Maria Lawson
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Maria Lawson (born 24 May 1979) is an English singer. She recorded several singles with Ti.Pi.Cal. Lawson was the fifth contestant eliminated in the second UK series of television talent show ''
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'' (2001–200 ...
'' in 2005. She released her debut self-titled album in 2006. Her self-help/autobiography entitled ''Life Starts Now'' was released in November 2008. Lawson appeared in the female lead role in the West End production of ''
Thriller – Live ''Thriller Live'' is a two-and-a-half-hour concert revue celebrating the music of The Jackson 5 and the solo work and life of Michael Jackson. It had already been performed in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia before ope ...
'' from 14 April 2009 to March 2010. She released her second studio album, ''Emotional Rollercoaster'' in 2014. Lawson lives in London with her husband Lawrence and their two children.


Early life

Lawson was born and raised in London. She is the youngest in a family of five, with three brothers and one sister. She is of Jamaican, Chinese and Cuban descent. Her mother is Jamaican, her father has Cuban heritage and her grandfather is Chinese from a family descending from the name Chang. Before appearing as a contestant on ''
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'' (2001–200 ...
'' finishing in eighth place, Lawson was a client of Active Music Management, who obtained her first record deal with
President Records President Records is a British independent record label. It is one of the oldest independent record companies in the UK, originally launched in 1957 by Edward Kassner. During the 1960s and 1970s the label, and its subsidiary Jay Boy, had hi ...
and her first publishing deal. Lawson released her first single, " A Night to Remember," in 1982, which was used in a
Gala Bingo Gala Bingo is an online bingo and casino offering under the ownership of Entain. Gala Bingo was created in 1991 as a division of Bass plc. It later became an independent company, and then became the Gala Coral Group after acquiring Coral E ...
advertisement. Lawson was signed to Peer Music Publishing from 2002 to 2005 and started her career as a singer-songwriter. During that time she worked with established producer David Brant, who produced three tracks for her, "Rush", "I Wanna Say Yes" and "Inferno". During her time as a singer-songwriter, she worked with recording artist Gabrielle and performed on Gabrielle's hit singles " Out of Reach" (as featured in the ''
Bridget Jones's Diary ''Bridget Jones's Diary'' is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Sharon Maguire from a screenplay by Helen Fielding, Andrew Davies and Richard Curtis. It is based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Fielding, which was itself a loose ...
'' soundtrack), "
Don't Need the Sun to Shine (to Make Me Smile) "Don't Need the Sun to Shine (to Make Me Smile)" is a song by English singer Gabrielle. It was written by Gabrielle and Jonathan Shorten for her greatest hits compilation '' Dreams Can Come True, Greatest Hits Vol. 1'' (2001), spanning her first ...
" and the live version of "
Rise Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a vide ...
". She has also provided backing vocals for many other artists, including
Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne (born Kelly Brianne Clarkson, April 24, 1982), known professionally as Kelly Clarkson, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Rising to fame after winning the American Idol season 1, first season of ''Ameri ...
,
Anita Baker Anita Denise Baker (born January 26, 1958) is an American jazz and soul singer. She is known for her soulful ballads, particularly from the height of the quiet storm period in the 1980s. Starting her career in the late 1970s with the funk ban ...
and British soul singer
Lemar Lemar Obika (born 4 April 1978), known mononymously as Lemar, is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. Initially rising to fame after finishing third on the Fame Academy (series 1), first series of British talent show ''Fame Acade ...
.


Music career


1997–1999: Singer for Italian group Ti.Pi.Cal

In 1997, Lawson, known as Kimara Lawson in Italy, achieved chart success with several singles in collaboration with Italian dance group Ti.Pi.Cal. (Daniele Tignino, Riccardo Piparo and Vincenzo Callea). With Ti.Pi.Cal, Lawson recorded "Hidden Passion" (1997), "Live For Today (1997), "Follow Your Heart" (1998), "Music Is My Life" (1999) and What I Like (2006), and two singles as Kimara Lawson - Stand up (2000) & Heaven (2000).


2004–05: ''The X Factor''

