Louise Setara (born Louise Smith, 21 August 1988 in

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers Thames and Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway serve the town. Reading is east o ...

, England) is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

singer and songwriter. Her first album, '' Still Waters'', was released by Manhattan Records/EMI in February 2007. Setara decided to become a singer at the age of seven, after performing at a wedding party with a member of

The Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, formed in 1 ...

. When she was fifteen years old, she signed a management contract with Kwame Kwaten, who had worked with

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

and

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

. She chose the name "Setara", from ''sithara'', meaning "little star" in Punjabi."Biography"
Blue Note Europe, accessed February 23, 2008.

Early life

Setara was born in

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

, England, where she was homeschooled by her mother, Lorraine. She decided at the age of seven that she wanted to become a professional singer, when a member of

performed at a wedding she was attending and invited her on stage to sing " My Girl" with him.

Career

Setara was signed up at the age of 15 by producer Kwame Kwaten, who spotted her at a talent contest. Her singing style is described as a mixture of

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

and

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

. She wrote her first song, "Wrong Again", with composers Peter Gordeno and Chris Porter. Another of the tracks on '' Still Waters'' is performed with the South African group,

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of '' isicathamiya'' and '' mbube''. They became known internationally after singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album ''Graceland'', and have won ...

, and " Can't Stop the River" was written by

. The album was chosen as 'Album of the Week' by

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content ...

in January 2007."Louise Setara, Album of the Week on BBC Radio 2"
, Josaka, accessed February 24, 2008. Her debut single, " Can't Stop the River" was released in the UK on 27 November 2006 without a music video. Unknown to her, it was also given to

Duncan James Duncan James (born Duncan Inglis, 7 April 1978) is an English singer and actor. He became widely known in 2001 as a member of the boy band Blue and later for playing Ryan Knight in the British soap opera ''Hollyoaks''. Early life James grew u ...

and

Guy Sebastian Guy Theodore Sebastian (born 26 October 1981) is an Australian singer and songwriter who was the winner of the first ''Australian Idol'' in 2003, judge on Australia's '' The X Factor'' from 2010 to 2012 and again from 2015 to 2016, and coach ...

to record. She eventually released her original recording of the song after both artists had released their versions of "Can't Stop the River", re-titled "Can't Stop a River". She supported

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recor ...

on his UK tour in 2007. A download-only single, "Wrong Again", was released on 29 January 2007, and as a full single later in 2007. In 2018, she auditioned for ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

'' and made it to the Judges' Houses.

Discography

Albums

*'' Still Waters'' (2006 US / 2007 UK) *'' Gypsy Flame'' (2009 UK)

EPs

*''Walk with Me EP'' (2005)

Singles

*" Can't Stop the River" (2006) *"Love Me Still" (April 2007) *"Wrong Again" (June 2007)

References

External links

Louise Setara on MyspaceLouise Setara's website
Manhattan Records, accessed February 24, 2008.
"Wrong Again"
from ''Still Waters'', YouTube, accessed February 24, 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Setara, Louise 1988 births Living people English soul singers English women singer-songwriters English singer-songwriters 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers