Emma Bunton's debut solo album, A Girl Like Me , was released in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2001 by Virgin Records. The album debuted and peaked at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart. It was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 100,000 copies, [1] ultimately becoming the 147th best-selling album in the UK for 2001. [2] The album brought the UK and New Zealand No. 1 single "What Took You So Long?" as well as top five hits "What I Am" and "Take My Breath Away" and the top 20 hit "We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight". Bunton's second album, Free Me , was released in 2004 through 19 Entertainment/Universal Records. Four singles were taken from it: "Free Me", "Maybe", "I'll Be There" and "Crickets Sing for Anamaria". In 2006 she released her third album, Life in Mono .
Tour by Emma Bunton | |
Associated album | A Girl Like Me |
---|---|
Start date | 24 March 2001 |
End date | 23 November 2001 |
Legs | 1 |
No. of shows | 6 total |
Emma Bunton concert chronology |
These were the promotional appearances by Bunton in support of her debut album. [3] The performances served to promote her first solo studio album A Girl Like Me , starting on 24 March and ending on 23 November 2001.
Bunton's debut solo album, A Girl Like Me , released in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2001 by Virgin Records. The album debuted and peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart, with 21,500 copies sold in its first week. Although initial success was promising, A Girl Like Me fell down the chart quickly. However, singles "What Took You So Long?", "Take My Breath Away", and "We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight" helped the album stay on the UK Albums Chart for several weeks. On 7 September 2001, A Girl Like Me was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 100,000 copies, [1] ultimately becoming the 147th best-selling album in the UK for 2001. [2] The album brought the UK number-one "What Took You So Long?" as well as top five hits "What I Am" (a cover of a 1988 song by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians) and "Take My Breath Away" and the top 20 hit "We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight". The album sold 125,000 copies in the UK. Disappointing sales led to Bunton's leaving Virgin in 2002. [4] Bunton performed at Party at the Palace, an event that was held at Buckingham Palace Garden on 3 June 2002 in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II. Her solo performance at the event was a cover of The Supremes' 1964 hit "Baby Love".
The MCM Café concert was broadcast on MTV France on 15 October 2001. [5]
Date | City | Country | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
Europe | |||
24 March 2001 | London | United Kingdom | London Astoria |
26 April 2001 | Copenhagen | Denmark | The Voice Hall [6] |
31 July 2001 | Milan | Italy | Italian Music Festival [7] |
3 October 2001 | Paris | France | MCM Café [8] |
20 October 2001 | London | United Kingdom | C3 London [9] |
Oceania | |||
23 November 2001 | Sydney | Australia | Pitt Street [10] |
Tour by Emma Bunton | |
Associated album | Free Me |
---|---|
Start date | 10 May 2004 |
End date | 4 September 2004 |
Legs | 1 |
No. of shows | 8 total |
Emma Bunton concert chronology |
These were the promotional performances by Bunton [3] to promote the album Free Me . [11] They started on 10 May and ended on 4 September 2004. [12]
Bunton's second album, Free Me , was released in 2003 through 19 Entertainment/Universal Records. The album was largely produced by Mike Peden and Yak Bondy. Other contributions on the album courtesy of Cathy Dennis, Henry Binns and Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi. It spent over twelve weeks inside the UK Albums Chart, peaking at number seven and selling over 141,712 copies, earning gold award status. The album was widely acclaimed by critics as being the "one of best solo Spice records ever" due to its catchy and fun use of sounds from the Motown and the 1960s era. The lead single, "Free Me", sold well in the UK, peaking at number five on the UK Singles Chart. "Maybe" was released as the second single in the autumn of 2003, and also gained extensive airplay throughout the UK, peaking at number six, one position lower than its predecessor. In the spring of 2004, the album and its third single, "I'll Be There", were released. The single, like its two predecessors, performed well on the charts, peaking at number seven. Later in the year, the fourth single, "Crickets Sing for Anamaria", was released. Despite its harder beat and grittier sound, by now the impact of Free Me was beginning to wear off, and the song only came in at number 15 on the UK Singles Chart, totalling 25,000 copies, and becoming Bunton's lowest-selling single. In the United States, both "Free Me" and "Maybe" were dance club regulars, reaching numbers four and six on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play respectively.
