Tasmin Archer (born 3 August 1963) is a British
pop singer from Bradford, England. Her first album, ''
Great Expectations
''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by English author Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel is a bildungsroman and depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after ''Dav ...
'', spawned the hit "
Sleeping Satellite", which reached number one in the United Kingdom
[ and Ireland.][ She won the Brit Award for British Breakthrough Act in 1993 and has since released three more studio albums.
]
Early life
Archer was born in Bradford
Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
, to Jamaican parents. She attended Grange Upper School and, after leaving, first worked as a sewing machine operator. She attended Bradford College in 1980 to study typing, and later became a clerk at Leeds Magistrates' Court.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 ...
, and played with different bands around the Bradford area. She helped out at a recording studio
A recording studio is a specialized facility for Sound recording and reproduction, recording and Audio mixing, mixing of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home proje ...
in Bradford called Flexible Response Studios, and subsequently began working with musicians John Hughes and John Beck as "The Archers". During this time, Archer developed skills in the music business.
Musical career
''Great Expectations''
Archer signed to EMI
EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
in 1990 and released her first single, "Sleeping Satellite," in September 1992, which went to number one on the UK Singles Chart.[ The album ''Great Expectations'' followed in October 1992. It reached number eight 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 ...
,[ and achieved ]gold disc
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
status by December for sales of more than 100,000 copies.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 ...
hits in the UK, they did not achieve the same level of success as her dΓ©but.
Archer donated the royalties from her second single "In Your Care" to Childline. The song was about child abuse
Child abuse (also called child endangerment or child maltreatment) is physical abuse, physical, child sexual abuse, sexual, emotional and/or psychological abuse, psychological maltreatment or Child neglect, neglect of a child, especially by a p ...
.
''Bloom''
After disappearing from the limelight, Archer reappeared in 1996 with her second album '' Bloom''. However, the single " One More Good Night with the Boys" failed to reach the UK Top 40, and the album peaked at number 95.[ In late 1997, disagreements with EMI left Archer somewhat disillusioned and feeling like she had been treated as a commodity. She decided to take a short break from the industry, after being let go by EMI. This break lasted two years.
After the break, Archer felt the time was right to start writing again, but now she was hindered by ]writer's block
Writer's block is a non-medical condition, primarily associated with writing, in which an author is either unable to produce new work or experiences a creative slowdown.
Writer's block has various degrees of severity, from difficulty in coming ...
. Although this did not prevent her from being initially creative, she found it difficult to finish anything musically.
''On''
After working through the block and starting in 2002, Archer and Hughes worked on a new album. Initially this was going to be titled ''Non-Linear'', but later became ''On''.
''On'' was released on 25 September 2006 on Archer's own label, Quiverdisc. It was preceded on 20 September by a download-only single, "Every Time I Want It (Effect Is Monotony)", a radio edit of the album track "Effect Is Monotony".
Other work
In a 2006 interview, Archer said she and John Hughes were pursuing opportunities to write for film and TV soundtracks.EastEnders
''EastEnders'' is a British television soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the East End of London, the ...
'' and other shows.
A Cauldron of Random Notes (2024)
Tasmin posted on X in July 2024: "We are planning to have vinyl pressed for our new album "A Cauldron Of Random Notes" which is finished and should be released in the autumn".
Awards and nominations
{, class=wikitable
, -
! Year !! Awards !! Work !! Category !! Result !! Ref.
, -
, rowspan=4, 1993
, rowspan=3, Brit Awards
, rowspan=2, Herself
, British Breakthrough Act
,
, rowspan=3,
, -
, British Female Solo Artist
,
, -
, " Sleeping Satellite"
, British Video of the Year
,
, -
, RSH Gold Awards
, Herself
, Power Groove of the Year
,
,
Discography
Studio albums
{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
, -
! rowspan="2", Year
! rowspan="2" style="width:26em;", Album
! colspan="8", Peak positions
! rowspan="2", Certifications
, -
! width="35", UK
[
! width="35", AUS]
[
! width="35", AUT]
! width="35", NZ
[
! width="35", SWE]
[
! width="35", SWI]
! width="35", US
, -
, 1992
! scope="row", ''Great Expectations
''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by English author Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. The novel is a bildungsroman and depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip. It is Dickens' second novel, after ''Dav ...
''
, 8 , , 56 , , 26 , , 34 , , 31 , , 38 , , 26 , , 115
,
* BPI: Gold[
, -
, 1994
! scope="row", '']Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...
'' (8-track mini album, US only)
, β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β
,
, -
, 1996
! scope="row", '' Bloom''
, 95 , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β
,
, -
, 2006
! scope="row", ''On''
, β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β
,
, -
, 2025
! scope="row", ''A Cauldron of Random Notes''
, β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β
,
, -
, colspan="12" style="font-size:85%", "β" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.
Compilations
* ''Premium Gold Collection'' (2000)
* ''Singer/Songwriter'' (2004)
* ''The Best Of'' (2009)
* ''Sweet Little Truths: The EMI Recordings 1992β1996'' (2020) β 3-CD set containing remastered, expanded versions of ''Great Expectations'' and ''Bloom'' plus B-sides, remixes and live versions.
Singles
{, class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
, -
! rowspan="2", Year
! rowspan="2" style="width:26em;", Single
! colspan="10", Peak positions
! rowspan="2", Certifications
! rowspan="2", Album
, -
! width="35", UK
[UK chart peaks:
* Top 100 peaks:
* Top 200 peaks from November 1994 to December 2010: ]
! width="35", AUS
[Australian (]ARIA
In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
) chart peaks:
* Top 50 peaks:
* Top 100 peaks:
* "In Your Care" and ''Bloom'':
* "Lords of the New Church" and "One More Good Night with the Boys":
! width="35", FRA
! width="35", GER
! width="35", IRE
! width="35", NZ
[
, align="left" rowspan="5", ''Great Expectations''
, -
, rowspan="4", 1993
! scope="row", " In Your Care"
, 16 , , 145 , , β , , β , , β , , β , , 37 , , β , , β , , β
,
, -
! scope="row", " Lords of the New Church"
, 26 , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , 40 , , β , , β , , β
,
, -
! scope="row", "Somebody's Daughter"
, β , , β , , β , , 57 , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β
,
, -
! scope="row", " Arienne"
, 30 , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β
,
, -
, 1994
! scope="row", "]Shipbuilding
Shipbuilding is the construction of ships and other Watercraft, floating vessels. In modern times, it normally takes place in a specialized facility known as a shipyard. Shipbuilders, also called shipwrights, follow a specialized occupation th ...
" (4-track EP)
, 40 , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β
,
, align="left", ''Shipbuilding''
, -
, rowspan="2", 1996
! scope="row", " One More Good Night with the Boys"
, 45 , , 189 , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β
,
, align="left" rowspan="2", ''Bloom''
, -
! scope="row", "Sweet Little Truth"
, 176 , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β
,
, -
, 2006
! scope="row" style="line-height:120%" , "Every Time I Want It (Effect Is Monotony)"
, β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β , , β
,
, align="left", ''On''
, -
, colspan="14" style="font-size:85%", "β" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Archer, Tasmin
1963 births
English women songwriters
Brit Award winners
20th-century Black British women singers
20th-century British women singers
Musicians from Bradford
Living people
English women pop singers
21st-century Black British women singers
21st-century British women singers
SBK Records artists