Rozalla Miller (born 18 March 1964), better known as simply Rozalla, is a

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...

performer who was born in what was then Northern Rhodesia (now

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...

). At the age of 18, she moved with her parents to her father's country of origin, Zimbabwe. She is best known for her three 1991/92

hit singles A hit song, also known as a hit record, hit single or simply a hit, is a recorded song or instrumental that becomes broadly popular or well-known. Although ''hit song'' means any widely played or big-selling song, the specific term ''hit record' ...

Faith (In the Power of Love) "Faith (In the Power of Love)" is a song by Zambian-born singer Rozalla. It was released in April 1991 as the third single from her second album, '' Everybody's Free'' (1992). The single first charted in the UK in April 1991, reaching No. 65. The ...

", " Are You Ready To Fly", and particularly " Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)", which has been remixed and re-issued several times. In December 2016, ''

Billboard magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the musi ...

'' ranked her as the 98th most successful dance artist of all-time.

Musical career

Rozalla began performing at a young age in her native Zambia singing in clubs and at events; then at age 13, she was singing on a children's TV show. Still in her teens, she relocated to

where she fronted various R&B cover bands before beginning her own recording career with a resultant five number-one hits on that nation's chart. In 1988, Rozalla relocated to London with her manager Chris Sergeant and worked with the Band of Gypsies, a production duo consisting of Nigel Swanston and Tim Cox. Rozalla's first UK single "Born to Luv Ya" became a club hit in 1990. The singer's career really took off when the dance anthem " Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)", reached number 6 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 1991. It became a Top 10 hit in many European countries soon afterwards and reached the ''Billboard'' Top 40 the following year. It remains her biggest hit to date. It was later included on her debut album '' Everybody's Free'', which peaked at number 20 in the UK Albums Chart and went

silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical ...

. The album spawned two more sizeable hits in "

" and " Are You Ready to Fly", reaching number 11 and 14 respectively in the UK Singles Chart, plus a lesser charting single in the ballad "Love Breakdown". In 1992, Rozalla toured with

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, opening all of his shows on the European leg of his Dangerous tour, including the UK. She enjoyed four UK Top 40 hits in 1994/95, including her rendition of " I Love Music", the theme song to the film ''

Carlito's Way ''Carlito's Way'' is a 1993 American crime drama film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels '' Carlito's Way'' (1975) and '' After Hours'' (1979) by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pa ...

''. The attendant album ''Look No Further'' featured more R&B and soul elements than her previous album. A 1996 remix of "Everybody's Free" reached number 30 in the UK Singles Chart. Her 1998 album ''Coming Home'' saw her reunite with the Band of Gypsies and spawned a stateside club hit with its lead single "Don't Go Lose It Baby", produced by METRO. In 2003, Rozalla entered the lower regions of the UK Singles Chart alongside Plastic Boy on the song "Live Another Life". She issued the jazz/soul album ''Brand New Version'' in 2009, adding her surname Miller to her recording guise. She promoted the album by performing as

Billy Ocean Leslie Sebastian Charles, (born 21 January 1950), better known by his stage name Billy Ocean, is a British recording artist who had a string of R&B international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the most popular British R&B singer-son ...

's support act on his UK tour of 2009. A Global Deejays remix of "Everybody's Free" reached number 7 in Australia in 2009 after it had been used as the theme song to ''So You Think You Can Dance''. In 2015, Rozalla returned to the Top 10 of the ''Billboard'' Club Dance Charts for the first time since 1994 with her track "If You Say It Again". This was quickly followed by the single "Shadows of the Moon".

Discography

Studio albums

* 1989: ''Spirit of Africa'' * 1992: '' Everybody's Free'' (UK No. 20, AUS No. 75, GER No. 53, NED No. 62, SUI No. 31, SWE No. 36) * 1995: ''Look No Further'' (UK No. 138) * 1998: ''Coming Home'' * 2009: ''Brand New Version''

Compilation albums

* 1993: ''Everybody's Free- Style 1993 - Remixed To Perfection'' * 1998: ''Feelin' Good' * 2003: ''Best Of'' * 2004: ''Everybody's Free'' (Special Edition with DVD)

Singles

References