Date | City | Country | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
Europe | |||
10 May 2004 | London | United Kingdom | Hyde Park |
20 May 2004 | Southern FM Hall | ||
29 May 2004 | London Astoria [13] | ||
3 June 2004 | The Mall [14] | ||
6 June 2004 | Great Yarmouth | Weston-super-Mare [15] | |
20 June 2004 | Milton Keynes | The National Bowl [16] | |
20 July 2004 | Milan | Italy | Verona Arena [17] |
4 September 2004 | Lich | Germany | Hit Radio FFH [18] |
Emma Lee Bunton is an English singer, songwriter, media personality, and actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Baby Spice, reflecting the fact that she was the youngest member. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, the Spice Girls are the best-selling female group of all time. The group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2000, before reuniting for a greatest hits album (2007) and two concert tours: the Return of the Spice Girls (2007–2008) and Spice World (2019).
Melanie Jayne Chisholm, known professionally as Melanie C or Mel C, is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which she was nicknamed Sporty Spice. With over 100 million records sold worldwide, the Spice Girls are the best-selling female group of all time. The group went on an indefinite hiatus in 2000, before reuniting for a greatest hits album (2007) and two concert tours: the Return of the Spice Girls (2007–2008) and Spice World (2019). She is known for her unique and distinctive tone.
Life in Mono is the third studio album by English pop singer Emma Bunton. The album was originally set for a November 2006 release in the UK, however it was later pushed back to 4 December 2006. Much like her previous album, Free Me, the album experiments with elements of 1960s pop music. For this particular album the musical arrangement was more directed towards 1960s French pop music, with some elements of British 1960s pop and Motown.
"Downtown" is a song written and produced by English composer Tony Hatch. Its lyrics speak of going to spend time in an urban downtown as a means of escape from everyday life. The 1964 version recorded by British singer Petula Clark became an international hit, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the UK Singles Chart. Hatch received the 1981 Ivor Novello award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.
Forever is the third and final studio album by English girl group the Spice Girls, released on 1 November 2000 by Virgin Records. It is their only album without Geri Halliwell, who later rejoined the group for their Greatest Hits album in 2007.
"2 Become 1" is a song by the British girl group the Spice Girls. Written by the group members, together with Matt Rowe and Richard Stannard during the group's first professional songwriting session, it was produced by Rowe and Stannard for the group's debut album, Spice (1996). "2 Become 1" is an R&B-influenced pop ballad that features instrumentation from a guitar, an electronic keyboard and string instruments. The lyrics focus on the bonding of two lovers, and also address the importance of contraception. Its Big TV!-directed music video, which features the group performing against time-lapse footage of Times Square in New York City, was completely shot against a blue screen at a studio in London. The backdrop was later superimposed.
Danny Wilson were a Scottish pop band formed in Dundee in 1984. The band was best known for its 1988 UK number 3 hit single "Mary's Prayer".
Free Me is the second studio album by English singer Emma Bunton, released on 9 February 2004 by 19 Recordings. The album peaked at number seven on the UK Albums Chart and spawned three top-10 singles: "Free Me", "Maybe" and "I'll Be There". With this album, Bunton became the only former Spice Girl to have sold more copies of her second album than her first.
"Crickets Sing for Anamaria" is the English-language version of "Os Grilos", a song written by Brazilian musician Marcos Valle with his brother Paulo Sérgio Valle.
A Girl Like Me is the debut solo studio album by English singer Emma Bunton, released on 16 April 2001 by Virgin Records. Following the release of the Spice Girls' third studio album, Forever (2000), the group announced that they were beginning an indefinite hiatus and would be concentrating on their solo careers in regards to their foreseeable future. Recording sessions for Bunton's first solo album took place from July 1999 to October 2000 at several recording studios.
"Lift Me Up" is a song by English singer Geri Halliwell for her debut solo album, Schizophonic (1999). It was written by Halliwell, Andy Watkins and Paul Wilson, whilst produced by the latter two, who are known collectively as Absolute. "Lift Me Up" was released as the album's third single on 1 November 1999 by EMI Records. It debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, winning the chart battle against fellow Spice Girls member Emma Bunton's "What I Am" by 30,000 copies. To promote the single, Halliwell performed the song on Top of the Pops, Pepsi Chart, Musica Si and National Lottery.
