Carol Jiani (born Uchenna Carol Ikejiani) is a Nigerian-born singer based in the United Kingdom, best known for her 1981 hit "Hit 'N Run Lover".

Career

Uchenna Carol Ikejiani was born in Nigeria to an

Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a t ...

family. She moved to Canada as a college student in the mid-1970s. In autumn 1978, she auditioned to appear on Joe La Greca's album ''Montreal''. In early 1978, Jiani recorded two tracks for the project, "If You Believe in Me" and "Higher and Higher". These were released on an EP, with her credited under her birth name. Glenn LaRusso of

Salsoul Records Salsoul Records is an American New York City based record label, founded by three brothers, Joseph Cayre, Kenneth Cayre, and Stanley Cayre (the Cayre brothers). Salsoul issued about 300 singles, including many disco/post-disco 12-inch releases ...

convinced her to shorten her name from Uchenna Carol Ikejiani to Carol Jiani to make it easier for North Americans to pronounce. In 1980, Carol Jiani recorded two Sandy Wilbur-written pieces with La Greca, "Hit 'N Run Lover" and "All The People of the World". "Hit 'N Run Lover" was remixed by San Francisco-based Moby Dick Records for their Gold Standard imprint and would become Jiani's

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

, peaking at number 4 on the US ''Billboard'' Club Play Singles chart in 1981. On the heels of "Hit N Run Lover"'s success, Matra Records commissioned a complete album, also titled ''Hit 'N Run Lover''. "The Woman in Me" was the album's second single but its

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

, the uptempo "Mercy", 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 ...

which exceeded the A-side in popularity among DJs becoming another hit for Jiani. "Mercy", the only track on the album not composed by Sandy Wilbur, was recorded earlier by

Judy Cheeks Judy Cheeks (born February 13, 1954) is an American singer. In the 1970s and 1980s, she recorded as a soul and R&B singer, before releasing more dance-oriented music in the 1990s. Cheeks performed with Ike & Tina Turner as an Ikette. She also w ...

. A follow-up album, ''Ask Me'' was released the next year generating the singles "Ask Me", "X-Rated" and "You're Gonna Lose My Love". In 1982, Jiani recorded vocals for "Get Up and Do It Again". The song was a hit, as was the second version recorded by Mizz lead singer, Michelle Mills. At the end of 1983, she released her last Joe LaGreca production, "Touch And Go Lover" for the Canadian label Telescope. The song was also remixed by Step Pettibone and for the US by John Robie. A total of 7 songs was recorded but the album was not released. Two more singles were released, "Dancing In The Rain" and a cover of "Don't Leave Me This Way". Eventually all songs were released in 1984 on a 12" in the UK by the label Streetwave. In 1984, Jiani moved to England and soon signed with Record Shack to record "Vanity" with producer

Ian Levine Ian Geoffrey Levine (born 22 June 1953) is a British songwriter, producer, DJ, and prominent Doctor Who fan. A populariser of Northern soul music in the UK, and a developer of the style of hi-NRG, he has co-written and co-produced records with sa ...

Barbara Pennington Barbara Pennington (1954 – 2023) was an American Hi-NRG and soul music artist who was active during the 1970s and the 1980s. History and career Pennington was born in Greenville, Mississippi in 1954, and her family moved to Chicago when she w ...

had previously recorded the track but declined to release it to focus exclusively on

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

. Jiani's "Vanity", released in 1985, was a hit reaching number 1 on the UK

Hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by its fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the four-on-the-flo ...

Club chart. Levine secured her a deal with

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

, and she released "Such A Joy Honey". According to Levine, "Turning My Back And Walking Away" was to have been her second single for MCA until she was dropped from the label. MCA gave the recording to Levine and the single was quickly released by his

Nightmare Records Lance King (born November 23, 1962) is an American heavy metal vocalist and songwriter known for his work in progressive and power metal. He has performed with bands including Balance of Power, Pyramaze, and Gemini, and founded Nightmare Reco ...

label in 1987. Levine and Jiani went on to produce a full album for Hot Records, ''The Best of Carol Jiani'', featuring a re-recording of "Hit 'N Run Lover", as well as brand new material. Jiani returned to Canada to again work with Joe La Greca on her 1996 album, ''Superstar''. It produced two singles, "

Come and Get Your Love "Come and Get Your Love" is a song by the Mexican-Native American rock band Redbone. The song was originally released as a promo track under the name "Hail" and was later featured on their fifth album, ''Wovoka'' (1973), under its current na ...

" and "Superstar". After ''Superstar'', Jiani maintained a low-profile and released few recordings until the late 2000s, when she made another comeback by working with contemporary dance music producers like Laurent Pautrat and Mondo. Jiani also reunited with Ian Levine to provide vocals on the track "Work My Fingers to the Bone" for his album ''

Northern Soul 2007 Northern may refer to the following: Geography * North, a point in direction * Northern Europe, the northern part or region of Europe * Northern Highland, a region of Wisconsin, United States * Northern Province, Sri Lanka * Northern Range, a ra ...

''. Levine and Jiani also recorded a cover of

France Joli France Joli (; née Joly; born February 2, 1963) is a Canadian singer, best known for the disco classics " Come to Me" and "Gonna Get Over You". Teen stardom Born France Joly in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Joli grew up in Dorion. Her father wa ...

