Irène Major (born 22 October 1979) is a British-Cameroonian singer, model and activist.

Personal life

Major was born in

Yaoundé Yaoundé (; , ) is the Capital city, capital city of Cameroon. It has a population of more than 2.8 million which makes it the second-largest city in the country after the port city Douala. It lies in the Centre Region (Cameroon), Centre Region o ...

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

to a soldier father and seamstress mother; the family was "middle-class but poor". Major is married to oil and gas tycoon Sam Malin who is of dual Canadian and British citizenship. She has nine children. In 2012, the couple purchased Ingress Abbey, subsequently converted for use as a family home.

Career

From Cameroon, Major moved first to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and then to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Major has appeared as the presenter of Ess'mode par Irene Major, a guest judge on The One, and as an on-screen hostess on the V Graham Norton show. In 2015, she appeared in Britain's Flashiest Families, and in 2016, in Shock Docs: Britain's Pushiest Parents. Major is the model for a display mannequin in the Drama Diva collection by Rootstein. Major set up the pop group ''Major'' in 2012 with her sister Elsa. They have released a number of songs and videos: * Love Me Boy (written by

Pete Kirtley Peter Edward Kirtley (born 14 April 1972) is an English songwriter, record producer and music entrepreneur. He has produced over 200 records worldwide with sales exceeding 15 million and 100 million streams, including seven number-one hit si ...

) * Romeo (written by

Pete Bellotte Peter John Bellotte (born 28 August 1943)Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916–2005 atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Inde ...

and

Sylvester Levay Sylvester Levay (originally Lévay Szilveszter, Serbian language, Serbian: Силвестер Леваи, ''Silvester Levai'') is a Hungarian people, Hungarian recording artist and composer, born in Yugoslavia (now Serbia). Life and career Levay ...

, original performer:

Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...

) * Birds (written by Irene Major) * Cannes Cannes Cannes (written by Pete Hammond and Jeff Chegwin) * Umqombothi - African Heroes (original version written by Sello "Chicco" Twala and Attie van Wyk and performed by

Yvonne Chaka Chaka Yvonne Chaka Chaka OIS (born Yvonne Machaka on 18 March 1965) is a South African singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, humanitarian and teacher. Dubbed the "Princess of Africa" (on a 1990 tour), Chaka Chaka has been at the forefront of South Afric ...

)

Philanthropy

Major is involved with various philanthropic and human rights causes. In 2008, she founded IM Life, a charity with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa and the western Indian Ocean, to provide support, including food, shelter, training and logistics support, to those in desperate need. She is also the founder of the Gay in Africa Foundation, a campaign which exists to boost awareness of the persecution and suffering of the African LGBT community and fight against homophobia and discrimination against the LGBT in Africa. Major is an ambassador for International Harbor, a charity founded by former US special operations veterans dedicated to eliminating human trafficking and abduction through advocacy and action.

References

* 1979 births Living people People from Centre Region (Cameroon) English female models Musicians from Yaoundé {{Improve categories, date=July 2024