Natalia Noemi "Teddy" Sinclair ( née Cappuccini; born 15 August 1986), is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She has recorded music under various aliases, most famously as Natalia Kills and Verbalicious. She is currently the lead vocalist of the band

Cruel Youth Cruel Youth is a band fronted by Teddy Sinclair, who previously recorded two solo albums under the name Natalia Kills. In 2016, Sinclair started the band with her husband, Willy Moon. The band's first extended play (EP), '' +30mg'', was released o ...

, which also releases music under the name The Powder Room. As Natalia Kills, Sinclair released the studio albums '' Perfectionist'' (2011) and '' Trouble'' (2013). In 2014 she married fellow singer Willy Moon. Since July 2015 Sinclair has gone by and performed under her legal name Teddy Sinclair. In 2016 she started her own band,

, with whom she has released the EP, '' +30mg'' (2016). Her biggest commercial singles were the BVMI gold-certified singles "Mirrors" (2010), "Free" with Will.i.am, and the UK-top 40 hit, " Champagne Showers" with American pop duo

LMFAO LMFAO (an initialism for Laughing My Freaking Ass Off or Laughing My Fucking Ass Off) are an American electronic dance music duo consisting of Redfoo and Sky Blu. Redfoo is the youngest son of Motown Records founder Berry Gordy and Nancy Le ...

. She has additionally written songs for

Angel Haze Raykeea Raeen-Roes Wilson (born July 10, 1991) known professionally as ROES (fka Angel Haze), is an American rapper and singer. In 2012, Wilson released the mixtape ''Reservation'' and later signed a record deal with Universal Republic Records b ...

, Madonna, and Rihanna. She received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

nomination in 2017 for co-writing Rihanna's single " Kiss It Better". In March 2015 Sinclair and her husband, Willy Moon, were fired as judges from New Zealand ''X Factor'' for their harsh comments towards one of the contestants.

Life and career

1986–2010: Early life and career beginnings

Sinclair was born Natalia Noemi Cappuccini in Bradford,

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, to a British father of

Afro-Jamaican Afro-Jamaicans are Jamaicans of predominant Sub-Saharan African descent. They represent the largest ethnic group in the country. Most Jamaicans of mixed-race descent self-report as just Jamaican. The ethnogenesis of the Black Jamaican people ste ...

heritage and a Uruguayan mother, and attended Bradford Girls' Grammar School. Her family left Bradford when she was a child and she spent her early years traveling between England, Jamaica and Spain. She ran away from home when she was 14 and shifted her focus away from acting. She has described her teenage years as "degenerate," stating that she tried to set her ex-boyfriend's house on fire while both were in it. She had frequent legal trouble and periodically experienced suicidal depression. She was also briefly involved with a religious cult. She began pursuing a music career and had a significant breakthrough as "Candy Rapper" in 2003, when she won a

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

MC Battle in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

. 'Next Big Me,' released under the name Verbalicous, was in the movie Sleepover in 2004. She signed to the UK record company Adventures in Music and released her first single " Don't Play Nice" under the name Verbalicious in February 2005. Sinclair told '' W'' that her childhood nickname from her mother was "Verbal" because she talked and sang a lot. She adopted the name and variations of it as her stage name at some points during her career. In 2007, while writing music for films, she posted ''Womannequin,'' a demo she produced and wrote under the name Natalia Cappuccini, to MySpace. The EP received 2 million plays on the website, and she reached the top of the unsigned artists chart. During this time, using the name Verse, she also co-wrote and appeared on " They Talk Shit About Me" by French recording artist

M. Pokora Matthieu Tota (; born 26 September 1985), artistically known as Matt Pokora and later M. Pokora (), is a French pop and R&B singer. In 2016, he became a coach for ''The Voice Kids France'' and '' The Voice: la plus belle voix''. Early life ...

and met Guillaume Doubet, who would go on to direct many of her videos, in Paris. Sinclair moved to Los Angeles in 2008. Arriving without money or a place to live, Sinclair "lived out of these motels, bumming around, trying to work with or make songs with anyone who would have me for a couple of hours in the studio". At the time she says she did awful things adding "I was just trying to survive and I was too young to know better." While in L.A., a DJ introduced her to will.i.am after hearing her demo and learning that she did not have a record deal. In January 2009 will.i.am signed her to his record label, will.i.am Music Group. "We had a really good creative chemistry," she said in a 2011 '' Billboard'' interview.