Lawson auditioned for the
first series First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...
of ''
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'' (2001–200 ...
'' in 2004, but she was rejected by judge
Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...
after reaching the "bootcamp" rounds. In 2005 she auditioned for the second series of the show. Lawson outlined in her 2008 autobiography ''life starts now'', that during her second addition for the X factor, Cowell immediately remembered her from the previous year, stating that he had "made a mistake" in not putting her through to the live shows. After performing " Stop" by Sam Brown at her audition, Lawson proceeded through to the bootcamp rounds with fellow singer,
Sharon Osbourne Sharon Rachel Osbourne (; born 9 October 1952) is an English-American television personality, music manager, and author. She is married to heavy metal singer Ozzy Osbourne and came to prominence while appearing on '' The Osbournes'' (2002–2 ...
emerging as her new mentor. Following the bootcamp rounds, Lawson continued to proceed to the Osbourne household in Los Angeles, where she sang in the live stages of the show as part of Osbourne's top four. At the beginning of the live shows, Lawson performed"
Piece of My Heart "Piece of My Heart" is a romantic soul song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. Franklin's single peaked in December 1967 at number 10 on the '' Billboard'' Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart ...
" and "
You're Beautiful "You're Beautiful" is a song by English singer-songwriter James Blunt. It was written by Blunt, Sacha Skarbek and Amanda Ghost for Blunt's debut album, '' Back to Bedlam'' (2004). It was released as the third single of the album in 2005. In ...
". Lawson became one of the notable returnees, and eventually rose to the top making the top eight. Lawson outlines week four of her live shows, where she performed a cover to cover the
James Blunt James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount, 22 February 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is known for his songs "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover". As a British Army captain in the aftermath of the Kosovo War, Blunt ...
hit "
You're Beautiful "You're Beautiful" is a song by English singer-songwriter James Blunt. It was written by Blunt, Sacha Skarbek and Amanda Ghost for Blunt's debut album, '' Back to Bedlam'' (2004). It was released as the third single of the album in 2005. In ...
", receiving the most public votes for that week.


Performances on ''The X Factor''


Elimination controversy

In the fifth week of the live shows, Lawson performed "
Brown Sugar Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content or produced by t ...
", receiving criticism from judges that it was unsuitable for her. After the public vote, Lawson found herself in the bottom two for the first time with Irish girl group
The Conway Sisters The Conway Sisters were a semi-professional singing group from County Sligo, Ireland, who achieved a measure of fame through their appearance in the final stages of the second UK series of television talent show ''The X Factor'' in 2005. The gro ...
. Voting figures showed that Lawson received twice as many votes as The Conway Sisters, meaning that if it came to a deadlock, Lawson would be saved. Following the sing off, the two out of the three judges voted against Lawson, sending her home. Simon Cowell voted against Lawson, backing his act
The Conway Sisters The Conway Sisters were a semi-professional singing group from County Sligo, Ireland, who achieved a measure of fame through their appearance in the final stages of the second UK series of television talent show ''The X Factor'' in 2005. The gro ...
.  Louis Walsh also voted against Lawson, stating that he “followed his heart”. Lawson's mentor, Sharon Osbourne, said that she was a victim of the "Irish Mafia", referring to Irish judge
Louis Walsh Michael Louis Vincent Walsh (born 5 August 1952) is an Irish music manager and television personality. He has managed Johnny Logan (singer), Johnny Logan, Boyzone, Jedward and Westlife, four of Ireland's most successful pop acts in the 1990s an ...
's decision to vote in favour of the Irish act at Lawson's expense. This caused a media uproar and Walsh threatened to quit the show after days of negative press. Lawson's elimination was also a shock for bookmakers who had her as a 66–1 outsider to leave the programme.


Post-''X Factor'': ''Maria Lawson''

After Lawson was eliminated from the show, she was approached by at least three major record labels. On 6 March 2006 Lawson announced that she had signed to the
Phonogenic A phonograph, later called a gramophone, and since the 1940s a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogue reproduction of sound. The sound vibration waveforms are recorded as corresponding physic ...
branch of the
Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...
record label. Her debut single, "
Sleepwalking Sleepwalking, also known as somnambulism or noctambulism, is a phenomenon of combined sleep and wakefulness. It is classified as a sleep disorder belonging to the parasomnia family. It occurs during the slow wave stage of sleep, in a state of ...
", was released on 14 August 2006.
BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the List of most-listened-to radio programs, most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the sta ...
"A-listed" the track (putting it on heavy rotation), and it achieved a position of number 20 in the UK Singles Chart. It was later revealed had the UK singles charts recent inclusion of 'downloads' been deducted, based on physical first week sales, "Sleepwalking" would have charted inside the UK top ten. As of 2010, the track has sold over 50,000 copies in the UK alone. Her self-titled debut album was recorded in Los Angeles where she worked with multi-
Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
winning songwriter
Diane Warren Diane Eve Warren (born September 7, 1956) is an American songwriter. She has won an Academy Honorary Award, Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards and three consecutive ''Billboard'' Music Awards for Songwriter of the Year from 19 ...
,
Steve Kipner Stephen Alan Kipner (born 1950) is an Australian songwriter and record producer. He has produced a number of international hit songs such as Olivia Newton-John's "Physical (Olivia Newton-John song), Physical", Natasha Bedingfield's "These Words ...
,
Lester Mendez Lester Mendez is a multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning record producer, songwriter and composer. His production/writing credits include a multitude of successful hits with Shakira, Jewel, Nelly Furtado, Jessica Simpson, Enrique Iglesias, and ...
and the Heavy Weights. The album was released on 28 August 2006 and charted at number 41 on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
. As of 2010, the album has sold over 20,000 copies in the UK. Lawson also went on to sign a lingerie deal with Bravissimo to become the new face and body for the lingerie and clothing line. On 3 July 2007, Lawson announced in her latest diary entry that she would not be releasing her exclusive second single "Lover's Kiss" (a song not included on her debut album), but would instead be working on her second album. In Lawson's 2008 autobiography, ''Life Starts Now'', she revealed that her then record company, Sony BMG, decided (after much delay) to part ways and not continue with the release of the single.


