 |
J.K. | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Marta Simlat |
| Born | 2 January 1970 Kraków, Poland |
| Origin | Italy |
| Genres | Eurodance |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, model |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals |
| Years active | 1992–2001, 2024–present |
Marta Simlat (born 2 January 1970) is a Polish model best known for fronting the eurodance project J.K., who enjoyed moderate success in the mid- to late-1990s with the Italian producers Larry Pignagnoli and Davide Riva.
Simlat moved from Poland to Italy in 1992 to pursue a modelling career. However, shortly after her move she was spotted by Larry Pignagnoli and Davide Riva, the production team behind Whigfield. Simlat was quickly signed and her first single, "You Make Me Feel Good" performed well in France, Italy and Germany and topped the dance charts in Canada.
Her third single, "You and I", climbed to the top position on the Canadian dance charts and obtained strong airplay in continental Europe. The track was also used on many dance compilation albums around the globe, including Muchmusic's Dance Mix '95 and the Eurodisco '96 - Collection. A fourth single, "My Radio", performed well in Europe and also became popular in Japan.
At the height of her popularity in 1996, there were rumors circulating that Marta Simlat was not the one performing the vocals on any of the songs, as she only lip-synched in live performances and the music videos, and didn't speak English at the time. It is now known that the vocals for J.K. were performed by Giovanna Bersola, Sandy Chambers and Zeitia Massiah, the former two of these vocalists were also the studio vocalists behind Corona's biggest hits in the 90's.
Between 1998 and 1999, several other singles followed to lesser success. After her last official single, "You Got Me Dancing" in 2000, Simlat left the J.K. project and disappeared from the public eye. Despite her departure, there were still three singles that were released under J.K. between 2001 and 2005, which the Benassi Bros made cover versions of two of these songs with the vocalist Dhany in 2005, "Hit My Heart" and "Make Me Feel".
After over 20 years of silence, in December 2023, it was revealed that Simlat would be returning to the stage as J.K. for 90's nostalgia concerts and festivals. Her first comeback performance was held on 9 March 2024 in Manaus, Brazil. Since returning to the eurodance scene, Marta Simlat has been performing all of the J.K. songs with her actual voice.
Sweet Lady Night (The Special Edition) (1996)
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Dance [1] [2] | FRA [3] | |||||||||||||
| 1992 | "You Make Me Feel Good" | 1 | — | Singles only | ||||||||||
| 1994 | "Beat It" | — | — | |||||||||||
| "You & I" | 1 | 47 | ||||||||||||
| 1995 | "My Radio" | 1 | — | |||||||||||
| 1996 | "Sweet Lady Night" | — | — | |||||||||||
| 1998 | "Go On" | 6 | — | |||||||||||
| 1999 | "Deep in the Night" | — | — | |||||||||||
| 2000 | "You Got Me Dancing" | — | — | |||||||||||
| 2001 | "Make Me Feel" | — | — | |||||||||||
| 2002 | "Hit My Heart" | — | — | |||||||||||
| 2005 | "River Runs Dry" | — | — | |||||||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
Cappella is an Italian Eurodance music group formed in 1987 by producer Gianfranco Bortolotti. The act went through a number of line-up changes over the years but was most successful in the early 1990s when it was fronted by British performers Kelly Overett and Rodney Bishop. Their biggest hit was "U Got 2 Let the Music", which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in 1993.
La Bouche is a German-American Eurodance duo best known for the hits "Be My Lover", "Sweet Dreams", "You Won't Forget Me" and "S.O.S." La Bouche was founded in 1994 by record producer Frank Farian in Frankfurt am Main. He worked together with techno DJ Ulli Brenner and producer Amir Saraf to produce the music, while American singer Melanie Thornton and American rapper and backup singer Lane McCray fronted the act.
Marco "Benny" Benassi is an Italian DJ, record producer and remixer. He is widely seen as a pioneer of electro house, a genre brought into the mainstream by his 2002 summer club hit "Satisfaction".
49ers is an Italian house and Eurodance act, featuring producers and DJs Gianfranco Bortolotti, Luca Cittadini, Diego Leoni and Pieradis Rossini with vocalist Ann-Marie Smith. They were named after the San Francisco 49ers American football team, and because former vocalist Dawn Mitchell was the 49th vocalist to audition.
Alfredo "Larry" Pignagnoli is an Italian record producer, composer and musician.
Twenty 4 Seven is a Dutch Eurodance group formed in 1989 by Dutch producer Ruud van Rijen. The project is best known in Europe for the hit singles "I Can't Stand It", "Are You Dreaming?", "Slave to the Music", "Is It Love" and "Take Me Away."
"(If You're Not in It for Love) I'm Outta Here!" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music singer Shania Twain. It was released on November 15, 1995, as the fourth single from her second studio album, The Woman in Me. Written by Twain and then-husband and producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange, the song is lyrically a warning to "pickup artists" who are searching for one-night stands instead of real love.
Janice Robinson is an American singer and songwriter, initially known as a member of 1990s Italian Eurodance group Livin' Joy with global dance hit Dreamer, before she embarked on a solo career.
Benassi Bros. is an Italian electronic dance music group. The members of the group, cousins Benny Benassi and Alle Benassi, started DJing in the late 1980s in their hometown before moving to Larry Pignagnoli's Off Limits production studio in the mid-1990s. There, they created music for various acts including Whigfield, J.K. and Ally & Jo. Despite the name "Benassi Bros.", Benny Benassi and Alle Benassi are actually cousins. Their track "Illusion" became very popular in the American club scene, finally peaking at number 4 on Hot Dance Club Play. Following "Hit My Heart" peaked at 15.
