Ketevan Katie Melua (; ka, ქეთევან "ქეთი" მელუა, ; born 16 September 1984) is a Georgian and British singer and songwriter. She was born in Kutaisi and raised in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

and London. Under the management of composer Mike Batt, she is signed to the small Dramatico record label. She made her musical debut in 2003 and within three years, she was the United Kingdom's best-selling female artist as well as Europe's highest selling European female artist. In November 2003, Melua released her first album, ''

Call Off the Search ''Call off the Search'' is the debut studio album by Georgian-British jazz and blues singer Katie Melua, released in 2003. Recording and release British songwriter, producer and arranger Mike Batt signed Melua to his Dramatico recording and ...

'', which reached the top of the United Kingdom album charts and sold 1.8 million copies in its first five months of release. Her second album, '' Piece by Piece'', was released in September 2005, and has gone

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

(one million units sold) four times. She released her third studio album ''

Pictures An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimension ...

'' in October 2007. According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2008, Melua had amassed fortune of £18 million, making her the seventh-richest British musician under the age of 30.

Early life

Ketevan Melua was born on 16 September 1984 to Amiran and Tamara Melua in Kutaisi, Georgia, which was then part of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. She spent her first years with her grandparents in

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...

before moving with her parents and brother to the town of

Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ) is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast of the Black Sea in Georgia's ...

, where her father worked as a heart specialist. During this time, Melua sometimes had to carry buckets of water up five flights of stairs to her family's flat and according to her, "Now, when I'm staying in luxurious hotels, I think back to those days". In 1993, when Melua was eight, the family moved to

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

, in the aftermath of the Georgian Civil War. Her father, a heart surgeon, took up a position at the Royal Victoria Hospital. The family remained in Belfast, living close to Falls Road, until Melua was 14. During her time in Northern Ireland, Melua attended

St Catherine's Primary School ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy an ...

on the Falls Road and later moved to Dominican College, Fortwilliam. The Melua family then moved to Sutton, London and some time later moved again to Redhill, Surrey. In 2008, Melua moved out of her parents' home in

Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district consisting of the northern part of Paddington in West London, west of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn. It is also the name of its main road, on the continuous Edgware Road. Maida Vale ...

to an apartment in Notting Hill, where she transformed the spare bedroom into a recording studio. Melua is fluent in English and speaks some Russian; despite still speaking her native Georgian fluently she has admitted that she cannot write songs in the language. Melua is also partly of

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

and Russian ancestry. Melua was baptised into the

Georgian Orthodox Church The Apostolic Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Georgia ( ka, საქართველოს სამოციქულო ავტოკეფალური მართლმადიდებელი ეკლესია, tr), commonly ...

. When living in Belfast, Melua attended the

Roman Catholic school Catholic schools are pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered under the aegis or in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school syst ...

s St Catherine's Primary School and Dominican College, Fortwilliam, while her younger brother attended State schools. After completing her GCSEs at the all-girls' grammar school

Nonsuch High School Nonsuch High School is an all-girls' grammar school with an academy status, located in Cheam, in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, on the border of the London Borough of Sutton, and standing in of grounds on the edge of Nons ...

in Cheam, Sutton, Melua attended the BRIT School for the Performing Arts in the London Borough of Croydon, undertaking a BTEC with an A-level in music.

Nationality

On 10 August 2005, just before she turned 21, Melua became a British citizen along with her parents and brother. The citizenship ceremony took place in

Weybridge Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a crossing point of the ...

, Surrey. Becoming a British citizen meant that Melua had held three citizenships before she was 21; first Soviet, then Georgian and finally, British. After the ceremony, Melua stated her pride at her newest nationality. "As a family, we have been very fortunate to find a happy lifestyle in this country and we feel we belong. We still consider ourselves to be Georgian, because that is where our roots are, and I return to Georgia every year to see my uncles and grandparents, but I am proud to now be a British citizen".

Personal life

Melua has been referred to as an '

adrenaline junkie Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and medication which is involved in regulating visceral functions (e.g., respiration). It appears as a white microcrystalline granule. Adrenaline is normally produced by the adrenal glands and ...

' because she enjoys

roller coaster A roller coaster, or rollercoaster, is a type of amusement ride that employs a form of elevated railroad track designed with tight turns, steep slopes, and sometimes inversions. Passengers ride along the track in open cars, and the rides are ...

s and

funfair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

s and often paraglides and hang glides. She has skydived four times and taken several flying lessons, and in 2004 she was lowered from a building in New Zealand at . When asked about Melua being an 'adrenaline junkie', Mike Batt said, "she enjoys extremes, but in life her emotions are always in check". In November 2009, Melua nearly drowned while diving in a lake near Heathrow Airport. In September 2010, Melua was ordered by her doctors to stop working for a few months after suffering a nervous breakdown, resulting in her hospitalisation for six weeks. As a result, all touring and promotional activities were postponed until the following year. Melua opened up about the breakdown years later in an interview with ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'', saying that it ended up being one of the best things that had ever happened to her, as she said it helped to quash a feeling of superiority she felt by being a successful musician in the music industry. "....It was petrifying, but it put a stop to fantasies of being able to do anything. The oddest thing about this job is the sense of superiority you get. It was a huge wake-up call. I was completely out of it for two weeks, and in hospital for six. There was a bunch of things going on, things at home and crazy work schedules, and you really believe the world revolved around you and it doesn't." In January 2012, Melua confirmed her engagement to World Superbike racer and musician

James Toseland James Michael Toseland (born 5 October 1980) is an English former motorcycle racer and vocalist of his own rock band named Toseland. For 2020, he is team-manager of Wepol Racing with riders in World Supersport and Supersport 300.Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, southwest London. A 2020 interview with the national Swedish news agency TT revealed that the couple had separated. Interviewed on ITV's ''Lorraine'' live from West London on 16 October 2020, Melua confirmed that the couple had divorced." In August 2022, Melua announced that she is pregnant with her first child. In December she had a baby boy.

Career

Early stage

After an upbringing in politically unstable Georgia, Melua initially planned to become either a historian or a politician. This changed in 2000, at the age of 15, when Melua took part in a talent competition on British television channel ITV called "Stars Up Their Noses" (a spoof of '' Stars in Their Eyes'') as part of the children's programme '' Mad for It''. Melua won the contest by singing Badfinger's " Without You". The prize was £350 worth of MFI vouchers, with which she bought a chair for her father. Had she lost the contest, she would have been gunged.

BRIT School and Mike Batt

After completing her GCSEs, Melua attended the BRIT School for the Performing Arts in the London Borough of Croydon, undertaking a BTEC with an A-level in music. When studying at the school, Melua began to write songs and met her future manager and producer, Mike Batt. While performing at BRIT School showcase, Melua caught the eye of songwriter and producer Mike Batt. Batt was originally looking for an acid-rock band, bass player and a singer capable of singing "jazz and blues in an interesting way". After hearing Melua sing "Faraway Voice" (a song she wrote about the death of her idol Eva Cassidy) Batt signed the 18-year-old Melua to his small Dramatico recording and management company and took her into the studio, producing her first three albums during the subsequent years, plus her fifth and sixth albums.

William Orbit

For her fourth album, '' The House'' (2010), Melua worked with producer

William Orbit William Mark Wainwright (born 15 December 1956),"William Orbit." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 30. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2000. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 7 May 2017. Available onlinvia ''Encyclopedia.com'' known ...

. She said about the experience: "The whole thing has been really exciting. It was the same feeling I had the first time I went skydiving. I was really quite nervous, but I knew all I had to do was let myself go and it was going to feel amazing. I wasn't trying to get away from anything. It was more about going towards something. I wanted the music to be inspired by the future, something unknown that's never been heard before, but at the same time hold on to the values of the music of the past, to try and tap into something that's so ancient and old that it's kind of forgotten. I thought that, if we went far enough in both directions, we could end up in the same place". European Tour 2022 Melua completed a 10 date concert tour in 2022, during which she announced on Instagram her first pregnancy "bump". Love & Money Album-Tour 2023 Melua announced in November 2022 that her new album ''Love & Money'' and her 27 date, UK and European ''Love & Money Tour,'' would be showcased in early 2023, including a headline performance at the Royal Albert Hall on 16 May 2023.

Recordings

''Call off the Search'' (2003)

Melua's debut album, ''

'', was released on 3 November 2003 and featured two songs written by Melua: "Belfast (Penguins and Cats)", a song about Melua's experience of her time in the troubled capital of

, and "Faraway Voice", a song about the death of Eva Cassidy. Melua also covered songs by Delores J. Silver (" Learnin' the Blues"), John Mayall ("

Crawling up a Hill "Crawling Up a Hill" is the debut single by English blues rock band John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers, released in 1964. It was written by the band's founder and singer-songwriter John Mayall. A live version is included on the band's 1965 live al ...

"),

Randy Newman Randall Stuart Newman (born November 28, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, composer, and pianist known for his Southern-accented singing style, early Americana-influenced songs (often with mordant or satirical lyrics), and vari ...

(" I Think It's Going to Rain Today") and James Shelton ("Lilac Wine", originally a UK hit for singer Elkie Brooks). The other six songs on the album were by Mike Batt. It was initially difficult for Melua and Batt to obtain airplay for the album's lead single, the Mike Batt song "

The Closest Thing to Crazy "The Closest Thing to Crazy" is the debut single of Georgia-born singer Katie Melua. The song is featured on her first studio album, ''Call Off the Search'' (2003). The song was written as part of the musical ''Men Who March Away', and appeared ...

". This changed when

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. ...

producer

Paul Walters Paul Christopher Walters (15 June 1947 – 21 October 2006) was a BBC radio and TV producer, best known for his work and appearances on Terry Wogan's BBC Radio 2 breakfast show ''Wake Up to Wogan'' from 1995 until a few months before his death ...

heard the single and played it on the popular Sir Terry Wogan breakfast show. Wogan played "The Closest Thing to Crazy" frequently in the summer of 2003. Wogan's support raised Melua's profile and when ''

'' was released in November 2003 supported by a TV campaign financed by Batt, it entered the top 40 UK albums chart. The single achieved the number 10 spot in the UK chart. After an appearance on the Royal Variety Show the album was further boosted and Batt continued a relentless marketing campaign which saw the album hit the number one spot in January 2004. ''Call Off the Search'' reached the top five in Ireland, top 20 in Norway and top 30 in a composite European chart. In the UK the album sold 1.9 million copies, making it six times

, and spent six weeks at the top of the UK charts. It sold 3.6 million copies worldwide. Subsequent singles from the album did not repeat the success of the first – the second single and album title track "

" reached number 19, and the third single "

" got to number 41. The album achieved 6× platinum status in UK, 3× platinum in Norway, 2× platinum in Germany, Holland, Denmark and Ireland, Platinum in South Africa, Australia and Switzerland and gold (500,000 units sold) in New Zealand and Hong Kong.

''Piece by Piece'' (2005)

Melua's second album, '' Piece by Piece'', was released on 26 September 2005. Its lead single was the Mike Batt song, "

Nine Million Bicycles "Nine Million Bicycles" is a song written and produced by Mike Batt for the singer Katie Melua's second album, '' Piece by Piece''. It was released as the album's first single in September 2005 and reached number five on the UK Singles Chart, ...

", which was released a week before the album on 19 September and was number three in the UK singles chart. The album contains four more songs written by Melua herself, four more by Batt (including "Nine Million Bicycles"), one Batt/Melua collaboration and three more songs described as new versions of "great songs". The band line-up was the same as on the first album. The album debuted at the number one spot 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 ...

in the week of 3 October 2005. This album broke Melua across Europe where it sold 1 million copies in Germany alone and achieved the number one position in Billboard's "European" albums chart. It was 4× platinum in UK and Ireland, 3× platinum in Norway, Denmark, Holland and Germany, 2× platinum in Poland and Switzerland and at least platinum or gold in France, Iceland, South Africa, Austria, Belgium, New Zealand and Sweden. Worldwide sales to date are in excess of 3.5 million. On 30 September 2005, Melua came under criticism in ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers '' The Observer'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the ...

