songs for diverse acts ranging f ...

(as the duo Mr. Joshua) and

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

Early life

Contenay-Quinones is the daughter of Carmen Quinones, a painter from Lima,

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

and was influenced by a wide variety of music early in life with the sounds of 1950s/60s rock & roll and pop being predominant. She was born in Paris, but spent her early childhood in the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to the African mainland, they are west of Morocc ...

returning to Paris to attend primary school. She released her first pop record at the age of 16 in France before moving to England to start her music career proper settling first in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

, absorbing the electronic dance music culture and starting up Latin-infused pop duo Espiritu with Chris Taplin (of

Frazier Chorus Frazier Chorus were an English pop group from Brighton, England. They were known for their unconventional instrumentation, including synthesizers, trumpets, flutes and clarinets, as well as frontman Tim Freeman's "soft, heavily accented ... t ...

), before moving to London.

Career

In 1992, Vanessa and Taplin signed a

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with

Heavenly Records Heavenly Recordings is a London-based independent record label founded by Jeff Barrett in 1990. Heavenly released the first albums from Saint Etienne, Beth Orton and Doves, and early singles by Manic Street Preachers. Current Heavenly artists ...

(then in a distribution deal with

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

, subsidiary of

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

) and released a number of

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

as Espiritu. Their debut single, "Francisca" (remixed by

Farley & Heller Fire Island are an English house music duo, made up of producers and remixers Pete Heller and Terry Farley. Both are prolific musicians who have an extensive list of remixes to their credit, using the Fire Island moniker and also being billed a ...

) was followed by three UK Top 50 entries: "Conquistador" (remixed by

The Sabres of Paradise The Sabres of Paradise were a British electronic music group from London. They consisted of Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner, and Gary Burns. History The Sabres of Paradise were formed in London, England in 1992. Andrew Weatherall formed the gro ...

), "Los Americanos" (remixed by

Mother ] A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given childbirth, birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the cas ...

) and "Bonita Manana", also remixed by

. An album called ''Manifesto'' was announced, but did not appear, due to Sony ending its distribution deal with Heavenly. However a remix of the Burt Bacharach, Bacharach and

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

song, "

Always Something There to Remind Me "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" is a song written in the 1960s by songwriting team Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Originally recorded as a demo (music), demo by Dionne Warwick in 1963, "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me ...

" (credited to

Tin Tin Out Tin Tin Out were an English electronic dance music duo, comprising Darren Stokes and Lindsay Edwards. They remixed songs for a variety of artists such as Duran Duran, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, The Corrs and Des'ree, as well as collaborating with ...

and featuring Espiritu), went to #14 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, while the original version of the single (without Tin Tin Out) reached #1 in Japan. The ''Manifesto'' tracks were then licensed to the Japanese

Toshiba-EMI , formerly , was one of Japan's leading music companies. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of British music company EMI Group Ltd. on June 30, 2007, after Toshiba sold off its previous 45% stake. Its CEO and president was Kazuhiko Koike. When ...

label, and the first Sony Espiritu album, retitled ''Always...'', was subsequently released in Japan in 1995.

Drum and bass Drum and bass (also written as drum & bass or drum'n'bass and commonly abbreviated as D&B, DnB, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by fast breakbeats (typically 165–185 beats per minute) with heavy bass and sub-ba ...

influences were to be found on the next three (more underground) Espiritu singles, and on the second album ''Another Life'', released after re-signing with Heavenly (then newly acquired by

Deconstruction Records Deconstruction Records is a British record label founded in 1987 by Pete Hadfield and Keith Blackhurst, together with Mike Pickering of M People. According to ''DJ Magazine'' it is "best remembered for marrying underground credibility and diver ...

). Espiritu and Deconstruction Records parted company after lack of commercial success (and citing "too underground for mass consumer taste"). Deconstruction Records folded not long after. In 1999, a cover of the

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Thin ...

song "

Why Why may refer to: * Causality, a consequential relationship between two events * Reason (argument), a premise in support of an argument, for what reason or purpose * Grounding (metaphysics), a topic in metaphysics regarding how things exist in v ...

" was released on EMI Music Germany. In 2000, Quinones provided vocals on the

Dario G Dario G is the stage name of English musician Paul Spencer. Dario G was originally a trio, who are best known for their 1997 hit " Sunchyme", which reached number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The group formed in Cheshire, England and consisted of ...

song "Voices" on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

to the Leonardo DiCaprio film '' The Beach''. In 2001, the ( Cream Records) song, "In Praise of the Sun" was released by the ''Mr. Joshua presents Espiritu'' (of Brian Higgins/Xenomania) collaboration, co-written by Nick Bracegirdle, better known as the dance artist

Chicane A chicane () is a serpentine curve in a road, added by design rather than dictated by geography. Chicanes add extra turns and are used both in motor racing and on roads and streets to slow traffic for safety. For example, one form of chicane is ...

. Subsequently, ''Espiritu'' was recruited to re-record the song for the 2003 Chicane album ''Easy to Assemble''.

Vanessa and the O's

A 2003 meeting in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

with

James Iha (born March 26, 1968) is an American rock musician. He is best known as a guitarist and co-founder of the alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. He was a member until the initial breakup in 2000. Among his musical projects of recent years ...