's " Come To Me". Early 2008 saw Carol Jiani recording new material with producers Chris Richards & Peter Wilson. One of the first songs to emerge, "I Don't Wanna Talk About Love", featured on the Klone Records compilation, ''Mad About The Boy 16''. In May 2010, "Broken", Jiani's collaboration with Jimmy D Robinson, peaked at No. 9 on ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

s UK Upfront Club chart. 12 June 2015, Carol Jiani on vocals in Jason Parker Meets Naxwell feat. Carol Jiani "Hold That Sucker Down" 2018: "Deeper Love" Phoenix Lord Feat Carol Jiani.2018 "No More" Carol Jiani Feat Edge.

Discography

Albums

EP's

*''Montreal, Featuring Uchenna Ikejiani'', Salsoul Records SA 8519 (1978)

Singles

* 1981: "Hit 'N Run Lover" * 1981: "The Woman in Me" / "Mercy" * 1982: "Ask Me" * 1982 "You're Gonna Lose My Love" * 1982: "X-Rated" * 1984: "Dancing in the Rain" * 1984: "Touch and Go Lover" * 1984: "Love Now Pay Later" * 1985: "

Don't Leave Me This Way "Don't Leave Me This Way" is a song written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff and Cary Gilbert. It was originally released in 1975 by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes featuring Teddy Pendergrass, an act signed to Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia Interna ...

" * 1985: "Vanity" * 1987: "Such A Joy Honey" * 1987: "Turning My Back and Walking Away" * 1988: "Hit 'N Run Lover '88" * 1988: "Funkin' For The UK" with 3 Man Island * 1989: "

Car Wash A car wash, or auto wash, is a facility used to clean the exterior, and in some cases the interior, of motor vehicle, cars. Car washes can be #Self-serve car wash, self-service, full-service (with attendants who wash the vehicle), or #Autom ...

" with 3 Man Island * 1990: "It Should Have Been Me" * 1990: "No Matter Where" * 1994: "I Didn't Know" * 1995: "

" * 1995: "Superstar" * 1996: "

Kiss You All Over "Kiss You All Over" is a 1978 song performed by American music group Exile, written by Mike Chapman and Nicky Chinn. It was included on the band's third album, ''Mixed Emotions'' (1978), and featured frontman Jimmy Stokley and guitarist J.P. Pe ...

" * 2000: "Hit 'N Run Lover 2000" * 2000: "The Queen" * 2005: " It's Raining Men" * 2006: "Hit'n Run Lover 2006" * 2007: "Somebody Else's Guy" * 2007: "Stop the Music" with Laurent Pautrat * 2007: "You've Changed" with Tommaso da Prato * 2007: "First Time I Saw You" with Jazz Voice * 2007: "Ask Me" with Maurizio Verbeni * 2007: "Keep On" with House Bros * 2008: "Never Knew Love" with Frank Savannah * 2008: " Fascinated" with Mondo * 2008: "Set Me Free" feat. DJ N Joy * 2008: "Hit 'N Run Lover" with Didier Vanelli * 2008: "No More Chances" with Mad'ness & Yuri Presents My Lover * 2008: "You Are the One" with Stan Courtois * 2008: "I Don't Wanna Talk About Love" * 2008: "Are You Man Enough?" (duet with

Evelyn Thomas Ellen Lucille "Evelyn" Thomas (August 22, 1953 – July 21, 2024) was an American singer from Chicago, Illinois, best known for the hi-NRG dance hits " High Energy", "Masquerade", "Standing at the Crossroads", "Reflections", and "Weak Spot". ...

) * 2009: " I Am What I Am" * 2009: "Fighting Fire With Fire" * 2009: "Radio Active Love" (with Paul James) * 2009: "Let Me Show You" (with Viken Mardikian) * 2010: "Broken" (written and produced by Jimmy D. Robinson) * 2011: "No More" * 2015: "Hold That Sucker Down" * 2018: "A Deeper Love" Phoenix Lord Feat Carol Jiani * 2018: "No More" Carol Jiani Feat Edge Produced and Mixed by Seanzbeatz * 2019: "Who's The Diva" Sanny X feat Carol Jiani with remixes from Paul Sawyer and The Cloudshapers * 2021: "Fascinated" Phoenix Lord Feat. Carol Jiani * 2023: "Fascinated" Stardate Feat. Carol Jiani * 2024: "Loving You" Stardate Feat. Carol Jiani * 2024: "Get on the Dancefloor" Rogajam Feat. Carol Jiani * 2024: "Get Ready Be Happy" IsaVis, Nassi, AnAmStyle, Aldo Bergamasco Feat. Carol Jiani * 2024: "My Story" DiCristino with a remix from Kry (IT) * 2024: "Free Yourself" Stardate & Nicolas Lacaille Feat. Carol Jiani * 2024: "Make Me Feel" Stardate Feat. Carol Jiani * 2024: "You And Me" AnAmStyle Feat. Carol Jiani

References

External links

– Carol Jiani's Official Myspace
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jiani, Carol British hi-NRG musicians Igbo musicians Living people 20th-century Nigerian women singers Women in electronic music Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Nigerian women singers British people of Nigerian descent