Donna Lewis

Donna Lewis
Background information
Born Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom
Genres Pop, dance-pop
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter
Instruments Vocals, piano, keyboards
Years active 1996–present
Labels Atlantic Records
Website www.donnalewis.com

Donna Lewis is a Welsh singer-songwriter and record producer from Cardiff. She is best known for the 1996 pop hit single "I Love You Always Forever", which peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart, and also peaked within the top ten of the charts in Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway and the United States. In the latter country, "I Love You Always Forever" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks, having been held off the summit by "Macarena" by Los Del Rio. The single holds the record for being drawn for third place among songs with the longest runs at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and at second for most weeks at number one on the Billboard Top 40 Mainstream chart. Lewis also teamed up with Richard Marx in the 1997 adult contemporary hit "At the Beginning." In 1997, Lewis was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Female.[1]

After releasing her second album Blue Planet, Lewis left Atlantic Records and independently released albums Be Still and In the Pink. Her latest album Brand New Day produced by David Torn and featuring Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson and Dave King was released on 10 March 2015.[2][3][4]

Biography

There are conflicting accounts regarding Lewis' birth date. According to her biography on the Billboard and Allmusic websites,[5][6][7] written by employees of Rovi,[5][8] she was born on August 6, 1973. This date appears also on her BBC page.[9] The following information is consistent with all sources: Lewis was born in Cardiff. She began playing the piano at the age of six.[6] Her father, an amateur jazz pianist and guitarist[4] lent encouragement, and at 14, she began composing original songs.[6] Her formal training was at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, where she majored in classical composition for piano and flute. Lewis then went on to teach music for a year in Sussex before moving to Birmingham to sing in a bar band.[6] During that time she set up a home studio[6][9] and began recording demos. She became a popular live attraction and circa 1993 began sending her demos to record labels.[6] The U.S.-based Atlantic Records signed her in 1994.[6]

An article in People Magazine from November 1996 presents a different timeline of these events. It states that Lewis' graduation from the Royal Welsh College took place in 1979, and that she played in piano bars throughout Britain and Europe for a period of five years.[10] In November 1996, she had been married for ten years to her road manager and "[gave] her age as in her 30s".[10] This information, if correct, would imply that she was born between 1957 and 1966. It is roughly consistent with a statement Lewis made in an interview in 2015: "When I was in the pop world [...], I wasn't a 19 year old—I was 30 or something like that."[3][4] The context suggests that this refers to the time when she got her Atlantic record deal. The biography on Lewis' own website[11] does not date events prior to 1996. An article in Entertainment Weekly from September 1996 states that Lewis "won't reveal her age — she and her husband/manager, Martin Harris, have been married for nine years, so 'you know I'm not 21'".[12]

In 1996, Atlantic Records released Lewis' first single, "I Love You Always Forever", a love song which went on to become a major hit on VH1.[6] It was also successful on U.S. radio, staying at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100[13] for nine consecutive weeks,[13] and spending 13 consecutive weeks at #1 on the airplay chart.[13] It exceeded one million "spins" on radio, to claim its place in music industry history as the most-played single up to that point.[14] The single reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart in 1996, and spent 14 weeks in the chart. It helped her debut album, Now in a Minute, to #31 in the U.S. Billboard 200[15] chart, and #52 in the UK Albums Chart.It was certified platinum in the U.S.[16]

In 1997 Lewis appeared as herself in the Season 7 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210, "The Phantom of CU".

Lewis recorded "At the Beginning" with Richard Marx for the 1997 film Anastasia. Her second LP, Blue Planet (1998), won critical acclaim, but it was largely overlooked by the public. Although it produced a minor hit in continental Europe and Asia, "I Could Be the One", and a U.S. #1 dance single, "Love Him", Lewis parted ways with Atlantic Records[9] and independently produced her third LP, Be Still (2002), which featured her on an almost entirely acoustic set. During the early 2000s Lewis was featured as a guest vocalist on several trance music/house music recordings. Her fourth LP, In the Pink, was released in 2008; its first single was "Shout," which was included in the soundtrack to the Marian Quinn film 32A. Lewis also sang lead vocals for her side project, Chute. which released their debut EP in April 2010. In March 2015, she released Brand New Day, her first full-length LP in nearly a decade, and is currently working on an EP with producer Ryan Farish.

