Tanita Tikaram | |
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 Tanita Tikaram in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 12 August 1969 Münster, West Germany |
| Genres | Pop, folk |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, piano, bass guitar |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | Reprise, East West, Naïve |
| Website | Tanita-Tikaram.com |
Tanita Tikaram (born 12 August 1969) [1] is a British pop/folk singer-songwriter. [2] She achieved chart success with the singles "Twist in My Sobriety" and "Good Tradition" from her 1988 debut album, Ancient Heart .
Tikaram was born in Münster, West Germany, [1] the daughter of an Indo-Fijian British Army officer, Pramod Tikaram, and a Sarawakian Malay mother, Fatimah Rohani. [3] Because of her father's military career, she spent her early life in Germany before moving to Basingstoke, Hampshire, England in her early teens. [1] [4] She is the younger sister of the actor Ramon Tikaram and the great-niece of Sir Moti Tikaram, who was the first Lord Chief Justice of an independent Fiji and the world's longest-serving national ombudsman. [5] She attended Queen Mary's College in Basingstoke. [6]
Tikaram started singing in nightclubs while she was still a teenager and came to the attention of WEA Records. Her debut album, Ancient Heart , produced by Rod Argent and Peter Van Hooke, [1] was released in September 1988 when she was 19 years old. [4] The album's first two singles, "Good Tradition" and "Twist in My Sobriety", became top 10 hits around Europe and the album sold around four million copies worldwide. Both the single "Twist In My Sobriety" and Tikaram herself were nominated at the 1989 Brit Awards for Best British Single and Female Artist categories respectively.
A quick succession of albums for WEA – The Sweet Keeper (1990), Everybody's Angel (1991), and Eleven Kinds of Loneliness (1992) – did not achieve the same commercial success, [1] with each album selling fewer than the previous one.[ citation needed ] Her 1992 album Eleven Kinds of Loneliness, which was the first Tikaram fully produced herself, did not chart at all.
Taking a break from the music industry and moving to San Francisco, Tikaram returned in 1995 with the album Lovers in the City , [1] which received better reviews than her previous albums and achieved better sales. Still, it was her last studio album for WEA and her contract was finished in 1996 with the release of the compilation album The Best of Tanita Tikaram .
Signed to Mother Records, Tikaram released The Cappuccino Songs in 1998, and then retired for several years from the music industry, reappearing in 2005 with the album Sentimental , which was released on a French label. In 2012, she released Can't Go Back , her first album in seven years. After 2013, she continued touring the UK and Europe.
Closer to the People was released on 11 March 2016. In December 2015, Tikaram released a videoclip for the song "Food On My Table", although she stated this was not the first single of the album. The first single, "Glass Love Train", was released on 22 January 2016.
She performed as a special guest at Glastonbury Festival's Abbey Extravaganza in September 2021. [7]
Tikaram moved from Basingstoke to the Primrose Hill area of north London when she became successful and, as of 2016, still lived there. [8]
In an interview with British lesbian magazine Diva , published in 2017, Tikaram said that she had been in a relationship with multimedia artist Natacha Horn for the past five years, [9] who had produced several of her videos. [10]
| Year | Awards | Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | MTV Video Music Awards | "Twist in My Sobriety" | Best Female Video | Nominated | |
| Best Cinematography | |||||
| Brit Awards | Best British Single | ||||
| Herself | Best British Female | ||||
| Music & Media Year-End Awards | Female Artist of the Year | 3rd place | [11] | ||
| 1990 | D&AD Awards | "Cathedral Song" | Most Outstanding Pop Promo - Yellow Pencil | Won | [12] |
| 1995 | "I Might Be Crying" | Photography - Yellow Pencil | Won | [13] | |
| Individual Video - Graphite Pencil | Won | [14] |
Sirenia is a Norwegian gothic metal band from Stavanger, founded in 2001 by Morten Veland.
"Twist in My Sobriety" is a song written and performed by British singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram. Released as a single in October 1988 from her debut album, Ancient Heart (1988), it was Tikaram's biggest international success, achieving top-10 placings in several European countries. The song reached number two in both Austria and West Germany. Its music video was directed by Gerard de Thame and filmed in Bolivia.
"Good Tradition" is a song, written and originally recorded by British pop/folk singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram, released as the first single from her debut album, Ancient Heart (1988). When it was released, it went largely unnoticed and attracted little media attention. The song therefore did not get much airplay, but weeks after its release, the single started climbing up the charts and finally reached #10 at the UK Singles Chart in August 1988.