'' from writer and scientist Simon Singh for the lyrics (written by Mike Batt) of the track "Nine Million Bicycles". Batt's disputed lyrics were: They were interpreted by Singh as an assault on the accuracy of the work of cosmologists which sparked a series of letters from other ''Guardian'' readers, agreeing or disagreeing. On 15 October, Melua and Singh appeared on the BBC's ''Today'' programme, and Melua light-heartedly performed the song during the interview, including Singh's tongue-in-cheek amendments to the lyrics: Both sides amicably agreed that the new lyrics were less likely to achieve commercial success, amidst a discussion about scientific accuracy versus artistic licence. Melua said that she "should have known better" because she used to be a member of the

astronomy club A list of notable groups devoted to promoting astronomy research and education. Africa * African Astronomical Society South Africa *Astronomical Society of Southern Africa Asia China *Chinese Astronomical Society India * Akash Mitra Mandal *As ...

at school. A double A-side of the Melua-penned "

I Cried for You "I Cried for You" is a pop and jazz standard with music written by Gus Arnheim and Abe Lyman, with lyrics by Arthur Freed. It was introduced by Abe Lyman and His Orchestra in 1923. The recording by Benny Krueger and His Orchestra the same year pe ...

" and a cover of The Cure's " Just Like Heaven" (1988), which also appeared on the soundtrack to the film '' Just Like Heaven'', was released in the UK on 5 December and peaked at number 35. "I Cried for You" was inspired by a meeting with the writer of ''

Holy Blood, Holy Grail ''The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail'' (published as ''Holy Blood, Holy Grail'' in the United States) is a book by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. The book was first published in 1982 by Jonathan Cape in London as an unoffici ...

''. A third single, "

Spider's Web A spider web, spiderweb, spider's web, or cobweb (from the archaic word '' coppe'', meaning "spider") is a structure created by a spider out of proteinaceous spider silk extruded from its spinnerets, generally meant to catch its prey. ...

" was released on 17 April 2006 and peaked at number 52 in the UK. Melua embarked on a concert tour in support of ''Piece by Piece'', the UK leg of which started in Aberdeen, Scotland on 20 January 2006. Towards the end of 2006, Melua released the single, " It's Only Pain", which was written by Mike Batt. This was followed by the release of " Shy Boy", also written by Batt.

''Pictures'' (2007)

Melua's third album, ''

'', was released in the UK on 1 October 2007 and was announced to be, at least temporarily, the last of her albums in collaboration with Mike Batt as lead writer and producer. It also features Melua's friend Molly McQueen, the former frontwoman of

The Faders The Faders were a British female pop rock band, formed in January 2004 by Polydor Records. Bassist/keyboardist Toy Valentine and drummer Cherisse Osei were the first members to get through the first audition. Frontwoman and lead guitarist, ...

, as co-writer of "Perfect Circle". Melua also collaborated with

Andrea McEwan Andrea McEwan (born 9 October 1978) is an Australian actress, singer, musician and songwriter. Career After attending MacRobertson Girls' High School in Melbourne, McEwan started acting, appearing in several television series including ''Ocean G ...

on the album, who wrote the lyrics for "What I Miss About You" and "Dirty Dice". The album also featured a cover of "

In My Secret Life "In My Secret Life" is a song written and performed by Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson. Bob Metzger plays the guitar. The song first appears on the album ''Ten New Songs'', released in 2001. Cohen first revealed he was working on a new song ca ...

" by Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson. Melua said of the cover, " tcompletely got to me, about how we all have great ideals but in reality we end up conforming, following everyone else." Melua released four singles from the album: "

If You Were a Sailboat "If You Were a Sailboat" is a song by British singer Katie Melua. Written and produced by Mike Batt, it is Melua's ninth single and the first from her third album, ''Pictures'' (2007). Melua said of the song: It was released as a single on Se ...

", "

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

", " If the Lights Go Out", and "Ghost Town". "Mary Pickford", written by Mike Batt, was about the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

star of the same name and the formation of United Artists along with Charlie Chaplin, D W Griffith and Douglas Fairbanks . "Ghost Town" was Melua's first

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

-sounding song. The

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mu ...

version of the album includes a cover of the

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

song " Under the Cherry Moon" as a bonus track.