"Saturday Night" is a song by Italian Eurodance project Whigfield, fronted by Danish-born Sannie Charlotte Carlson. It was first released in 1992 in Italy and 1993 in Spain through Prodisc. Throughout 1994, it was released across the rest of Europe and experienced worldwide success. The song was written by Italian producers Larry Pignagnoli and Davide Riva and produced by Pignagnoli. In 1995, the song was included on Whigfield's debut album, Whigfield.
"Another Day" is a song by Italian Eurodance project Whigfield, fronted by Danish-born Sannie Charlotte Carlson. It was released in August 1994 by X-Energy, ZYX Music and Systematic as the second single from her debut album, Whigfield (1995). Written by producers Larry Pignagnoli and Davide Riva, with Annerley Gordon and Ray Dorset, the song was the follow-up single to Whigfield's 1994 hit single, "Saturday Night", and peaked at number seven in the United KIngdom. "Another Day" also became a top-10 hit in Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Switzerland and Zimbabwe. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached number nine.
"Sexy Eyes" is a song written by Annerley Gordon, Alfredo Larry Pignagnoli, Davide Riva and Paul Sears and performed by Danish singer Whigfield. It was released in March 1996 as the seventh and final single from her first album, Whigfield. It became Whigfield's first top-10 hit in Australia, becoming the 19th-highest-selling single for 1997.
"Big Time" is a song by Italian Eurodance project Whigfield, which was fronted by Danish-born singer Sannie Charlotte Carlson. It was written by Annerley Gordon, Alfredo Larry Pignagnoli, Davide Riva and Paul Sears and produced by Pignagnoli and Riva. The song was released in July 1995 by X-Energy Records as the fifth single from her debut album, Whigfield (1995). For the British market, the song was released as a double A-side single with "Last Christmas", a cover of the English duo Wham!, and reached number 21 on the UK Singles Chart. In other countries, "Big Time" peaked within the top 10 in Canada and was a top-20 hit in Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain.
"Dreamer" is a song by Italian house group Livin' Joy, written and recorded by Janice Robinson and produced by brothers Paolo and Gianni Visnadi. Originally released in August 1994, it was re-released in 1995 by MCA and topped the UK Singles Chart at the number one spot that May, ending 1995 as the UK's 40th-biggest-selling single of 1995. In the United States, it went to number-one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. It was a sleeper hit on pop radio, but finally managed to peak at number 72 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 75 on the Cash Box Top 100.
Fun Fun are an Italian Italo disco band formed in 1983. Their hits included "Colour My Love" and "Baila Bolero".
"Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" is a song by Zambian-born Zimbabwean singer Rozalla, released in August 1991 by label Pulse-8 as the second single from her second album, Everybody's Free (1992). The song was written by Nigel Swanston and Tim Cox, and produced by Band of Gypsies. It had been a staple in the clubs in Ibiza and Mallorca in the summer of 1991, and hordes of recovering ravers were delighted to find "that tune about being free to feel good and stuff" was available to buy back home. Upon its release, the song reached number two in Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain, while entering the top 10 in Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. On the Eurochart Hot 100, the single reached number six, and in Zimbabwe, it peaked at number four. It also topped the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Several music videos have been made to promote the song. It is widely regarded as one of the biggest dance anthems of the 1990s and it has been remixed and re-released several times.
"No Tears to Cry" is a song by Italian Eurodance project Whigfield which was actually recorded by the singer Annerley Gordon and performed on stage by the Danish model Sannie Charlotte Carlson. It is written by Annerley Gordon, Davide Riva and Paul Sears, and was the second single release from her album, Whigfield II, in Europe and Scandinavia. The single reached number 30 on the Eurochart Hot 100.
"Gimme Gimme" is a song by Italian Eurodance project Whigfield which was performed by Danish-born Sannie Charlotte Carlson. It was released on the 4 November 1996, as the first single from her second album, Whigfield II (1997). The following year, the song went to number 14 in Australia and number four in Spain. It also peaked at number 37 on the Eurochart Hot 100 in late 1996. "Gimme Gimme" sold to gold in Australia after 35,000 singles were sold there.
"Givin' All My Love" is a song by Italian Eurodance project Whigfield which was performed by Danish-born Sannie Charlotte Carlson. It is written by Annerley Gordon, Daniela Galli, Davide Riva and Paul Sears. The song was released on 19 March 1998 as the final single from her second album Whigfield II. "Givin' All My Love" was released in Europe and Scandinavia. peaking at number 33 on the.
"Whiggle in Line" is a song by Italian group Black Duck, released as their only single in December 1994 by Flying South Records. It is an electronic Eurodance style take on "Saturday Night" by Danish/Italian act Whigfield. Produced by Davide Riva and Larry Pignagnoli, the producers of the original track, it has an added ragga rap element and slightly different female vocals to the original, which is performed by British singer and TV host Carryl Varley, who also used to front Italian band Jinny. The single was a notable hit in several countries, peaking at number 11 on the Canadian RPM Dance/Urban chart and number 20 in Denmark. In the UK, it reached the top 40, peaking at number 33, but on the UK Dance Chart it fared better, reaching a respectable number 12. It also enjoyed modest airplay in the US.
   | This article about a Polish singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |