Sheyla Bonnick is a singer/songwriter, performer, co-producer, fashion designer, author, talent scout, reiki healer and games designer.

Early life

Bonnick was born in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...

in the 1950s. Her mother was a teacher and a

seamstress A dressmaker, also known as a seamstress, is a person who makes custom clothing for women, such as dresses, blouses, and evening gowns. Dressmakers were historically known as mantua-makers, and are also known as a modiste or fabrician. Not ...

and her father was a shoemaker. At the age of three, Bonnick moved to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

with her parents. After leaving school, Bonnick modelled and got a secretarial job at a prestigious law firm. She then went to work at EMI records.

Music career

In the early 1970s, aged eighteen, Bonnick moved to

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

. She had answered an advert in ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

'' newspaper for a dance contract in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. After a few months, Bonnick and her friend Maizie Williams, auditioned for music producer

Frank Farian Frank Farian (born Franz Reuther; 18 July 1941) is a German record producer, musician, singer and songwriter, who founded the 1970s disco-pop group Boney M., the Latin pop band No Mercy and the pop band Milli Vanilli. He frequently created v ...

. Frank had no hesitation and recruited them to join a new pop group, called

Boney M Boney M. was a German- Caribbean vocal group that specialized in disco and funk created by German record producer Frank Farian, who was the group's primary songwriter. Originally based in West Germany, the four original members of the grou ...

. However, Bonnick left shortly after, feeling disillusioned with the group. Bonnick's voice is not present on any official Boney M. recording - due to the fact that she was a short-time member, leaving the band after two months. In 1977, Bonnick joined

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

disco project Mandrake for the recording of "It's Time For Us", "Dancing The Night Away" and "Disco Magic". She then signed to Hansa International, releasing a disco cover of "

Proud Mary "Proud Mary" is a song written by John Fogerty and first recorded by his band Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was released by Fantasy Records as a single from the band's second studio album, '' Bayou Country'', which was issued by the same ...

", credited to "Sheila Bonnique". She recorded another track, "In the Shadows" which appeared on the soundtrack album of German film '' A Woman in Flames'' (1983). In the early 90s, she moved to

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establishe ...

with her Icelandic husband and manager where she co-wrote a mini-musical called "Money Talks" staged for some months in the Lindenborg inn. In 1993, Bonnick and Maizie Williams joined forces again, along with two other singers, to form their own tribute version called Maizie Williams feat Boney M. The group toured the world, but Bonnick eventually left and formed her own tribute band, Sounds of Boney M. Bonnick released the single "Live Better" with Latvian artist Rassell on May 20, 2013 before producing the album "Angel Cures" by member Francesca Mowatt. Bonnick continues to perform and tour with her latest tribute band, Boney M feat. Sheyla Bonnick.

Other ventures

Bonnick published the book "Women Are Like Cats And Men Are Like Dogs - Or Are They?" under pseudonym Kat Brown. Bonnick owns fashion line ''BONNIE FASHIONS'' which specialises in exclusive stage and evening wear. Bonnick co-designed board games ''Kivi'', ''Eye Catch'' and ''Sneak Peak''. ''Eye Catch'' was a 2019 MinD-Spielepreis Short Game nominee (the award of the German Mensa organization). ''Kivi'' was awarded the 2016 Vuoden Peli Party Game of the Year.

Personal life

Bonnick and her Icelandic husband reside in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. They also have a home in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

. Bonnick's hobbies/interests include reading, writing,

astrology Astrology is a range of divinatory practices, recognized as pseudoscientific since the 18th century, that claim to discern information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the apparent positions of celestial objects. Di ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

, cooking, sports, philosophy, complimentary medicines and dressmaking. Bonnick is a patron of Second Chance Animal Rescue which is situated in

Swanley Swanley is a town and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England, southeast of central London, adjacent to the Greater London boundary and within the M25 motorway periphery. The population at the 2011 census was 16,226. Histor ...

, Kent.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonnick, Sheyla Year of birth missing (living people) Living people English people of Jamaican descent English women singers