2010–2014: ''Perfectionist'', ''Trouble,'' and marriage

Sinclair adopted the stage name Natalia Kills from the interjection "you killed it!", after her record company advised her that her legal name, "Natalia Cappuccini", was "indescribable." Kills released her debut album '' Perfectionist'' in Germany in April 2011 following the release of her first single, "

Mirrors A mirror or looking glass is an object that reflects an image. Light that bounces off a mirror will show an image of whatever is in front of it, when focused through the lens of the eye or a camera. Mirrors reverse the direction of the ima ...

", which hit the German Top 10. The album was described as a concept album by Sinclair, claiming that everybody is a perfectionist. The album was accompanied by four singles, "Mirrors", " Wonderland", " Free" and " Kill My Boyfriend". Through 2010 and 2011 Sinclair opened for

Kelis Kelis Rogers-Mora (; born August 21, 1979), known mononymously as Kelis, is an American singer, songwriter and a professionally trained chef. At age 14, she was admitted to New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Perform ...

Robyn Robin Miriam Carlsson (born 12 June 1979), known as Robyn (), is a Swedish pop singer, songwriter, record producer, and DJ. She arrived on the music scene with her 1995 debut album, ''Robyn Is Here'', which produced two ''Billboard'' Hot 100 t ...

, Kesha, Katy Perry and the Black Eyed Peas over various tours. Sinclair was featured in

's single, " Champagne Showers," and in

Junior Caldera Jérôme Dumas (), better known as Junior Caldera, is a French disc jockey from Paris. A multi-instrumentalist, Caldera was influenced by many musical styles and made rock music before becoming involved in house music in 2002 whilst working as a s ...

's single " Lights Out (Go Crazy)". On 14 September 2012 Sinclair unveiled the video for "Controversy" to start promotion of her second studio album, '' Trouble''. The album was centered on her troubled childhood. Sinclair attended an after-party for the

2013 MTV Video Music Awards The 2013 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 25, 2013, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Marking the 30th installment of the award show, they were the first to be held in New York City not to use a venue within the borough of M ...

, held on 25 August 2013 in

Brooklyn, New York City Brooklyn () is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county i ...

, where she performed various songs from ''Trouble''. Two days later, " Outta Time" was released as the album's second promotional recording free of charge in a

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

newsletter, coinciding with the US release of ''Trouble''. ''Trouble'' was officially released on 3 September 2013 as a digital download in the United States and Canada. Sinclair married singer Willy Moon on 23 May 2014 in New York City.

2015: ''The X Factor New Zealand ''

It was announced in late 2014 that Sinclair and Moon would be featured as judges and mentors the following year on season 2 of the New Zealand version of ''The X Factor'', serving as the mentors of the Boys and Groups categories respectively. During the first live show, in a highly publicized scandal which Sinclair described as a "publicity stunt hecouldn't defend erselfagainst due to a wide-reaching legal gagging order", the two made scathing remarks towards contestant Joe Irvine. Sinclair described Irvine as a doppelganger over his alleged copying of Moon's hairstyle and dress sense, deeming him "cheesy" and "disgusting". The comments led to widespread condemnation on social media, including a petition to have Sinclair and Moon fired from the show, which reportedly received over 70,000 signatures within 24 hours. The show's sponsors, franchise owner and judges

Melanie Blatt Melanie Ruth Blatt (born 25 March 1975) is an English singer. She rose to fame in 1997 as a member of the girl group All Saints. The group have gained five number one singles, two multi-platinum albums, two BRIT Awards and have sold over 10 mil ...

and

Stan Walker Stan Walker (born 23 October 1990) is an Australian-born New Zealand singer, actor, and television personality. In 2009, Walker was the winner of the seventh and last season of ''Australian Idol''. He subsequently signed a recording contract ...

also voiced disapproval of the incident, and Moon and Sinclair were both fired from the show the next day. Sinclair was replaced by

Natalie Bassingthwaighte Natalie Bassingthwaighte (; born 1 September 1975) is an Australian recording artist, actress, and television personality. Born and raised in Wollongong, New South Wales, she began her career in musical theatre. She later pursued an acting car ...

