Brenda Edwards
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Brenda Claudina Susan Edwards (' Artman; born 2 March 1969) is an English singer, actress, television personality and presenter. In 2005, she finished in fourth place in the second series of ''
The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...
''. As of 2019, she is a weekly panelist on ''
Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...
''. In January 2021, she became a presenter on the
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
programme ''
Songs of Praise ''Songs of Praise'' is a BBC Television religious programme that presents Christian hymns sung in churches of varying denominations from around the UK. The series was first broadcast in October 1961. On that occasion, the venue was the Ta ...
''.


Early life

Brenda Claudina Susan Artman was born in
Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...
, Bedfordshire, to an
Afro-Caribbean Afro-Caribbean people or African Caribbean are Caribbean people who trace their full or partial ancestry to Sub-Saharan Africa. The majority of the modern African-Caribbeans descend from Africans taken as slaves to colonial Caribbean via the ...
family. Edwards and her older brother Rodney were raised by relatives following the death of their parents in a car crash on 22 December 1974. Her grandmother, who was a member of the local
Pentecostal church Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement
, encouraged her granddaughter to attend when she was eight, and Edwards soon discovered a love of music and singing, which led to joining Sunday school junior choir, and soon became the choir mistress, as well as a member of the Pentecostal Collective Church of God in Christ (COGIC) mass choir. Edwards eventually made the move from
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...
to secular music, and at 18 she sang at local night clubs, weddings, funerals and bar mitzvahs. Prior to finding a successful entertainment career, Edwards worked full-time in accounts.


''The X Factor''

Edwards appeared in the second series of ''The X Factor'' in 2005. She was in the Over-25s category alongside
Andy Abraham Andrew Abraham (born 17 July 1964) is a British singer. He was the runner-up in the second UK series of TV talent show ''The X Factor'' in 2005 to Shayne Ward, and also represented the United Kingdom in the Eurovision Song Contest 2008. Before ...
,
Chico Slimani Yousseph "Chico" Slimani (born 1971) is a British singer who rose to prominence in the United Kingdom after reaching the quarter-finals of the 2005 series of the talent show ''The X Factor''. In 2006, he had a number one hit on the British c ...
and
Maria Lawson Maria Lawson (born 24 May 1979) is an English singer. She recorded several singles with Ti.Pi.Cal. Lawson finished in eighth place in the second UK series of television talent show ''The X Factor'' in 2005. She released her debut self-titled ...
, and mentored by
Sharon Osbourne Sharon Rachel Osbourne (née Levy, later Arden; born 9 October 1952) is a British-American television personality, music manager and author. She is married to heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne and came to prominence while appearing ...
. The first live show saw Edwards singing "
Son of a Preacher Man "Son of a Preacher Man" is a song written and composed by American songwriters John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins and recorded by British singer Dusty Springfield in September 1968 for the album ''Dusty in Memphis.'' Springfield's version was produc ...
". This was followed by performances of " Rescue Me" and "
Midnight Train to Georgia "Midnight Train to Georgia" is a song by Gladys Knight & the Pips, their second release after departing Motown Records for Buddah Records. Written by Jim Weatherly, and included on the Pips' 1973 LP ''Imagination'', "Midnight Train to Georgia" be ...
". Performances of "
I'm Outta Love "I'm Outta Love" is the debut single of American singer Anastacia. Written by Anastacia, Sam Watters, and Louis Biancaniello and produced by the latter two, it was released on February 29, 2000, as the lead single from her debut album, ''Not That ...
" and "
I'll Never Love This Way Again "I'll Never Love This Way Again" is a song written and composed by English musician Richard Kerr and American lyricist Will Jennings, and first recorded by Kerr himself for his album ''Welcome to the Club'' as "I Know I'll Never Love This Way A ...
" won her a place in the semi-final, where she was voted out after her renditions of "
Respect Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling or action shown towards someone or something considered important or held in high esteem or regard. It conveys a sense of admiration for good or valuable qualities. It is also the process of ...
" and " Without You" with just 23 votes separating her and the act in third place.


Music career


1990s

Having provided vocals for a number of unsigned and small label recordings, Edwards then found some success on the 1996 track "Wiggly World Part Two" by
Junior Jack Vito Lucente (; born 31 August 1971), known by his stage name Junior Jack, is an Italian house music producer and DJ based in Belgium. Biography In the early years, Vito Lucente produced several acid house and Eurodance projects, mostly in co ...
(as Mr. Jack).