"What I Am" is a song written by Edie Brickell and Kenny Withrow and recorded by Edie Brickell & New Bohemians for their debut album, Shooting Rubberbands at the Stars (1988). The song is highlighted by a guitar solo that notably features an envelope filter. It peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100, topped the Canadian RPM 100 Singles chart, and became a top-20 hit in Australia and New Zealand. "What I Am" was ranked number 23 on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest One-Hit Wonders of the 80s".
"What Took You So Long?" is the debut solo single of English singer Emma Bunton from her debut solo studio album, A Girl Like Me (2001). The song was written by Bunton, Richard Stannard, Julian Gallagher, Martin Harrington, John Themis and Dave Morgan, and produced by Stannard and Gallagher in Biffco Studios in Dublin, Ireland. It was released as the album's lead single in the United Kingdom on 2 April 2001. A pop rock song, its sound is influenced by the work of AOR artists such as Sheryl Crow, Gabrielle, and the band Texas. For the lyrics, Bunton explained that the song is about men taking longer than women to realise they are in love, a concept inspired by her past romantic relationships. The song received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, with many of them praising the melody and Bunton's vocal delivery, while others were critical of its production.
"Take My Breath Away" is a song by English singer-songwriter Emma Bunton. Written by Bunton, Steve Mac, and Wayne Hector, it was released on 27 August 2001 in the United Kingdom as the second single from Bunton's debut solo album, A Girl Like Me (2001). The single debuted and peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart. The accompanying music video was shot in Sardinia, Italy, and was directed by Greg Masuak.
"Free Me" is a song by the English singer Emma Bunton from her second solo studio album of the same name (2003). The song was written by Bunton, Hélène Muddiman and Mike Peden, and produced by the latter. It was released on 26 May 2003 as the album's lead single. It debuted and peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Bunton's fourth UK top-five single. The single also peaked at number four on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. An accompanying music video was directed by Tim Royes and filmed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, including locations such as Macumba Beach, Guanabara Bay and the Alto da Boa Vista neighbourhood.
"Maybe" is a song by English singer Emma Bunton from her second studio album, Free Me (2004). It was written by Bunton and Yak Bondy and produced by Mike Peden. The track was released on 13 October 2003 in the United Kingdom by 19 Recordings and Universal Records as the album's second single. "Maybe" is a bubblegum pop song with influences from bossa nova and French music were also noted into its composition. Lyrically, it deals with "missed chances and self-deception" on love.
"I'll Be There" is a song by English singer Emma Bunton from her second solo studio album, Free Me (2004). She cowrote it with Hélène Muddiman and producer Mike Peden. It was released on 26 January 2004 as the album's third single, debuting and peaking at No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart. A black-and-white music video directed by Giuseppe Capotondi was shot in Paris.
Victoria Beckham is the debut and only studio album by English singer Victoria Beckham, released on 1 October 2001 by Virgin Records. Beckham was the last member of the Spice Girls to release her solo debut album, just as she was the last to release her debut solo single. The record was produced by a wide variety of producers, including Johan Åberg, Kenneth Karlin, Steve Kipner, Rhett Lawrence, Harvey Mason Jr., and Soulshock. Beckham co-wrote nine out of the twelve tracks on the standard edition of the album.
Tin Tin Out were an English electronic dance music duo, comprising Darren Stokes and Lindsay Edwards. They remixed songs for a variety of artists such as Duran Duran, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, The Corrs and Des'ree, as well as collaborating with singers such as Shelley Nelson and Emma Bunton, scoring top ten hits with both.
English singer Emma Bunton has released four studio albums, 15 singles and 12 music videos. Her debut solo album A Girl Like Me was released in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2001 by Virgin Records. The album debuted and peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart. On 7 September 2001, A Girl Like Me was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 100,000 copies, ultimately becoming the 147th best-selling album in the UK for 2001. The album brought the UK number-one "What Took You So Long?" as well as top-five hits "What I Am" and "Take My Breath Away" and the top 20 hit "We're Not Gonna Sleep Tonight". The album sold 127,000 copies in the UK.
...her album A Girl Like Me sold poorly and she lost a contract with Virgin Records.