Victoria Wilson-James is an American-born British singer, songwriter and record producer. Born and raised in

Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along the ...

, she performed in various theatre plays and musicals as a teenager. Following the release of her debut single "I Want You in My Movie", she was recruited by

Jazzie B Trevor Beresford Romeo OBE, (born 26 January 1963) better known as Jazzie B, is a British DJ and music producer. He is the founder of Soul II Soul. Life and career Jazzie was born in London UK to parents of Antiguan descent in Hornsey, Londo ...

to join a newly reformed line-up of R&B group

Soul II Soul Soul II Soul are a British musical collective formed in London in 1988. They are best known for their two major hits; 1989's UK number five and US number eleven " Keep On Movin'", and its follow-up, the UK number one and US number four " Back to ...

. Managed by her bandmate,

, the group became one of London's best-selling groups of all time. Their second album, '' Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade'' (1990), which achieved gold-status in the US and UK, featured the top-charting single " A Dream's a Dream" with Wilson-James on lead vocals. Following her exit from the group at the end of 1990, she released her debut solo album, ''Perseverance'' (1991), which contained hits "Through" and "Bright Lights". In 1993, she joined

The Shamen The Shamen ( ) were a Scottish psychedelic band, formed in 1985 in Aberdeen, who became a chart-topping British electronic dance music act by the early 1990s. The founding members were Colin Angus, Derek McKenzie and Keith McKenzie. Peter St ...

and continued performing and recording with them until their disbandment in 1999. In 1997, she released her second album ''Colorfields'', which featured one of her signature hits "Reach 4 the Melody". Wilson-James has also appeared in various theatre musicals including ''

The Wiz ''The Wiz: The Super Soul Musical "Wonderful Wizard of Oz"'' is a Musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Charlie Smalls (and others) and book by William F. Brown (writer), William F. Brown. It is a retelling of L. Frank Baum's childr ...

'' (2001), ''

Purlie ''Purlie'' is a musical with a book by Ossie Davis, Philip Rose, and Peter Udell, lyrics by Udell and music by Gary Geld. It is based on Davis's 1961 play ''Purlie Victorious'', which was later made into the 1963 film ''Gone Are the Days!'' and w ...

'' (2004), and ''Lush Life'' (2005). She formed a duo called Avitas and released an album called "A Course in Miracles" in September 2005. In June 2012, Soul II Soul received the honorary

Heritage Award The PRS for Music Heritage Award is a ceremonial plaque installed in a public place to commemorate a link between a famous musician or music band and the location they performed their first live gig. The UK-wide plaque is awarded and funded by ...

from

Performing Right Society PRS for Music Limited (formerly The MCPS-PRS Alliance Limited) is a British music copyright collective, made up of two collection societies: the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) and the Performing Right Society (PRS). It undertakes ...

, which Wilson-James also received despite not being able to attend.Heritage Awards > Soul II Soul
PRS for Music. Retrieved June 30, 2016 In March 2013, she released her third album titled ''The Rapture''.

Early life

Wilson-James attended the Los Angeles Academy of Performing Arts, where she graduated with a degree in Theatre Arts. She also attended Phil Moore's Singers Workshop in Hollywood.

Career

In 1988, she released her first single "I Want You in My Movie" on Risin' Records. In 1990,

recruited Wilson-James to join British music group

after the departure of their previous members

Rose Windross Rose Windross originally began as a singer and songwriter in the UK reggae scene. She recorded her first album, ''Just Rose'', on the Ital Records label when she was still at school. Windross both wrote and recorded Soul II Soul's first single " ...

Doreen Waddell Doreen Tess Waddell (10 July 1965 – 1 March 2002), also known by her stage name Do'reen, was a singer who worked with Soul II Soul, The KLF The KLF (also known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu, the JAMs, the Timelords and other names) a ...

, and

Caron Wheeler Caron Melina Wheeler (born 19 January 1963) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and musician. Born and raised in London, she performed in various singing competitions as a teenager and began her recording career as one of the found ...

. In May 1990, Soul II Soul released the second single " A Dream's a Dream", which featured Wilson-James on lead vocals; from their album '' Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade''. The song peaked in the top-ten 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 ...

.Official Charts History > Soul II Soul
Official Charts. Retrieved June 20, 2017 In the same month, Soul II Soul released their second album '' Vol. II: 1990 – A New Decade'', which peaked at number one on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

. The album also became certified gold-status in the United Kingdom. Wilson-James also toured with the group in the summer of 1990. One of their concerts was recorded at

Brixton Academy Brixton Academy (originally known as the Astoria Variety Cinema, previously known as Carling Academy Brixton, currently named O2 Academy Brixton as part of a sponsorship deal with the O2 brand) is a mid-sized concert venue located in South Wes ...

and released in September 1990 titled '' A New Decade: Live from Brixton Academy''. Following the conclusion of the tour, she left to pursue a solo career. In late 1990, she began recording her first album, which would be produced by fellow Soul II Soul members

and

Nellee Hooper Nellee Hooper (born Paul Andrew Hooper on 15 March 1963) is a British record producer, remixer and songwriter known for his work with many major recording artists beginning in the late 1980s. He also debuted as a motion picture music composer w ...