2008–2010: West End production of ''Thriller – Live''

On 27 June 2008, Lawson stated in a
MySpace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
blog that her forthcoming album would be entitled ''Emotional Rollercoaster'' and confirmed "
Breaking Me Down "Breaking Me Down" is a song by British singer Maria Lawson. It was released as a digital download on 6 September 2008 and released as a CD single on 8 September 2008. Background The B-side of the single is an acoustic version of " Sign Your N ...
" as the first single to be released from the album. An interview with Lawson appeared in the June issue of ''
Pride Magazine ''Pride Magazine'' (styled in covers as ''PRIDE'') is a magazine that focuses on black women in the United Kingdom. It has been on publication since 1991. The magazine has a circulation of more than 30,000 copies per month. In 2012, the magazine ...
'' and a clip of the official video for "Breaking Me Down" was made available on her website. Her website also announced a radio and TV tour across the UK from 18 to 29 August 2008. Lawson performed "Breaking Me Down", along with a rendition of
Janis Joplin Janis Lyn Joplin (January 19, 1943 – October 4, 1970) was an American singer and songwriter. One of the most iconic and successful Rock music, rock performers of her era, she was noted for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and her "electric" ...
's classic hit "
Piece of My Heart "Piece of My Heart" is a romantic soul song written by Jerry Ragovoy and Bert Berns, originally recorded by Erma Franklin in 1967. Franklin's single peaked in December 1967 at number 10 on the '' Billboard'' Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart ...
" (a song which she had performed during her run on ''The X Factor''), at
Party in the Park Party in the Park is the generic name given to music concerts organised by various radio stations and local authorities and groups in the United Kingdom, typically in large parks during the summer, however it is also used to refer to a family or ...
, Temple Newsham,
Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...
on Sunday 27 July. She performed the single again at the Freedom Festival on 30 August 2008. The single was released on 8 September 2008. Lawson was interviewed on ''
GMTV GMTV (an initialism for Good Morning Television), now legally known as ''ITV Breakfast, ITV Breakfast Broadcasting Limited'', was the name of the national ITV (TV network), ITV breakfast television contractor/licensee, broadcasting in the Uni ...
'' on Friday 24 October 2008, promoting "Breaking Me Down" and her new book ''Life Starts Now''. Lawson's self-help/autobiography entitled ''Life Starts Now'' was released to stores on 28 November 2008. It follows Lawson's journey from hopeful unknown, through the audition process and beyond to her appearance on a major national television show. On 11 April 2009, it was announced on Lawson's Myspace page that she would be performing the female lead role in the West End production of ''
Thriller – Live ''Thriller Live'' is a two-and-a-half-hour concert revue celebrating the music of The Jackson 5 and the solo work and life of Michael Jackson. It had already been performed in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Scandinavia before ope ...
'' at The Lyric Theatre,
Shaftesbury Avenue Shaftesbury Avenue is a major road in the West End of London, named after The 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. It runs north-easterly from Piccadilly Circus to New Oxford Street, crossing Charing Cross Road at Cambridge Circus. From Piccadill ...
, London. The show features the hit songs of
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 Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...
and the
Jackson 5 The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...
. Lawson's run lasted through from 14 April 2009 to March 2010.


2010–present: ''Emotional Rollercoaster''

In October 2010, Lawson signed a lingerie deal with Brastop to be the face and body of the brand for 2011. Lawson began her attempt to represent
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
at the
Eurovision Song Contest 2012 The Eurovision Song Contest 2012 was the 57th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Baku, Azerbaijan, following the country's victory at the with the song "Running Scared (Ell & Nikki song), Running Scared" by Ell & Nikki, El ...
in September 2011, by submitting the song "Champion". However, the song failed to reach the final. Lawson's second studio album, ''Emotional Rollercoaster'', was produced by
Brian Rawling Brian Rawling is a British record producer and songwriter. He is the managing director of publisher and production company Metrophonic. Rawling has produced singles and albums for artists such as Cher, with whom he won a Grammy in 1999 for his w ...
. In a Myspace blog in 2011, Lawson revealed she had returned to the recording studio to re-record and remix some of the tracks. ''Emotional Rollercoaster'' is due out some time in 2014 through Right Track Music/Universal Music Operations. Lawson has been signed to Wilhelmina in the US, one of the most prominent model and celebrity agencies in the fashion industry with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Miami.


Personal life

Lawson gave birth to her first son in February 2008. She currently lives with her husband Lawrence and son in
Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is a financial area of London, England, located in the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The Greater London Authority defines it as part of London's central business district, alongside Central London. Alongside ...
, London. Lawson gave birth to her second child, a daughter, in January 2012.


Discography


Albums


Singles


Collaborations


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lawson, Maria 1975 births Living people 21st-century Black British women singers 21st-century British women singers British contemporary R&B singers English women singer-songwriters English singer-songwriters Singers from London The X Factor (British TV series) contestants