2007–09: Musicals

After ''The X Factor'', Edwards was chosen to play the role of Mama Morton in the hit West End musical ''
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
'', and her run in the show continued until March 2007. She was invited back to play Mama Morton over the Christmas period 2007–08, between 10 December 2007 and 26 January 2008. She returned to play Mama Morton once again in November 2008, continuing in the role into early 2009. In 2007, Edwards was cast as Pearl – a role created specifically for her – in a West End production of ''
Carmen Jones ''Carmen Jones'' is a 1943 Broadway musical with music by Georges Bizet (orchestrated for Broadway by Robert Russell Bennett) and lyrics and book by Oscar Hammerstein II which was performed at The Broadway Theatre. Conceptually, it is Bizet's op ...
'' at the
Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a Grade I l ...
, from 25 July until 2 September 2007. That same year, she won the Favourite Reality Star award at the 2007
Screen Nation The Screen Nation Film & TV Awards, formerly the bfm (black filmmaker) Film and TV Awards, was founded in September 2003 by independent film producer Charles Thompson MBE, as a platform to raise the profile of black British and international fil ...
awards. In 2009, Edwards toured the UK in the Queen musical ''
We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album ''News of the World''. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and it placed at numbe ...
'' as Killer Queen.Brenda Edwards and Johnathan Wilkes
''OK Magazine''.
On 21 June 2010 she started her role as Killer Queen in the West End production of ''
We Will Rock You "We Will Rock You" is a song written by Brian May and recorded by British rock band Queen for their 1977 album ''News of the World''. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it number 330 of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004, and it placed at numbe ...
'' replacing
Mazz Murray Mazz Murray (born 26 November 1974) is an English stage and TV actress, voice artist and singer with a three octave range. As an actress she is known for her theatre roles, including portrayals of Patsy Cline, Dusty Springfield and Vivian Ellis ...
, who was on maternity leave. Edwards took two weeks off to appear in another West End musical, and then returned.


2010–present

In 2010 Edwards announced she would release her debut album in 2011. The first single from the album is titled "You Know How To Love Me", taken from the musical ''When Midnight Strikes'' by Charles Miller and Kevin Hammonds. It received its radio premiere on
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...
and was released on 15 November 2010. In 2012 Edwards appeared as blues singer
Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the " Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock and ...
in a workshop of a musical about her life. Edwards played Mrs Johnson in ''The Wright Way'', a sitcom on
BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
. In summer 2014 she played a commentator only seen as a giant pair of lips in the
Alan Carr Alan Graham Carr (born 14 June 1976) is an English comedian, broadcaster and writer. His breakthrough was in 2001, winning the '' City Life'' Best Newcomer of the Year and the BBC New Comedy Awards. In the ensuing years, Carr's career burgeon ...
interactive gameshow '' The Singer Takes It All''. In 2015/16 Edwards toured the UK and Ireland in the musical ''
Hairspray Hairspray may refer to: * Hair spray, a personal grooming product that keeps hair protected from humidity and wind * ''Hairspray'' (1988 film), a film by John Waters ** ''Hairspray'' (1988 soundtrack), the film's soundtrack album ** ''Hairspray ...
'', playing Motormouth Maybelle. In 2017 she returned to tour the UK and Ireland again with ''Hairspray'', reprising her role as Motormouth Maybelle. In February and March 2019, Edwards was a guest panellist on ITV's ''
Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...
''. She was then brought in as a regular panelist to fill in for
Linda Robson Linda Patricia Mary Dunford ( Robson; born 13 March 1958) is an English actress and television presenter. She is best known for playing Tracey Stubbs in the sitcom '' Birds of a Feather'' (1989–1998, 2014–2020) and her appearances as a weekl ...
. Linda returned in early 2020 and Edwards has since stayed on making weekly appearances. In July 2019 it was announced that Edwards would be playing the lead role of Delores Van Cartier in the forthcoming UK tour and West End revival of '' Sister Act: The Musical'', with
Whoopi Goldberg Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ' ...
confirming that the part was being revised specifically to allow Brenda to play the role after being rejected from the original UK casting for being "too old". (The original versions had Delores as a 23-year-old, contrary to the older character portrayed in the movie from which the musical was based.)


Personal life

Edwards had two children,
Jamal Jamal ( ar, جمال ''/'') is an Arabic masculine given name, meaning "beauty",Jamal
at BehindTheName.com
and a surna ...
(1990–2022) and Tanisha, from a previous relationship. Jamal was the creator of
SB.TV SB.TV Global Ltd, also known as SB.TV or SmokeyBarz, is a British music media company founded by Jamal Edwards and a small team of young people who work on web-based content. The platform was created on 2 November 2006, and its origins in urban m ...
and owned Just Jam, a subsidiary
Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
record label, until his death in 2022. She told
Coleen Nolan Coleen Patricia Nolan (born 12 March 1965) is an English singer, television personality, and author. She was a member of the girl group The Nolans from 1980 to 1994, in which she sang with her sisters. Since 2000, Nolan has been a regular panell ...
that he died holding her hand. In 2011, Edwards and Jamal featured in an advert for
Google Chrome Google Chrome is a cross-platform web browser developed by Google. It was first released in 2008 for Microsoft Windows, built with free software components from Apple WebKit and Mozilla Firefox. Versions were later released for Linux, macOS ...
. Edwards has had stage III
breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...
, and survived
domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...
at the hands of a former partner.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Brenda Living people English stage actresses English women singers People from Luton The X Factor (British TV series) contestants English musical theatre actresses Black British actresses English people of Jamaican descent 1969 births