, a former judge on the Australian version of the show, while Moon was replaced by

Shelton Woolright Shelton Woolright is a drummer, musician and photographer. Born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, Auckland, he became the drummer of alternative rock band Blindspott in 1997, before leaving the group in 2008. Later that year, Woolright formed th ...

. After she was fired from ''The X Factor'', it was revealed in the media that Sinclair had left her record label,

Cherrytree Records Martin Kierszenbaum, also known by his pseudonym Cherry Cherry Boom Boom, is an American music personality. As a songwriter and producer he worked with Lady Gaga, Sting, Madonna, Mylène Farmer, Keane, Tokio Hotel, Far East Movement, Robyn, Fei ...

, shortly before appearing on the show. Sinclair confirmed to '' Billboard'' that while she was no longer signed to Cherrytree, she was still with Interscope Records at the time, though she later left them too.

2016–present: Cruel Youth and other ventures

In early 2016 Sinclair started a band,

, with her husband Moon. The band's first song, "Mr. Watson", was released on Soundcloud in February, followed by "Diamond Days" in April, which was also released on iTunes. Their third single, "Hatefuck", was released in early September, along with the release of their debut EP, '' +30mg'', on 16 September 2016. In 2015 Sinclair also co-wrote Rihanna's song " Kiss It Better", which went on to a Grammy nomination the following year. In 2018 Cruel Youth released the singles "Devil in Paradise" and "Portrait of a Female". In 2020 Teddy Sinclair collaborated with Cyndi Lauper for the Apple+ TV show Central Park on a song called "Rats". They also released the single "Mr. Badman" in 2022, as part of the soundtrack for ''The Invitation''.

Style and influences

Sinclair has mentioned

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single " Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female ...

and Alanis Morissette as her most important musical influences, describing them as emotional artists "who write honestly about their opinions and experiences." The singer also stated she considered Gwen Stefani, who is a musical and stylistic inspiration, as her "hero", adding that

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. T ...

Vanity 6 Vanity 6 was a short lived American female vocal trio that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They were protégés of musician Prince. Led by singer Vanity, they are known for their song " Nasty Girl." History Formation In 1981, Prince, hi ...

, and Freddie Mercury have already inspired her during live performances. Sinclair explores music that is both confessional and bold when looking for inspiration, she reveals: "I don't listen to music to let go, I listen to dive in", listing

Hole A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in many fields of en ...

, Marilyn Manson, and Eminem among her favorite artists and bands with whom she grew up. According to Jon O'Brien of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

, Sinclair gradually composed a musical tone incorporating "the theatrical dance-pop of

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

, 1940s film noir, and the electro-gloom of Depeche Mode." She also reported that she has always been a pop music fan, especially in evoking contemporary "new age" artists as

Adele Adele Laurie Blue Adkins (, ; born 5 May 1988), professionally known by the mononym Adele, is an English singer and songwriter. After graduating in arts from the BRIT School in 2006, Adele signed a rec ...

Lana Del Rey Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent r ...

Marina and the Diamonds Marina Lambrini Diamandis (; el, Μαρίνα-Λαμπρινή Διαμάντη; born 10 October 1985), known mononymously as Marina (often stylised in all caps), and previously by the stage name Marina and the Diamonds, is a Welsh singer and ...

