Rozalla

Last updated

Rozalla
Birth nameRozalla Miller
Born (1964-03-18) 18 March 1964 (age 60)
Ndola, Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia)
Genres
Years active1989–present
Labels Epic, Pulse 8

Rozalla Miller (born 18 March 1964), better known as simply Rozalla, is a Zambian-born Zimbabwean electronic music performer who was born in what was then Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia). At the age of 18, she moved with her parents to her father's country of origin, Zimbabwe. She is best known for her three 1991/92 hit singles "Faith (In the Power of Love)", "Are You Ready to Fly", and particularly "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)", which has been remixed and re-issued several times. In December 2016, Billboard magazine ranked her as the 98th most successful dance artist of all-time. [1]

Contents

Musical career

Rozalla began performing at a young age in her native Zambia singing in clubs and at events; then at age 13, she was singing on a children's TV show. Still in her teens, she relocated to Zimbabwe where she fronted various R&B cover bands before beginning her own recording career with a resultant five number-one hits on that nation's chart. [2] In 1988, Rozalla relocated to London with her manager Chris Sergeant and worked with the Band of Gypsies, a production duo consisting of Nigel Swanston and Tim Cox. [3]

Rozalla's first UK single "Born to Luv Ya" became a club hit in 1990. The singer's career really took off when the dance anthem "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)", [3] reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart in 1991. It became a top 10 hit in many European countries soon afterwards and reached the Billboard Top 40 the following year. It remains her biggest hit to date. It was later included on her debut album Everybody's Free , which peaked at number 20 on the UK Albums Chart and went silver. The album spawned two more sizeable hits in "Faith (In the Power of Love)" and "Are You Ready to Fly", reaching number 11 and 14 respectively on the UK Singles Chart, plus a lower charting single with the ballad "Love Breakdown". [4]

In 1992, Rozalla toured with Michael Jackson, opening all of his shows on the European leg of his Dangerous Tour, including the UK. She enjoyed four UK top 40 hits in 1994/95, including her rendition of "I Love Music", the theme song to the film Carlito's Way . The attendant album Look No Further featured more R&B and soul elements than her previous album. [5]

A 1996 remix of "Everybody's Free" reached number 30 on the UK Singles Chart. Her 1998 album Coming Home saw her reunite with the Band of Gypsies and spawned a stateside club hit with its lead single "Don't Go Lose It Baby", produced by Metro. [6]

In 2003, Rozalla entered the lower regions of the UK Singles Chart alongside Plastic Boy with the song "Live Another Life". She issued the jazz/soul album Brand New Version in 2009, adding her surname Miller to her recording guise. She promoted the album by performing as Billy Ocean's support act on his UK tour of 2009. A Global Deejays remix of "Everybody's Free" reached number 7 in Australia in 2009 after it had been used as the theme song to So You Think You Can Dance.

In 2015, Rozalla returned to the top 10 of the Billboard Club Dance charts for the first time since 1994 with her track "If You Say It Again". [7] This was quickly followed by the single "Shadows of the Moon".[ citation needed ]

In February 2024, Rozalla released Turn On the Light via Energise Records, marking her return to the dance-pop sound of her early hits.

Discography

Studio albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions
TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart
positions
AUS
[8]
GER
[9]
NED
[9]
SWE
[9]
SWI
[9]
UK
[10] [11]
Spirit of Africa
  • Released: 1989 (limited release)
  • Format: CD
  • Label: Tusk Music
Everybody's Free
  • Released: 1992
  • Format: CD, LP, CS
  • Label: Pulse-8, Epic
755362363120
Look No Further
  • Released: 1995
  • Format: CD, CS
  • Label: Epic
138
Coming Home
  • Released: 1998
  • Format: CD
  • Label: RM Records, Polygram
Brand New Version
  • Released: 2009
  • Format: CD
  • Label:
Turn On the Light
  • Released: 26 February 2024
  • Format: CD, vinyl, digital
  • Label: Energise Records

Compilation albums

Singles

YearSinglePeak chart positions Certifications
(sales thresholds)
Album
AUS
[8]
AUT
[12]
FRA
[12]
GER
[13]
IRE
[14]
NED
[15]
NZ
[12]
SWE
[12]
SWI
[12]
UK
[10] [16] [11]
US Club
[17]
1990"Born to Luv Ya"126Everybody's Free
1991"Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)"1110868294261
"Faith (In the Power of Love)"621414114
1992"Are You Ready to Fly"882111251632156141
"Love Breakdown"3365
"In 4 Choons Later"50Single only
1993"Don't Play with Me"50Everybody's Free - Style 1993
1994"I Love Music"906939181Look No Further
"This Time I Found Love"33
"You Never Love the Same Way Twice"541611
1995"Baby"23326
"Losing My Religion"
1996"Everybody's Free (Ca$ino Mix)"3014Single only
1997"Coming Home"137Coming Home
1998"Don't Go Lose It Baby"13423
"Friday Night" (with Phat 'N' Phunky)76Singles only
2003"Live Another Life" (with Plastic Boy)55
2014"Can You Feel the Love" (with David Anthony)
2015"Say It Again"5
2019"Turn On the Light"Turn On the Light
2020"Magnificent"
2022"The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)"Single only
2023"Lovefool"Turn On the Light
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released.

See also

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)</span> 1991 single by Rozalla

"Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)" is a song by Zambian-born Zimbabwean singer Rozalla, released in August 1991 as the second single from her second album, Everybody's Free (1992). 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.

References

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