(formerly of the

Smashing Pumpkins Smash may refer to: People * Smash (wrestler) (born 1959), professional wrestler * Moondog Rex, another professional wrestler who briefly wrestled as the original Smash, before being replaced by the above. * DJ Smash, DJ and music producer Art, ...

), Andreas Mattson (of Popsicle), and Niclas Frisk (of

Atomic Swing Atomic Swing is a Swedish pop rock group formed in 1992. Their debut album, ''A Car Crash in the Blue'', produced several hits in the Swedish charts. After an intense period the band split up, in 1997. The band reunited in 2006 and their latest al ...

) resulted in the formation of the band

Vanessa and the O's Vanessa and the O's is a musical group formed in 2003/2004. It was created in New York City when Parisian Vanessa Contenay-Quinones (known for Allez Pop!) got together with Swedish musical collaborators Andreas Mattsson (Popsicle) and Niclas Frisk ...

and the release of the limited edition EP ''Plus Rien''. In 2004, Vanessa recorded an electro/dance version of the ''Velvet Underground'' classic "Sunday Morning" with

and released by Warner Bros Germany. In 2005, ''

'' released their debut album ''La Ballade d'O'' via EMI Records Sweden in Scandinavia only. In 2006, the ''La Ballade d'O'' album was released in Japan by Strange Days Records, in France by Pias, and in Thailand by SmallRoom Records. The album was also made available worldwide digitally via Rushmore Recordings, the band's own label. Vanessa appears as guest vocalist on the Scott Walker album ''The Drift''. In 2007, ''Vanessa and the O's'' contributed a track to the tribute album ''We All Love Ennio Morricone'' (see

Ennio Morricone Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...

) with an update of the Francois Hardy 60's classic "Je Changerais d'Avis". March 2012, James Iha's version of Vanessa & The O's song 'Till Next Tuesday' was released by EMI Music reaching number 8 on the Japanese top 10 singles chart. Taken from his solo album 'Look to the Sky' featuring Nina Persson and Television's Tom Verlaine. August 2012 saw the release of the second Vanessa & the O's album 'Stories For Watering Skies' in Japan only. February 2013, release of the single 'L'Air Entre Nous' taken from the European version of the new Vanessa and the O's album which was released by Modulor/Grand Palais Paris on 15 April 2013.

Vanessa Contenay-Quinones presents Allez Pop!

In 2008–2010, Quinones created the solo project Vanessa presents Allez Pop! with London-based producers Alex Rizzo and Elliot Ireland (of the duo

) and released a '60s French pop-inspired analogue recorded album. Original songs from these sessions titled "C'est Magnifique", "Pres de Toi", "Bon Bon Bon", "Quand Tu Me Dis", "Pour Quoi Pas" and "Odyssee" are now available on various compilation albums worldwide, such as ''Paris Fashion District'' Volume 2/3 (cool:division Italy), ''Filles Fragile2'' (Zyx – Holland), ''Cafe De Paris'' (HiNote Records – Beijing/China), and ''Musique Fantastique'' (Netherlands). The June 2010 Allez Pop! track "Bon Bon Bon" was featured in the action-comedy film, '' Killers'' (a.k.a. ''Kiss & Kill'' in France), starring

Ashton Kutcher Christopher Ashton Kutcher (; born February 7, 1978) is an American actor, producer, entrepreneur, and former model. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a People's Choice Award, and nominations for two Young Artist Awards, a S ...

Katherine Heigl Katherine Marie Heigl ( ; born November 24, 1978) is an American actress and former fashion model. She played Dr. Izzie Stevens on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television medical drama ''Grey's Anatomy'' from 2005 to 2010, a role tha ...

and

Tom Selleck Thomas William Selleck (; born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series ''Magnum, P.I.'' (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations f ...

. The album, ''Killers'', hit the US box-office top 3 in its week of release in June 2010. May 2011, "Pourquoi Pas", another track taken from Vanessa's solo French pop album ''Vanessa presents Allez Pop!'' appeared on the Pschent label compilation ''L'Alcazar''. June 2011, Quinones released a specially written song "Show Me How" for the Vinyl Japan/Red Cross charity album for children orphaned by the March 2011 disaster, titled ''Omoiyari for Japan'' alongside Tom Verlaine, The Divine Comedy and others. In September 2013, the Contenay-Quinones/Skeewiff production ''Bon Bon Bon'' was used in the

Victoria's Secret Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing, and beauty retailer known for high visibility marketing and branding, starting with a popular catalog and followed by an annual fashion show with supermodels dubbed Angels. As the largest ret ...

online campaign for "The Fragrance". As well as wide usage across a variety of '' Buzz Feed '' clips. A new album, ''Made in France'' in the '60s French pop series (Allez Pop!) again made in conjunction with Skeewiff was released September 2014 on the Pedigree Cuts label to further critical acclaim in France and the title "Langue Au Chat" picking up many international synch usages. After an extended musical hiatus following personal tragedy and the loss of loved ones Vanessa re-emerged with the third 'Allez Pop' album ''Voodoo Girl'' in March 2020, again a Skeewiff collaboration released via Pedigree Cuts worldwide. The first single "Voodoo Girl" was released In March 2020 picking up plays on French radio. A second single is expected in Autumn 2020.

References

External links