''The House'' (2010)

Melua's fourth album, '' The House'', was released on 24 May 2010. Songwriters include Lauren Christy, Guy Chambers and Rick Nowels, with

producing.

''Secret Symphony'' (2012)

Melua's fifth studio album, ''

Secret Symphony ''Secret Symphony'' is the fifth studio album by singer-songwriter Katie Melua, and was released on 5 March 2012. The album was recorded at Air Studios in London in collaboration with orchestrator and conductor Mike Batt. Melua said in a stateme ...

'' was released on 5 March 2012 and also debuted high in the UK album chart. The album was produced, arranged and conducted by Mike Batt. Melua said in a statement: "This album was going to be my 'singer's album'. I had always wanted to do this one day; singing other people's songs brings something out of you and your voice that isn't perhaps where you would have gone vocally with your own material."

''Ketevan'' (2013)

Melua's sixth studio album, '' Ketevan'', was released on 16 September 2013. It was co-produced by Mike Batt and his son, singer-songwriter Luke Batt, both of whom contributed songs, separately and in collaboration with Melua. When ''Ketevan'' entered the UK charts at number 6, Melua joined a very small group of female artists, which includes Madonna and Kate Bush, who have scored six consecutive UK top 10 studio albums. ''Ketevan'' also entered the top 10 in France, Poland, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland in its first week of release.

''In Winter'' (2016)

Cwo 20181121213304a Katie Melua, Gori Women's Choir

Melua's seventh album, '' In Winter'', was released on 14 October 2016. For this record, Melua went back to her native Georgia to record an album with the Gori Women's Choir, a native Georgian all-woman singing troupe. Melua revealed during an interview with ''

'' that her partnership with Mike Batt had come to an end after her last album, as it was a six-album deal with Batt's Dramatico records. In 2017, she released a cover version of " Fields of Gold", the official song for Children in Need.

''Album No. 8'' (2020)

In June 2020, Melua supported the Georgian Red Cross Society in their efforts to assist the vulnerable population in Georgia during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

by performing a live charity concert featuring songs that were requested by her followers on her social media accounts. Melua released her eighth studio album, '' Album No. 8'', on 16 October 2020. The lead single off the album, "A Love like That", which was produced by Leo Abrahams, received its first airplay on 30 June 2020 on

. The video for the song features British actor Billy Howle and was directed by Charlie Lightening, who has directed videos for the likes of

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

, Jamiroquai and Liam Gallagher. The second single, "Airtime" premiered on 24 July 2020. The video for 'Airtime', which again featured actor Billy Howle and was also directed by Charlie Lightning, was shot around Herne Bay over two days and was filmed according to COVID-19 lockdown guidelines.

Other work

Acting and modelling

Melua appeared in a segment of the 2007 film '' Grindhouse'', written by

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...

and Robert Rodriguez. The segment in which Melua appeared, entitled " Don't", was a faux trailer, directed by

Edgar Wright Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zooms and a ...

and produced in the style of a 1970s' Hammer House of Horror film trailer. In 2009, Melua was named as the new face of the leading French cashmere designer,

Éric Bompard Éric Bompard SA is a French high-fashion cashmere wool goods manufacturer established in 1984. History Éric Bompard, an entrepreneur and former computer technician, created the company in 1984 following a trip to Asia where he learned about ...

World record holder

On 2 October 2006, Melua entered the '' Guinness Book of Records'' for playing the deepest underwater concert 303 metres below sea level on the Norwegian Statoil's Troll A platform in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian ...

. Melua and her band underwent extensive medical tests and survival training in Norway before flying by helicopter to the rig. Melua later described achieving the record as "the most surreal gig I have ever done". Melua's concert is commemorated in the DVD release ''Concert Under the Sea'', released in June 2007.

