Princess (singer)
Princess | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Desiree Carole Heslop |
| Also known as | Princess HRS Princess |
| Born | 28 November 1961 London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Labels | |
Desiree Carole Heslop (born 28 November 1961), best known as Princess, is a British singer who found chart success in the mid-1980s. In the early 1980s, she worked with the group Osibisa. She is best known for her hit single "Say I'm Your Number One" which made the UK Top Ten in 1985.[1]
Career
[edit]Princess initially started out in law as a secretary and sales assistant. During her first year of college she sang vocals on a punk rock track. Before going solo, she was a backing vocalist for the band Osibisa in the early 1980s.[2][3] She recorded sessions on the Brilliant album Kiss The Lips of Life, which brought her to the attention of producers Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW).
Princess also sang backing vocals for artists such as Precious Wilson and Evelyn "Champagne" King. In 1985, Princess, known as Desiree at the time, collaborated with 501's, and released the single "Let the Night Take the Blame", which was released under Fanfare Records. The single failed to chart.
Her debut solo album Princess (1986) was composed and produced by SAW which contained the hit single, "Say I'm Your Number One". The album spawned five charting singles,[4] and was certified Silver in the UK.
Princess signed with Polydor and recorded her second album, All for Love (1987) in the United States, but neither the album nor its three singles had much success.[1]
Her third album, Say It, which was slated for release in 1990, was never issued as Princess retired from the music scene and moved to the US. She later returned to being a backing singer, appearing on the Vanilla Ice album To the Extreme that same year.[5]
From 1991 to 2003 she lived in the US, then returned to England. She formed her own music label with her brother Donovan, OnDa Ground Music Label, which has released all her music since, and released her first single in 14 years, "Ride", with rap ensemble EEDB. A music video was also filmed which referenced her retirement.
She appeared in ITV's 2005 production Hit Me, Baby, One More Time, singing Kylie Minogue's "Slow".
In April 2014, she released her third album, The Emergence, the first in 27 years. It is the first in a trilogy of albums, the other ones titled The Passion and The One.
In March 2019, she released the EP "The Passion Part 1".
In May 2021, Princess released a teaser for her single "Silhouettes in the Dark", which can be found on her YouTube channel. In July that year, an interview with Princess and her brother Donovan was featured on "A Journey Through Soul" podcast, which would later return in November.
On 14 February 2023 she released the single "Will You Call Me" from her upcoming album "The Passion".
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Year | Title | Chart positions | Certifications | Record label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [6] |
AUS [7] | ||||
| 1986 | Princess | 15 | 81 | Supreme Records | |
| 1987 | All for Love | — | — | Polydor Records | |
| 2014 | The Emergence | — | — | OnDa Ground Music Label | |
| 2019 | The Passion Part I | — | — | OnDa Ground Music Label | |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | |||||
Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [6] |
AUS [7] |
US Dance [9] |
US R&B [9] |
IRE |
SWI |
NOR |
GER |
NLD |
SWE |
ATR |
BEL |
NZ | |||
| "Let the Night Take the Blame" | 1985 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Say I'm Your Number One" | 7 | 8 | 15 | 19 | 11 | 4 | — | 2 | 6 | — | 29 | 12 | 2 | ||
| "After the Love Has Gone" | 28 | 57 | 6 | 41 | 27 | 15 | 5 | 27 | 25 | 8 | — | 21 | 6 | ||
| "I'll Keep on Loving You" | 1986 | 16 | — | — | — | 27 | 19 | — | 25 | 41 | — | — | 28 | 11 | |
| "Tell Me Tomorrow" | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 65 | — | — | — | 29 | — | ||
| "In the Heat of a Passionate Moment" | 74 | — | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Red Hot" | 1987 | 58 | — | 30 | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 34 | — | |
| "I Cannot Carry On" | 92 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Jammin' with Your Love" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Lover Don't Go" | 1989 | 104 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Dressed to Kill" | 1989 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Ride" | 2004 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Sweet Money" | 2008 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "One Away" | 2010 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "I'm Gonna Love Ya" | 2013 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Will You Call Me" | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||||
References
[edit]- ^ a b Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 439/440. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Aniagolu, Charles (2004). Osibisa: Living in the State of Happy Vibes and Criss Cross Rhythms. Trafford Publishing. ISBN 9781412021067.
- ^ "Osibisa Albums". www.softshoe-slim.com. Archived from the original on 10 May 2003. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
- ^ Wynn, Ron. "Artist Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952–2004. Collins. p. 615. ISBN 9780007179312.
- ^ a b "PRINCESS - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
- ^ a b Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW, Australia: Australian Chart Book. p. 241. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Princess - Princess (album)". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
- ^ a b "Princess Top Songs / Chart Singles Discography". Music VF. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
External links
[edit]- Princess discography at MusicBrainz (Discography)
- Princess at AllMusic
- Discography at Discogs.
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