Ancient Heart is the debut studio album by British pop/folk singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram, initially released by Warner Music Group on 12 September 1988. The album had huge success and was a hit globally, launching 19-year-old Tikaram's mainstream career. Guest musicians include Rod Argent, Mark Isham, Peter Van Hooke, Paul Brady, and Brendan Croker; Argent and Van Hooke also produced the album. Four singles were released from the album: "Good Tradition", "Twist in My Sobriety", "Cathedral Song" and "World Outside Your Window".
Sentimental is the seventh studio album by Tanita Tikaram, released in 2005. The album was released only on the French label Naïve Records.
The Cappuccino Songs is the sixth studio album by British singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram, released by Mother in 1998.
Lovers in the City is the fourth studio album by Tanita Tikaram, released by East West Records in 1995. Jennifer Warnes provided backing vocals on four tracks on the album. One of these songs, "I Might Be Crying", was released as lead single. A video for this single was filmed in Vietnam. The album reached No. 75 in the UK charts. "I Might Be Crying" was the first single to be released from the album, and peaked at number 64 in the UK. "Wonderful Shadow" was the second single to be released and peaked at number 198 in the UK. "Yodelling Song" was the third and last single to be released and then only in some countries in continental Europe.
Eleven Kinds of Loneliness is the fourth studio album by Tanita Tikaram, released in 1992. All songs were written and produced by the singer herself. "You Make the Whole World Cry" was the only single to be released from this album.
Everybody's Angel is the third studio album by Tanita Tikaram, released in 1991.
The Sweet Keeper is the second studio album by British pop/folk singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram, released in 1990. Like her debut album Ancient Heart (1988), it was produced by Peter Van Hooke and Rod Argent. Three tracks from the album were released as singles: "We Almost Got It Together", "Little Sister Leaving Town" and "Thursday's Child".
The Best of Tanita Tikaram is the first compilation by pop singer Tanita Tikaram, released in 1996 by East West Records. Containing fifteen songs from 1988 to 1995, it also included one new track "And I Think of You - E penso a te" which was released as a promotional single and a special remix of her biggest hit "Twist in My Sobriety" which was also released as a single in UK.
"We Almost Got It Together" is a song by British singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram, released in 1990 as the lead single from her second studio album, The Sweet Keeper (1990). It was written by Tikaram, and produced by Peter van Hooke and Rod Argent. The song was a top 30 hit in Finland, Ireland and Italy, while peaking within the top 40 in Belgium and the Netherlands.
"Little Sister Leaving Town" is a song by British singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram, released in 1990 as the second single from her second studio album The Sweet Keeper. It was written by Tikaram, and produced by Peter van Hooke and Rod Argent.
"Only The Ones We Love" is a song by British singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram, which was released in 1991 as the lead single from her third studio album Everybody's Angel. It was written by Tikaram, and produced by Tikaram, Peter van Hooke and Rod Argent.
"I Might Be Crying" is a song by British singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram, which was released in 1995 as the lead single from her fifth studio album Lovers in the City.
"Wonderful Shadow" is a song by British singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram, which was released in 1995 as the second single from her fifth studio album Lovers in the City. The song was solely written and produced by Tikaram. "Wonderful Shadow" reached No. 198 on the UK Singles Chart in April 1995.
"Stop Listening" is a song by British singer-songwriter Tanita Tikaram, which was released in 1998 as the lead single from her sixth studio album The Cappuccino Songs. The song was written by Tikaram and Marco Sabiu, and produced by Sabiu. "Stop Listening" reached No. 67 on the UK Singles Chart and remained in the Top 100 for two weeks.
Can't Go Back is the eighth studio album released by the British singer Tanita Tikaram. Released in September 2012 through Ear Music, the album marked Tikaram's first album in 7 years, after 2005's Sentimental.
Closer to the People is the ninth studio album by the British singer Tanita Tikaram. The record was released on 11 March 2016 through Ear Music, an imprint of German-based label Edel Music. The album also produced two singles: "Glass Love Train" and "The Way You Move".
"You Make the Whole World Cry" is the only single to be released from the album Eleven Kinds of Loneliness by British musician Tanita Tikaram. The record was issued on 10 February 1992 via East West Records label. In 1996 the song was included in her album The Best of Tanita Tikaram.
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