Katie Melua

Katie Melua is a British-Georgian singer, musician and composer associated with blues, folk pop, jazz, jazz pop and vocal jazz. She is known by the Georgian form of her name, Ketevan “Katie” Melua, and is born in 1984. Her career begins with a move from the Georgian S.S.R. to Northern Ireland at the age of eight, followed by a relocation to England at 14.

Early life and training

After her GCSEs, she joins the Brit School for Performing Arts in Surrey, where she studies for a BTEC and Music A-level. During this period she discovers a wide range of music, including Queen, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Irish folk music and Indian music. A performance of her song Faraway Voice, written as a tribute to Eva Cassidy, leads to the attention of composer and producer Mike Batt.

Recording career

Melua signs to Batt’s Dramatico label and makes her musical debut in 2003. Her first single, The Closest Thing to Crazy, enters the charts at number 10. Her debut album, Call off the Search, is released in November 2003, reaches number 1 in the UK and sells 1.8 million copies in its first five months. The album also sells strongly across Europe and is certified gold, platinum and multi-platinum in several territories, including 2x platinum in Germany, Ireland, Norway and South Africa. It receives the IFPI Double Platinum Award for 2 million European sales.

Her second album, Piece by Piece, follows in 2005. It includes more self-penned material, such as the title track, and a version of The Cure’s Just Like Heaven, recorded for a DreamWorks film starring Reese Witherspoon. Nine Million Bicycles is the lead single and gives her highest UK single chart position at number 5. The album reaches number 1 in the UK and also tops the charts in Norway, Denmark and Holland. It is certified platinum four times and sells more than 3 million copies. Her third studio album, Pictures, is released in 2007 and is presented as the last of her albums made in collaboration with Mike Batt. A fourth release, The Katie Melua Collection, appears as a summary of her career up to that point.

Recognition and performances

In 2004 and 2005, Melua is the highest-selling female artist in Britain, and in 2006 she is the United Kingdom’s biggest-selling female artist and Europe’s highest-selling European female artist. She sells more than 7.5 million albums overall and is listed in the Sunday Times Rich List 2008 with a fortune of £18 million, placing her seventh among British musicians under thirty.

Her awards include Best International Newcomer at Germany’s ECHO Awards, Best International Female (Rock & Pop) at the ECHO Awards, a Golden Camera Award for International Pop Artist, and a World Music Award for Britain’s Biggest Selling Female. She is also nominated for two Brit Awards in the Best Female and Pop categories and for Best International Female at the Edison Awards in Holland.

Melua performs at a range of high-profile events, including Band Aid 20, Nelson Mandela’s 46664 concert, the Norwegian Royal Gala Concert, the Royal Wedding of Prince Pieter-Christiaan in Holland, the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony in Norway, and a live Good Morning America broadcast from Buckingham Palace. She also becomes involved with Save the Children, serves as an ambassador for the organisation, launches its Rewrite The Future campaign, and travels to Sri Lanka to see its work with child soldiers. In 2005, she and her family become British citizens in Surrey.

Later landmarks

In 2006, a Dutch tulip is named in her honour. She also appears in the headlines for a Guinness World Record for the deepest concert, performed 303 metres beneath the North Sea on a gas rig, and for other activities including touring across America, racing at Silverstone and flying a plane. Her 2007 recognition continues with the Echo Award for International Female Artist, and Pictures marks another chapter in her recording career.