Victoria Harrison (born 10 May 1982) is a British
rock singer and
DJ who performs under the stage name Amazonica (and formerly Harry and Dirty Harry).
Biography
Early life
Harry spent her early life living in Singapore and New York City as well as in the United Kingdom, and was raised under strict conservative family values – a vicar grandfather and mother in charge of a local Sunday school. Harry connected with singers such as
Patti Smith and
Janis Joplin – influences in both her youth and musical stylings.
As she grew up, Harry became involved in the London music and social scene. She first experienced the London nightlife in her teens – earning her ‘Dirty’ tag along the way, and building a reputation for herself on the
underground music scene before launching a music career of her own.
''The Trouble with... Harry''
Originally recording as "Dirty Harry", Harry recorded two singles (the limited release industrial pop track "Eye", and "Nothing Really Matters") on her own record label, Dirty World Records, as well as an early version of her debut album, ''
The Trouble with... Harry''. However, the album's release was not an easy process and complications ensued, resulting in a legal battle leading to Harry dropping her 'Dirty' tag and rebranding herself simply as Harry.
The album was re-recorded and edited under this new name. Years after its inception, it was released in April 2003, through
Telstar Records along with the album's supporting singles – "So Real", "Imagination" and "Follow Me". In 2003,
Rimmel used "Imagination" – Harry's cover of
Belouis Some's hit – to front a TV advertising campaign. The song was also the lead track on Harry's ''Under the Covers''
EP which also featured the video for the song.
Collaborations
*In 2004, Harry performed a
duet on "Take" from
Raymond Watts' album, ''
Pigmartyr
''Pigmartyr'' (2004) is an album by Raymond Watts, a.k.a. PIG. This was the first album he signed as "Watts" instead of "PIG". The First copies (approx. 500) were signed and numbered by Raymond Watts. The album was remastered and rereleased th ...
''.
*In 2005, Harry appeared as a guest vocalist on "Making Me Crazy" for
Tommy Lee's solo album, ''
Tommyland''.
*Two tracks were recorded ("Set Fire to Me" and "Never Stop") with
Crystal Method for
DJ Hyper
DJ Hyper (born 23 February 1977) is a British DJ, producer and remixer, known for his use of live bass, guitars and uncompromising vocals. He has done remixes for artists such as BT and Paul Van Dyk and his music has been featured on TV and in ...
's album, ''We Control''.
*In the same year, she sang alongside
Dani Filth in
Cradle of Filth's recording of "
Temptation" (a
cover of
Heaven 17) for the album ''
Thornography''. She was also in the video for the song alongside the band.
Press coverage
In November 2006,
Mick Rock photographed Harry for her own article in ''
Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
''. In July 2008, Harry was interviewed alongside
Courtney Love for ''
Nylon'' magazine.
Television appearances
In 2003 she appeared in an episode of the UK
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...
television programme, ''
Faking it'', where she was to help transform a choir girl into a "rock chick". Controversy arose when the participant, Laura-Jane Foley, claimed she had been misrepresented by the show. However, the episode in question had already run into trouble before it aired, with regular sponsors
Smirnoff refusing to be associated with its scenes of "irresponsible drinking", in which Harry appeared hungover after a night out.
Her filmwork also includes a role as Sophie Johnstone in the 1992 TV series ''Homeward Bound'', and a small role as a lady of the night, Maria, alongside
Jonny Lee Miller in the 1999 British film, ''
Plunkett & Macleane''.
In May 2003 Harry appeared on the
BBC's ''
Re:covered'' programme, where she performed both "Imagination", and a cover of
Blondie's hit "
One Way or Another".
In late 2006, Harry was chosen as the face and voice of
buy.com's $30 million national US marketing campaign, recording a song for, and appearing in the television advertisement for the company.
Discography
Albums
* ''
The Trouble with... Harry'' (2003) (released under the name Harry)
* ''
Songs from the Edge
''Songs from the Edge'' is the second album by British musician Dirty Harry (formerly known as Harry).
It was recorded as the follow-up to '' The Trouble with... Harry'' (2003) and produced by multi-platinum Grammy-nominated producer Luke Ebbi ...
'' (2007)
* ''(un)Released'' (2009) – A compilation album of various rare tracks from Harry's career.
EPs
* ''Under the Covers'' (2003) (released under the name Harry) –
UK No. 43
* ''God Shaped Hole'' (2009)
Singles
* "Eye" (2000)
* "Nothing Really Matters" (2001)
* "So Real" (2002) (released under the name Harry) –
UK No. 53
* "Follow Me" (2003) (released under the name Harry)
* "High on You" (2015) (released under the name Amazonica)
* "
(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (2018) (released under the name Amazonica)
References
External links
*
Girlband.org Entry for Dirty Harry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amazonica
1982 births
Living people
British Buddhists
English rock singers
Singers from London
21st-century English women singers
21st-century English singers
Telstar Records artists