Elisa Fiorillo
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Elisa Fiorillo (born February 28, 1969,
Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
) is an American
singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...
, best known for appearing on the 1987 Jellybean song "Who Found Who", which reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.


Personal life

Fiorillo was born into a musical family, one of four children; her father Alexander Fiorillo, a classical
pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...
, studied with
Vladimir Horowitz Vladimir Samoylovich Horowitz (November 5, 1989) was a Russian and American pianist. Considered one of the greatest pianists of all time, he was known for his virtuoso technique, timbre, and the public excitement engendered by his playing. Life ...
. She is of
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
,
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
, Irish, and
Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...
descent. She was married to Michael Dease and has one daughter named Olivia. Her husband died in late May 2019. She remarried in 2021 to Carlos Elorza.


Career

At the age of 15, Fiorillo won the 1985 ''
Star Search ''Star Search'' (later known as ''Ed McMahon's Star Search'') is an American television show that was produced by T.P.E./ Rysher Entertainment from 1983 to 1995, hosted by Ed McMahon, and created by Al Masini. A relaunch was produced by 29 ...
'' talent show. In 1987, she was signed to
Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British independent record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ell ...
. She first performed the song " Jackie" on the ''
Summer School Summer school (or summer university) is a school, or a program generally sponsored by a school or a school district, or provided by a private company, that provides lessons and activities during the summer vacation. Participation in summer school ...
'' soundtrack and caught the eye of John "Jellybean" Benitez who asked her to be the lead vocalist on two songs on his 1987 album '' Just Visiting This Planet''. One of the songs, "Who Found Who", was a hit worldwide reaching the top 20 in many countries in addition to being a great club success. At the same time, Fiorillo released her self-titled debut album that she promoted with the help of the pop single "How Can I Forget You"; this did not achieve the same success. She released her second album ''
I Am I Am or I'm may refer to: Language and literature * "I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name ** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible * "I Am" ( ...
'' in 1990 recorded at
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. The ...
's
Paisley Park Paisley Park is a 65,000 square foot estate in Chanhassen, Minnesota, United States, once owned by American musician Prince. It was opened to the public as a museum in October 2016. History Construction of the $10 million complex began in Jan ...
recording studio after she had contributed, as a backing vocalist, to the soundtracks of '' Graffiti Bridge'' and ''Batman''. Several songs from the album were produced and written by Prince. The album included the single "On the Way Up", which was a
top 30 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top ...
hit in the U.S. and top 20 in Australia. She also appeared on
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. The ...
's album ''
Diamonds and Pearls ''Diamonds and Pearls'' is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Prince, and the first with his backing band The New Power Generation. It was released on October 1, 1991, by Paisley Park Records and Warner Bros. Records. T ...
'' being the
backing vocalist A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are u ...
on two songs. Throughout the 1990s, she mainly worked as a backing singer. She sang back-up for
Savage Garden Savage Garden was an Australian pop duo consisting of Darren Hayes on vocals and Daniel Jones on guitar, keyboards, and vocals; they formed in Brisbane, Queensland, in 1993. They were signed to John Woodruff's talent agency and achieved int ...
on the Superstars and Cannonballs tour and for
Billie Myers Billie Myers (born 14 June 1971) is a British rock singer and songwriter from Coventry, England. She is known principally for her 1997 transatlantic hit " Kiss the Rain". Biography Myers received a Brit Award nomination in 1999 for Best Bri ...
among others. As a lead singer, she has appeared on '' Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater'', singing "Don't Be Afraid". She also did a duet with Savage Garden frontman
Darren Hayes Darren Stanley Hayes (born 8 May 1972) is an Australian singer, songwriter, music producer and composer. He was the singer of the pop duo Savage Garden from their 1993 establishment until their disbandment in 2001. Their 1997 album '' Savage Ga ...
titled "Right Dead Back On It". Prince performed for three consecutive nights, March 25–27, 2009 on
the Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the fourth and sixth installment of ''The Tonight Show''. Hosted by Jay Leno, it aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009, replacing ''The Ton ...
, and Fiorillo performed as one of Prince's backing vocalists on two of those shows. She became a member of Prince's band,
The New Power Generation The New Power Generation, also known as the NPG, was the backing band of musician Prince from 1990 to 2013. They were replaced by 3rdeyegirl as his backing band in 2013. In 2015, the New Power Generation reunited as Prince's backing band for ...
(NPG) in 2009, and in 2010 embarked on a world tour with Prince, playing in sold out shows across Europe. She continued to work with Prince until his death in 2016. However, she has continued to release her own music, including her 2007
album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
entitled ''Labour of Love''. She turned to her musical direction towards
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
in the 2000s. Using her married name Dease, Fiorillo partnered with Nashville-based guitarist Tyler Reese in 2013 to form an independent musical duo called The Dease & Reese Project. Their debut album, ''Life in 20'', was produced by Jeff Silverman, who had previously produced and performed with
Rick Springfield Richard Lewis Springthorpe (born 23 August 1949), known professionally as Rick Springfield, is an Australian-American musician and actor. He was a member of the pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971, then started his solo career with his debut ...
. The album was released in June, 2014, on the REMU Records label. It is composed of 12 original songs inspired by Fiorillo’s life experiences, addressing subjects including faith, self-awareness, food addiction, domestic violence and motherhood. ''All Over the World'' is the first single from the album to be released to radio. As well as singing, Fiorillo also
directed Direct may refer to: Mathematics * Directed set, in order theory * Direct limit of (pre), sheaves * Direct sum of modules, a construction in abstract algebra which combines several vector spaces Computing * Direct access (disambiguation), a ...
a few TV series, such as the 2001 ''Mahô shôjo neko Taruto'' as well as the 2002 TV series ''Mao Dante''. She voiced the ( English) parts of Ayamo Nakamura in the 2003 TV series '' Stratos 4''. Elisa joined the board and faculty of PurplePlayground.org in 2020 - She teaches teen students how to write and record their own original songs at Academy of Prince.


Discography


Albums

* 1987: ''Elisa Fiorillo'' * 1990: ''
I Am I Am or I'm may refer to: Language and literature * "I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name ** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible * "I Am" ( ...
'' * 1996: ''Nursery Rhymes'' * 2001: ''Undecided'' * 2002: ''Teach Me Tonight'' * 2006: ''Labor of Love'' * 2007: ''Light That Shines'' * 2010: ''Songs from the Fiorillo & Esposito Catalog'' * 2014: ''Life in 20'' (as the Dease & Reese Project)


Singles


References


External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fiorillo, Elisa 1969 births American women singers Living people Singers from Philadelphia 21st-century American women Prince associates