Charity work

In November 2004 Melua was asked to take part in

Band Aid 20 Band Aid 20 was the 2004 incarnation of the charity supergroup Band Aid. The group, which included Daniel Bedingfield, Dido, Justin Hawkins of The Darkness, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Bono of U2, and ...

in which she joined a chorus of British and Irish pop singers to create a rendition of " Do They Know It's Christmas?" to raise money for famine relief in Africa. Then in March 2005, Melua sang " Too Much Love Will Kill You" with Brian May at the

46664 46664 was a series of AIDS benefit concerts played in honour of Nelson Mandela by South African and foreign musicians between 2003 and 2008. Origin The second time that Mandela was imprisoned on Robben Island was in 1964, and he was the 466th pr ...

concert in

George, South Africa George is the second largest city in the Western Cape province of South Africa. The city is a popular holiday and conference centre, as well as the administrative and commercial hub and the seat of the Garden Route District Municipality. It is ...

for

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid activist who served as the first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and the ...

's HIV charity. Melua had been a fan of

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

since her childhood in Georgia when her uncles played the band's music, so performing with May was a realisation of a childhood dream. Later in 2005, through her role as a goodwill ambassador to the charity

Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...

, Melua went to

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

where she observed the work the charity was doing for children in the area after the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...

and

Indian Ocean tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...

. In 2006 Melua donated all the proceeds from her single "

" to the charity. On 7 July 2007, Melua performed at the German leg of Live Earth in Hamburg and in December of that year, Melua released a cover of the Louis Armstrong song " What a Wonderful World" in which she sang with a recording of the late Eva Cassidy. All profits from the single, which entered the UK singles chart at No. 1 on 16 December 2007, went to the

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

. Melua has visited Oxfam charity shops for many years, using them frequently to buy her clothing. She has stated that this is related as much to her dislike of spending and glamour as it is to her support for the charity, and admits that she looks "like a tramp" and that her hairdresser playfully calls her look "the Romanian window cleaner". Melua is a patron of Fair Trees, the organisation that is trying to stop exploitation of cone pickers in Ambrolauri, Georgia, by the European Christmas tree industry. The local people in this region of Georgia are paid a pittance to risk their lives climbing 30 m high fir trees to collect the cones from which the seeds are extracted and sent to Christmas tree nurseries in Europe. Until Fair Trees came along these cone pickers were given no safety equipment or training, no health insurance and very little pay; every year people are injured and even killed doing this work. Fair Trees grow and sell the only fair trade Christmas trees in the world (certified by the WFTO). Melua is a patron of the Manx Cancer Help charity, which offers support to cancer sufferers and is based on the Isle of Man. She attended the 2013 fundraising ball for the charity.

Musical influences

Melua has stated that the rock band

were a huge influence on her as a child/teenager, with one of her memories of music being her uncle playing records by Queen and

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ...

. She performed with Queen at the

concert in South Africa in March 2005. Melua appeared on the BBC's '' The Culture Show'' in November 2006 advocating

as her choice in the search for Britain's greatest living icon.

Discography

Studio albums

* ''

'' (2003) * '' Piece by Piece'' (2005) * ''

'' (2007) * '' The House'' (2010) * ''

'' (2012) * '' Ketevan'' (2013) * '' In Winter'' (2016) * '' Album No. 8'' (2020) and acoustic version (2021) * ''

Aerial Objects Aerial may refer to: Music * ''Aerial'' (album), by Kate Bush * ''Aerials'' (song), from the album ''Toxicity'' by System of a Down Bands *Aerial (Canadian band) *Aerial (Scottish band) *Aerial (Swedish band) Performance art *Aerial silk, ...

'' (2022)

Appearances on soundtracks

Acting roles

Honours and awards

*Melua was the best-selling UK female artist of 2004 and 2005. *In 2006, Melua had a tulip named after her. *According to VH1, ''Call Off the Search'' is the 87th best-selling British album in history. *Asteroid 25131 was named Katiemelua.

References

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External links

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Katie Melua
– extensive discography on Music Chronicles {{DEFAULTSORT:Melua, Katie 1984 births Living people Eastern Orthodox Christians from Georgia (country) Eastern Orthodox Christians from the United Kingdom English women singer-songwriters Georgian emigrants to England Georgian emigrants to Northern Ireland Georgian-language singers Georgian people of Canadian descent Musicians from Belfast Musicians from London Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom People educated at Nonsuch High School People educated at the BRIT School People from Batumi People from Kutaisi People from Sutton, London English people of Canadian descent English people of Georgian descent Musicians from Tbilisi Spanish-language singers 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers Georgian people of Russian descent English people of Russian descent