, Ivy Levan and Lorde. Sinclair claims to be influenced by her own experiences. She is also inspired by cinema when writing songs. In this regard, she said in an interview for ''MKR Magazine'':

I'm a huge fan of Stanley Kubrick, Tarantino,
Gaspar Noé Gaspar Noé (, ; born 27 December 1963) is an Argentine filmmaker based in Paris, France. He is the son of Argentine painter, writer, and intellectual Luis Felipe Noé. In the early 1990s, Noé along with his wife Lucile Hadžihalilović were ...
. I love anything that's beautiful and disturbing and horrifying and gorgeous at the same time. I do get inspired, definitely. I don't listen to a lot of music except my own, but I definitely like music a lot.

Discography

* '' Perfectionist'' (2011) * '' Trouble'' (2013)

Tours

Promotional concerts * Perfectionist Promo Tour (2011) * Effect Music Tour (2013) * Trouble Promo Tour (2013) Co-headlining tours * The Cherrytree Pop Alternative Tour (2011–12) Opening act *

–

All Hearts Tour The All Hearts Tour was a joint concert tour by American R&B singer Kelis and Swedish pop singer Robyn in support of their albums ''Flesh Tone'' and ''Body Talk Pt. 1'', respectively. The announcement for the tour was unique in that the duo annou ...

(2010) * Robyn –

Body Talk Tour The Body Talk Tour is a concert tour by Swedish singer-songwriter Robyn. The tour was announced in conjunction with the release of her sixth studio album, ''Body Talk Pt. 2''. Previously, Robyn toured the United States in the summer of 2010 with ...

(2010–11) *

The Black Eyed Peas Black Eyed Peas (also known as The Black Eyed Peas) is an American musical group consisting of rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, Taboo. The group's line-up during the height of their popularity in the 2000s featured Fergie, who replaced Kim Hi ...

– The Beginning Massive Stadium Tour (2011) * Kesha – Get Sleazy Tour (2011) *

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical ...

– The Doo-Wops & Hooligans Tour (2011) *

The Sounds The Sounds are a Swedish indie rock band. Formed in Helsingborg in 1998, the group's musical style has been compared to new wave acts such as Blondie, The Cars, the Epoxies and Missing Persons. Their debut album, '' Living in America'', was r ...

– Something to Die For Tour (2011) * Katy Perry –

California Dreams Tour The California Dreams Tour was the second concert tour by American singer Katy Perry, in support of her third studio album '' Teenage Dream''. The tour played 124 shows beginning February 20, 2011 in Lisbon, Portugal and concluding on January 22 ...

(2011) *

– Sorry for Party Rocking Tour (2012) *

Kiiara Kiara Saulters (born May 24, 1995), known professionally as Kiiara, is an American singer and songwriter from Wilmington, Illinois. She is currently signed to Atlantic Records. Her 2015 single "Gold" peaked at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' H ...

– Low Kii Savage Tour (2016) ; Notes :This 58 dates promotional tour started on 24 June 2011 in Paris, France and ended on 22 November 2011 in Vancouver, Canada. :This promotional tour took place in Russia. :This promotional tour took place in the United States. :This tour was performed with other artists from the same record label.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

{, class=wikitable , - ! Year ! Awards ! Work ! Category ! Result , - , 2005 ,

Popjustice £20 Music Prize The Popjustice £20 Music Prize, also known as the Popjustice Twenty Quid Prize, is an annual prize awarded by music website Popjustice to recognise the best British pop single of the previous year. The prize was conceived by Popjustice founder ...

, " Don't Play Nice" , Best British Pop Single , , - , 2011 , Eska Music Awards , Herself , International New Face , , - , 2013 , rowspan=2, MP3 Music Awards , " Saturday Night" , The BFV Award , , - , 2014 , " Trouble" , The MIC Award , , - , 2017 , Grammy Awards , " Kiss It Better" ,

Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record four times, while Bab ...

(as songwriter) ,

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sinclair, Teddy Living people 1986 births 21st-century English actresses 21st-century Black British women singers Actresses from Bradford Black British actresses British actors of Latin American descent English people of Italian descent English people of Jamaican descent English people of Uruguayan descent English songwriters English television actresses English women pop singers Feminist musicians Interscope Records artists Musicians from Bradford People educated at Bradford Girls' Grammar School Polydor Records artists