Divine Brown
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Divine Brown (born September 9, 1974), previously known as Divine Earth Essence, is a Canadian
Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...
-winning R&B and
soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...
singer and theatre performer.


Early life

Brown was born in Toronto, Ontario to Jamaican parents. She first began her singing career singing in local nightclubs. A single mother, she has one daughter.


Career

Brown is known for her 2005 Canadian radio hit " Old Skool Love". The single and video whet the appetites of U.S. Soul music fans, and a Reggae remix version secured the attention of Riddim junkies in Jamaica fueling Divine to reach for something more. The single earned Brown a SOCAN No. 1 Song Award. Even without an album prior to 2005, she was invited to perform at various musical festivals around the world. Her debut album '' Divine Brown'' was an underground hit and was fairly successful in the mainstream market. The album was released on the independent Blacksmith label, created by Toronto-based manager Chris Smith. Said Brown to Billboard Magazine, "I spent six years trying to get a label deal... utA&R people felt my sound was too mature." She has a five-octave vocal range. Her second album, '' The Love Chronicles'', was released on August 19, 2008 and won a
Juno award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...
for best R&B/Soul album of the year in 2009. To date, three singles have been released from the album: "Lay It On the Line", "Meet Me At the Roxy", and "Sunglasses". Brown grew up in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
, Ontario. She toured with the
Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson (musician), Kevin Richardson. The band formed in 1993 in Orlando, Flori ...
for their Unbreakable Tour in North America in 2008. In 2009 Divine Brown took part in an interactive documentary series called ''
City Sonic ''City Sonic'' is a documentary series about Toronto-based musicians and the places that influenced their music.http://radio3.cbc.ca/blogs/2009/8/Watch-This-City-Sonic-Film-Series The first five ''City Sonic'' films were previewed at Toronto's 2 ...
''. The series, which featured 20 Toronto artists, had Divine perform at Toronto's Rex Hotel. Earlier in 2009 Brown was a headliner at the Keeping the Dream Alive Dr. Martin Luther King Jr tribute concert. In January 2011, Brown recorded a tribute to Dennis Brown, "Sitting & Watching". Brown's third album ''Something Fresh'' is set to be released in Fall 2013 under Universal Canada. After a three-year hiatus, Divine Brown marks her return to the spotlight with a collection of brand new music for her fans. Executive Produced by Divine and her manager Stephane Lecuyer, "Something Fresh" continues her commitment to the hearty soul music of yore with a bright, contemporary spin courtesy of noted songwriter/producers The Rezza Brothers of Toronto (Obie Trice, DMC, The Commodores). Divine offers that the new album possesses an "old school vibe with a new school twist" and as such, "Something Fresh" draws upon the blueprint of her first two hit albums displaying her retro sensibilities while fully representing today through its lyrical content, musical arrangements and hip-hop inspired production values to be a decidedly fresh contemporary Soul/R&B offering. The first single "Gone" is set to release in early summer. "Gone" was produced and co-written by the Rezza Brothers. In 2016, Brown performed with Gowan as a backup vocalist on a small string of shows in the Toronto area. In October 2016 Divine Brown announced on social media a brand new single is set to drop titled "Love Alibi" a collaboration with Universal Music Publishing & Songwriting duo 80 Empire. Release date November 1, 2016. In 2023, she portrayed
Hélène Kuragina Princess Yelena "Hélène" Vasilyevna Kuragina () is a fictional character in Leo Tolstoy's 1869 novel ''War and Peace'' and its various cinematic adaptations. She is played by Anita Ekberg in the 1956 film, by Amber Gray in the New York stage ...
in the Canadian premiere of the musical '' Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812''.Announcing the Cast of Natasha, Piette & The Great Comet of 1812
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Influences

Brown was influenced heavily by R&B/Soul singers such as
Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...
,
Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...
and
Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...
.


Discography

* 2005: '' Divine Brown'' * 2008: '' The Love Chronicles'' * 2013: ''Something Fresh''


Singles


Awards


References


External links


Divine Brown's website
* * *
Profile and videos
on the website of
MuchMusic Much is a Canadian English language discretionary specialty channel owned by BCE Inc. through its Bell Media subsidiary that airs programming aimed at teenagers and young adults. It is headquartered at 299 Queen Street West in what was o ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Divine 1974 births Actresses from Toronto Black Canadian actresses 21st-century Black Canadian women singers 21st-century Canadian women singers Canadian people of Jamaican descent Canadian contemporary R&B singers Canadian soul singers Canadian stage actresses Juno Award for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year winners Living people Singers from Toronto Neo soul singers