. On March 26, 1991, she released her first album ''Perseverance'', which peaked at number 55 on ''

Billboard's ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

chart. In March 1991, the album's lead single "Through" was released and peaked at number 22 on ''Billboard's''

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. She also promoted the album by performing on various musical variety shows including

The Party Machine with Nia Peeples ''The Party Machine with Nia Peeples'' is a half-hour late-night American musical variety show that aired in syndication for one season in 1991. The show was hosted by Nia Peeples and executive produced by Arsenio Hall. History Background Arseni ...

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...

, The Word, and

Video Soul ''Video Soul'' is a two–hour long American music video program that originally aired on BET (Black Entertainment Television) from June 26, 1981 to September 1996. The program was devoted to showcasing R&B and Soul recording artists and perfo ...

. In July 1991, she released the second single "Bright Lights", which peaked at number 83 on the R&B Songs chart. The album's final single "One World" was released in late 1991. In 1993, she became the front woman for techno-pop band

. In 1995, they released their first album together called ''

Axis Mutatis ''Axis Mutatis'' is an album by the electronic dance music group The Shamen which was released in 1995. The album did not receive as much positive feedback as their previous album, Boss Drum, nor was it as popular, but Axis Mutatis still remaine ...

'', which peaked at number 27 on the UK Album chart. The album spawned the singles "Destination Eschaton" and "Transamazonia", which peaked in the top-thirty on the UK Singles Chart. The final single "Heal (The Separation)" peaked at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart. In September 1996, the group released an album titled ''

Hempton Manor ''Hempton Manor'' is the sixth studio album by The Shamen, released in September 1996. ''Hempton Manor'' is inspired by and dedicated to hemp and featured a liner printed on hemp-based paper. "Hempton Manor" hybridizes tripped out techno, space ...

''. Shortly after the album, the group went on hiatus. In 1997, Wilson-James released a single titled "Reach 4 the Melody". Her second album "Colorfields" was released in 1997 on the Dance Pool recording label. In 1998, she re-joined The Shamen for their final album called " UV". Their last single "Universal" was released before their amicable split in 1999. In 1999, she returned to musical theatre and played Roxy, a role created for her, in the UK musical "Oh What a Night!". In 2001, she played the role of "Glinda", the good witch of the South, in the UK production of "

". In 2001, she appeared on

Superchumbo Tom Stephan (born June 6, 1970) is an American house music, producer, DJ and film director. He was born in New York, United States. He is also known as Superchumbo. Biography In 1990, Stephan relocated to London, England and studied film at t ...

's single "The Revolution", which peaked at number 43 on the

Dance Club Songs Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart. The song also peaked at number 37 on the Hot Dance Maxi-Singles Sales chart. In 2002, she was featured on

Mr. C Richard West (born 2 January 1965), known as Mr. C, is an English house music DJ, producer and rapper. He was the resident DJ at the early acid house "RIP" nights at Clink Street, London, and later was the co-owner/co-founder of London's The En ...

's single "Circles of Love" for his debut album "Change". In 2004, Victoria starred as "Greta" in the film ''Road to Damascus'', directed by

Chris Munro Chris Munro is a British sound engineer. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Sound and has been nominated for two more in the same category. He has worked on over 80 films since 1972. Selected filmography Munro has won two Academy Awards ...

. In the same year, she played the role of "Missy Judson" in the musical ''

''. In early 2005, Wilson-James starred in the theatre musical ''Lush Life'', where she play the role of The Cop. Again, her performance garnered excellent reviews. In June 2005, she collaborated with Ralph Falcon on the song "Swim" for the compilation album ''Café Mambo Ibiza 2005''. In 2005, Wilson-James created a musical duo called Avitas, with musician Kinan Atassi. As Avitas, they released an album called "A Course in Miracles" in September 2005. The album featured the singles "Re-Creation" and "Cantate". In March 2007, she released a two-disc compilation album titled ''Indestructible'', which spawned the single "Yo' Freek". She was also featured on Ralph Falcon's single "I Need Someone", which peaked at number two on Dance chart after spending twenty-six weeks on the chart. In June 2013, she released her third album ''The Rapture''. The album spawned the singles: "Never Stop", "Deep in Vogue", "Say It Ain't So", and "Red Lipstick". In November 2016, Wilson-James began her one-woman show tour called "Perseverance". In November 2017, Wilson-James released a single titled "Pray".Pray 4 the World
Victoria Wilson James. Retrieved on January 6, 2018 The song is part of "P.R.A.Y. (Project Resonance Ascension Yantra)" and released as a free download on her

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

page."Pray" by Victoria Wilson James
SoundCloud Retrieved on January 6, 2018

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson-James, Victoria African-American women singer-songwriters American women singer-songwriters American dance musicians American expatriates in the United Kingdom American women pop singers American house musicians American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters American soul singers English dance musicians English women singers Living people Musicians from Gary, Indiana Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American women singers 21st-century American women singers The Shamen members 20th-century American singers 21st-century American singers Singer-songwriters from Indiana Soul II Soul members