Discography

Studio albums

Title Details Peak chart positions Certifications
(sales threshold)
AUS
[17]		 AUT
[18]		 GER
[19]		 SWI
[20]		 UK
[21]		 US
[22]
Now in a Minute 47 — 66 43 52 31
Blue Planet
  • Release date: 14 July 1998
  • Label: Atlantic Records
  • Formats: CD, cassette
 — 33 — — — —
Be Still
  • Release date: 2002
  • Label: Peruzzi Music
  • Formats: CD, cassette
 — — — — — —
In the Pink
  • Release date: 1 April 2008
  • Label: Peruzzi Music
  • Formats: CD, music download
 — — — — — —
Brand New Day
  • Release date: 10 March 2015
  • Label: Palmetto Records
  • Formats: CD, music download
 — — — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
AUS
[24]		 AUT
[25]		 CAN
[26]		 GER
[27]		 NZ
[28]		 NOR
[29]		 SWI
[30]		 UK
[31]		 US
[32]		 Pop Songs
[33]
1996 "I Love You Always Forever" 2 3 3 7 9 3 6 5 2 1 Now in a Minute
"Without Love" — — 12 77 47 — — 39 41 24
1997 "Mother" — — — — — — — — — —
"Fool's Paradise" — — — — — — — 169 — —
"Love & Affection" — — — — — — — 123 — —
1998 "I Could Be the One" — 9 — 69 — — — — — — Blue Planet
"Love Him" — — — — — — — — — —
1999 "Falling" — — — — — — — — — —
2007 "Shout" — — — — — — — — — — In the Pink
2008 "You to Me" — — — — — — — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Featured singles

Year Single Artist Peak chart
positions		 Album
US
[34]		 US AC
[35]
1997 "At the Beginning" Richard Marx 45 2 Anastasia (soundtrack)
2012 "You and I" Project 46 and DubVision

Collaborations

See also

References

  1. ↑ Donna Lewis BRITS Profile. BRIT Awards Ltd. Retrieved 26 January 2013
  2. ↑ Prisco, Jaime (19 December 2014). "Donna Lewis to Release New Album 'Brand New Day' Featuring David King, Reid Anderson and Ethan Iverson With Covers of David Bowie, Neil Young, Damien Rice and More". Classicalite. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  3. 1 2 Scholz, Ben (10 March 2015). "Donna Lewis: Brand New Day". All About Jazz. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 "Donna Lewis: Brand New Day". Benjamin Scholz. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Donna Lewis. Biography by Matt Collar". Billboard. 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Biography by John Bush". Allmusic.com. Archived from the original on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2009.
  7. ↑ "Biography by Matt Collar". Allmusic. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  8. ↑ "How does an artist get added to AllMusic?". AllMusic. 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  9. 1 2 3 "BBC Wales - Music - Donna Lewis". bbc.co.uk. 2009-08-19. Retrieved 2015-05-06.
  10. 1 2 "The No. 1 That Got Away". Time Inc. 4 November 1996. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  11. ↑ "bio". Donna Lewis. 2016. Retrieved 4 August 2016.
  12. ↑ "Donna Lewis chats with us about her hit single". Entertainment Weekly. 13 September 1996. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). New York: Billboard Books. p. 366. ISBN 0-8230-7499-4.
  14. ↑ "Donna Lewis – Free listening, videos, concerts, stats and pictures at". Last.fm. Retrieved 2015-05-06.
  15. ↑ "Donna Lewis | Awards". AllMusic. 1973-08-06. Retrieved 2015-05-06.
  16. ↑ US certifications riaa.com Search "Donna Lewis"
  17. ↑ "australian-charts.com - Australian charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  18. ↑ "austriancharts.at - Austria Top 40". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  19. ↑ "Die ganze Musik im Internet: Charts - German Albums". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  20. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  21. ↑ "Chart Log UK: DJ Steve L. - LZ Love". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  22. ↑ "Donna Lewis Album & Song Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  23. ↑ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - April 15, 2011: Now in a Minute certified awards". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
  24. ↑ "australian-charts.com - Australian charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  25. ↑ "austriancharts.at - Austria Top 40". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  26. ↑ "Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". RPM Magazine. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  27. ↑ "German charts portal". Retrieved 3 June 2014.
  28. ↑ "charts.org.nz - New Zealand charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  29. ↑ "norwegiancharts.com - Norwegian charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  30. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  31. ↑ Peak chart positions for releases charting in the United Kingdom:
  32. ↑ "Donna Lewis Album & Song Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  33. ↑ "Donna Lewis Album & Song Chart History - Pop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 11 January 2016.
  34. ↑ "Richard Marx Album & Song Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 15 April 2011.
  35. ↑ "Richard Marx Album & Song Chart History - Adult Contemporary". Billboard. Retrieved 15 April 2011.

External links

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