Rebecca Jane Ryan (born 21 June 1976), also known as Rebekah Ryan, is an English female pop singer and songwriter from Tamworth.

Career

In 1996, she signed to

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

, her debut single, "You Lift Me Up" was released and was well reviewed, and a big national club hit in the UK. The single also reached the

Top 40 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. "To ...

in the UK Singles Chart. The follow-up, "Just A Little Bit of Love" was not so well received by

critics A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governme ...

. Of note, ''Smash Hits'', reviewing the single, declared that "Rebekah may be as cute as a box of Andrex puppies, but even that shouldn't help this duffer of a dance single into the charts". Nevertheless, it was a sizeable club success, and like its predecessor, was produced by the popular dance outfit,

K-Klass K-Klass are a Welsh/English electronic music group from Wrexham, Wales and Chester, England, who are based in Manchester, England. Its original members were Andy Williams, Carl Thomas, Russ Morgan and Paul Roberts. In 1991, K-Klass signed with ...

. However, the single failed to reach the Top 40, peaking at number 51 in the UK. Celine Dion also sang the song. Rebekah performed this song on her support act slot, with

Boyzone Boyzone were an Irish boy band created in 1993 by the talent manager Louis Walsh. Before even recording any material, Boyzone made an appearance on RTÉ's ''The Late Late Show (Ireland), The Late Late Show''. Its most successful line-up was co ...

, on their concurrent tour. Early in 1997, "

Woman in Love "Woman in Love" is a song performed by Barbra Streisand and taken from her 1980 album '' Guilty''. The song was written by Barry and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees, who received the 1980 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. ...

" was released to mixed reviews. It was a cover version of the

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

hit. "Woman in Love" was essentially a ballad with hip hop and R&B undertones. The track did not sell well, entering the charts at number 64 and disappearing from the chart the following week. Ryan did have an album in the pipeline and said to be forthcoming in the media around the time of this single's release. It was due for release in mid-1997 However, it was decided not to release it, due to Ryan's previous two singles failing to emulate the success of her debut. It is known that (as well as the three singles), the following tracks were recorded for this album: "Fallen" (produced by Steve Anderson of

Brothers in Rhythm Brothers in Rhythm are a British electronic music group comprising Dave Seaman, Steve Anderson and Alan Bremner. The group was originally a duo comprising Seaman and Anderson, with Bremner joining later in 1999. They have remixed and/or produc ...

(who has actually seemingly himself posted the track on YouTube, to enthusiastic praise from viewers); "Swept Away" (a mid-tempo love song), "The Feeling Is Right Now" (produced, like "Fallen", by Steve Anderson, and written by

Lulu Lulu may refer to: Companies * LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer * Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer * Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia * Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, a C ...

), and "Nothing in This World", written by none other than

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

and 1990s pop-R&B luminary Nigel Lowis (who worked extensively with

Eternal Eternal(s) or The Eternal may refer to: * Eternity, an infinite amount of time, or a timeless state * Immortality or eternal life * God, the supreme being, creator deity, and principal object of faith in monotheism Comics, film and television * ...

Dina Carroll Geraldine "Dina" Carroll (born 21 August 1968) is an English singer. She had a string of hits during the 1990s, including the UK top ten singles "It's Too Late (Carole King song)#Quartz version, It's Too Late" (1991), "Don't Be a Stranger (Din ...

and

Michelle Gayle Michelle Patricia Gayle (born 2 February 1971) is a British singer, songwriter, actress and writer. Gayle had success as a Contemporary R&B, soul and R&B singer in the 1990s, having achieved seven top 40 single (music), singles in the UK Single ...

). These tracks remain virtually unheard and totally unreleased. Additionally, on the B-Side to "You Lift Me Up" was a cover of "Have I Told You Lately", which may or may not have appeared on Ryan's LP. Three other tracks, "Somewhere In Us", "Love's Comin' Right On Through" and "Just Can't Learn To Say Goodbye" from this unreleased album, have appeared on the music website

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

. In 2001, with a new recording contract, Ryan re-emerged with a totally different sound, style and image. Whereas before, her material had been dance-pop/soul, it was now rock-pop. Her album, ''Big Trouble (Lots of Fun)'' was released by

Jive Records Jive Records (later stylized as JIVE Records) was a British-American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary of the Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chic ...

, despite the absence of a hit single to promote it. The album sold poorly. The lead single, "You Think You Got The Right", benefited from good reviews and promotion, but did not reach the UK Singles Chart. In 2002, still on Jive Records, Ryan released a re-edited version of the album, this time entitled ''I'll Live'', and featuring another new single, "Can I Depend on You?"; neither release charted. The album, complete with new artwork, also omitted a few of the prior LP's tracks, yet added some more ones. In 2007, Ryan was selected as one of the 12 finalists in the Over 25s category group on the ITV 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 ...

''. She returned to the programme in 2016, the judges put her through to boot camp.

Discography

Singles

Albums

*''Introduction'', 1996,

(Limited-distribution 5-track EP from the debut unreleased album, which was given to DJs and music reviewers only.) *''Big Trouble (Lots of Fun)'', 2001,

*''I'll Live'', 2002,

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Rebekah 1976 births Living people Musicians from Staffordshire People from Tamworth, Staffordshire The X Factor (British TV series) contestants 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers