Corinne Bailey Rae

This article is about the singer. For her self-titled album, see Corinne Bailey Rae (album).
Corinne Bailey Rae

Bailey Rae at the 2009 MOJO Awards
Background information
Birth name Corinne Jacqueline Bailey
Born (1979-02-26) 26 February 1979
Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
Genres
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, guitarist
Instruments Vocals, guitar, tambourine
Years active 2005–present
Labels EMI, Capitol, Virgin
Website corinnebaileyrae.com
Notable instruments
Gibson Hummingbird[1]

Corinne Bailey Rae (born Corinne Jacqueline Bailey; 26 February 1979) is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist from Leeds, West Yorkshire. Bailey Rae was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2006 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2006.[2] She released her debut album, Corinne Bailey Rae, in February 2006, and became the fourth female British act in history to have her first album debut at number one.[3][4] In 2007, Bailey Rae was nominated for three Grammy Awards and three Brit Awards, and won two MOBO Awards. In 2008, she won a Grammy Award for Album of the Year (for her work as a featured artist in Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters).[5]

Bailey Rae released her second album, The Sea, on 26 January 2010, after a hiatus of almost three years. It was produced by Steve Brown and Steve Chrisanthou (who produced her debut album in 2006).[6][7] She was nominated for the 2010 Mercury Prize for Album of the Year. In 2012, she won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance (for "Is This Love)".[8] Bailey Rae was married to fellow musician Jason Rae from 2001 until his death in 2008, and as part of the grieving process, she channelled her emotions into her music.[3][9] Her two albums have together sold over five million copies worldwide.

Early life

Bailey Rae was born in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, to a Kittitian father and an English mother, as the oldest of three daughters, including her siblings, Candice Bailey and actress Rhea Bailey. Bailey Rae began her musical career at school, where she studied classical violin before she turned her attention to singing: "I started off singing in church, I suppose, but people think it must have been a gospel church because of the whole, you know, black assumption," she said in reference to her multi-racial background... "But it wasn't gospel at all, it was just your regular Brethren church, very middle-class, where we would sing these harmonies every Sunday. It was always my favourite part of the service, the singing."[10] Bailey Rae later transferred to a Baptist church, where the youth leader coached rock bands in the local high school. The church's young people wrote their own worship songs and sang covers of songs by Primal Scream. "We changed the words though," Bailey Rae states on her website. "We didn't want to offend the regular churchgoers."[10] She recorded two albums with the youth group under the name of Revive.[11] Performing in church broadened Bailey Rae's musical horizons, and her love for making music was solidified after the church youth leader offered to lend her the money for her first guitar. In her mid-teens, she was highly influenced by Lenny Kravitz, also discovering rock legends Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. "I loved that band during my teens; I wanted, somehow, to follow in their footsteps, and to create music of my own."[10]

Personal life

Bailey Rae studied English Literature at the University of Leeds where she graduated in 2000. While at University, she began work as a hat check girl on an evening in her local jazz club.

Corinne Bailey met Scottish-born Jason Rae in a jazz club in Leeds where she had a part-time job tending bar & cloakroom attending.[12] When they were wed in 2001, she, at the age of twenty-two, changed her name to Bailey Rae.[13] Jason Rae (born in 1976), a musician, played saxophone for the eight-piece group called Haggis Horns,[14] and had also recorded on albums with his wife Bailey Rae, Amy Winehouse, the New Mastersounds and Martina Topley-Bird (Quixotic). On 22 March 2008, Jason Rae was found dead in a flat in the Hyde Park area of Leeds.[15][16][17][18] In December 2008, Leeds Coroner's Court gave a verdict of death by misadventure, and stated that Rae had died of an accidental overdose of methadone and alcohol.[19] The methadone had been prescribed to a friend who was recovering from an addiction to heroin.[20] Commenting on her husband's death, Bailey Rae stated, "He was impulsive, I guess. He liked to have a drink, have fun. It could easily have turned out to be one of those stupid, drunken things you do that you get to talk about afterwards...It's unbelievable that this one didn't turn out like that, that this was the drunken, curious thing that went wrong."[20]

In 2013, Bailey Rae married producer Steve Brown.[21]

Music career

1998–2003: Beginnings

Bailey Rae formed an indie group called Helen, which was inspired by similar acts such as Veruca Salt and L7. "It was the first time I'd seen women with guitars. They were kinda sexy—but feminist. I wanted to be like that, at the front of something."[22] The group raised eyebrows on several fronts; in the white male-dominated world of indie music, they were a mainly female group, fronted by a mixed-race singer from Leeds. The group played many gigs around Leeds and, whilst unable to attract offers from any UK labels, were eventually approached by US-based heavy metal record label Roadrunner Records, home to acts such as Slipknot, in 1998. This deal disappeared before it was even signed, however, after the bassist became pregnant and the group disbanded. "[Was I] Disappointed? I was gutted! I had no idea what to do next."

In the three years after she got married, Bailey Rae began working on solo material—this time steering away from her indie past and embarking on a more "soulful" path. She collaborated with Leeds-based funk group the New Mastersounds on the track "Your Love Is Mine," featured on their 2003 album Be Yourself, released via One Note Records. The following year she again worked with another Leeds-based group, Homecut Directive, on the song "Come the Revolution", which was the first single from the group's debut album.

2004–2008: Debut album and hiatus

Corinne Bailey Rae performing live at the V Festival on 18 August 2007

In 2004, Bailey Rae got a breakthrough when she was signed by Global Talent Publishing and then approached by Craig David's mentor Mark Hill, from the duo the Artful Dodger, to appear on his new album better luck next time under his new alias, the stiX. The resulting collaboration, "Young and Foolish", was released in April 2005 and brought Bailey Rae to the attention of the major record label bosses.

Bailey Rae released her debut single, "Like a Star", in November 2005 and her first album, Corinne Bailey Rae, in February 2006. It debuted at number one in the UK and entered the top ten of the U.S.Billboard 200, peaking at number four and spending 71 weeks in the chart from 2006 to 2008. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album sold 1.9 million copies in the United States alone.[23]

The lead single, "Like a Star" became a hit in the UK and US, and sold over 327,000 US downloads. Follow-up single "Put Your Records On", her biggest hit to date, rose to number two in the UK, and sold over 945,000 US downloads. "Trouble Sleeping" made the top forty, and "I'd Like To", the top seventy. In the middle of 2006, Bailey Rae embarked on her first international tour through Europe and North America with R&B singer John Legend, playing 55 shows including the festivals Rock in Rio Lisboa 2 and Live Earth. In early April 2006, Corinne Bailey Rae was certified 2x platinum by the BPI[24] and platinum by the RIAA in December.[25] In September 2006, Bailey Rae scooped two awards at the UK's MOBO Awards: "Best UK Newcomer" and "Best UK Female". Bailey Rae recorded a live session at Abbey Road Studios in July 2006 for Live from Abbey Road.

Bailey Rae was the musical guest in a 2006 episode of Saturday Night Live with the host being Jaime Pressly. She performed "Put Your Records On" and "Like a Star". She also appeared on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip on the episode "B-12", which aired in November 2006, with Howie Mandel. She performed "Like a Star" and "Trouble Sleeping". Also in 2006, Bailey Rae performed on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge with the songs "Like a Star", a cover version of Editors' "Munich", and a cover version of Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack".[26]

Bailey Rae also received three nominations at the 2007 Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year (both for "Put Your Records On"), and Best New Artist. During the ceremony, she performed "Like a Star" and joined John Legend and John Mayer in a collaborative performance, providing accompanying vocals to Legend's "Coming Home" and Mayer's "Gravity".[27]

Also in 2007, Bailey Rae accepted an invitation to participate Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino (Vanguard Records), where she contributed her version of Domino's "One Night (of Sin)". She also recorded John Lennon's "I'm Losing You" for Make Some Noise, Amnesty International's music venture. The song was also released on the 2007 John Lennon tribute album, "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur". In July of that year, Bailey Rae performed at the UK leg of Live Earth at Wembley Stadium, London.

In 2008, Like a Star was nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year. Bailey Rae won in two categories for Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Jazz Album for her collaboration on River: The Joni Letters. Also in 2008, she recorded a live session of "River" with Hancock at Abbey Road Studios in for Live from Abbey Road for Channel 4 which was broadcast on Series 2.[28]

During the American and European tour, Bailey Rae recorded her first DVD with the title Live in London & New York. The DVD was filmed in London and the bonus CD was recorded in New York.

2009–2011: The Sea and The Love EP

Rae performing at Le Divan du Monde, 2010
Corinne Bailey Rae performing live in 2006

Corinne Bailey Rae released her new album titled The Sea on 26 January 2010,[29] four years after the release of her first album and almost two years following the death of her husband Jason Rae.[20] The lead single "I'd Do It All Again" premiered on 25 November in 2009 on Later... with Jools Holland.[30] The follow-up single "Closer" was added to Smooth Jazz Radio on 25 January, Urban AC on 1 February and AC radio in late February. The album's second single "Paris Nights and New York Mornings" went to Triple A radio on 15 February.[31][32] Around the release of the second album, Corinne did a run of promotional shows in the UK, Europe and US, she embarked on her second world tour, The Sea Tour, with 82 concerts, and had a gross profit of $19 million. The tour visited UK, Europe, US (Spring and Summer) Brazil, Argentina, Japan, Korea, Singapore and Middle East. The tour began on 27 February 2010 in London and her last show was on 10 March 2011 in Korea. Her summer concert in London at Somerset House sold out, and she returned to London again in October to perform in Royal Festival Hall with Pete Lawrie as a supporting act.

In December 2009, Bailey Rae recorded a live performance in New York City that was broadcast in the summer of 2010 on the US television program Live From the Artists Den.[33]

On 2 June 2010, Bailey Rae appeared with Herbie Hancock, singing "Blackbird" in a concert honouring Paul McCartney in the East Room of the White House.[34]

On 25 January 2011, Bailey released an EP, The Love EP, with five recordings of love songs, including Prince's "I Wanna Be Your Lover", Bob Marley's "Is This Love" and Paul McCartney & Wings' "My Love". The EP debuted at number 86 on the Billboard 200 and still managed the Top 20 in Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The EP has sold 15,000 copies in the U.S. The first single, "Is This Love", won Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance at 54th Grammy Awards.

Bailey Rae made an appearance as a musical guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on 28 October 2010, covering the Bob Marley song "Is This Love".

On 14 July 2011, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Leeds where she had studied as an undergraduate.

During an interview for the 2011 Mercury Awards, Corinne revealed she is writing a follow-up album to her critically acclaimed The Sea. She has uploaded many photos of herself in various studios recording music for the new album to her social media accounts.

In 2013, Bailey Rae was moved from Capitol Records to Virgin Records due to corporate restructuring as a result of their parent company being purchased by Universal Music Group in 2012.

2016–: The Heart Speaks in Whispers

On 14 February 2016, Rae presented her comeback into music by sharing a snippet of her new single. On 26 February, Rae announced the title of her upcoming album, The Heart Speaks in Whispers, which will be released on 13 May 2016. The lead single off the album, Been to the Moon, was also released.

Other ventures

"Like a Star" is part of the soundtracks of several films, series and soap operas, such as Cashmere Mafia, 27 Dresses, Men in Trees, Nancy Drew, Perfect Stranger, Medium, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Venus, Grey's Anatomy, Criminal Minds and Sete Pecados. "Put Your Records On" appears in the 6th episode of the series By Any Means.

In the film Venus, six songs from the debut album were included on the soundtrack of the film, which are "I'd Like To", "Another Rainy Day", "Choux Pastry Heart", "Put Your Records On", " Like a Star", " Breathless". The song "I'd Like To", from Bailey Rae's debut album, was also featured in the soundtrack for the movie He's Just Not That Into You (2009). It can also be heard on an episode of CSI:NY.

Bailey Rae is the special ambassador for the charity Cord.[35] She is also the central ambassador for the international water and sanitation charity Pump Aid. In September 2012, she was featured in a campaign called "30 Songs/30 Days" to support Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, a multi-platform media project inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn’s book.[36]

Discography

Filmography

List of television credits
Year Title Role Notes
2006 Saturday Night Live Herself / Musical Guest "Jaime Pressly/Corinne Bailey Rae" (Season 32, Episode 2)
2006 Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip Herself "B-12" (Season 1, Episode 10, uncredited)
2011 Project Runway Herself/Audience "Finale Part Two" (Season 9, Episode 14)

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are awarded annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Bailey Rae has won two awards from six nominations. She won Album of the Year as a featured artist on Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters.[5]

Year Recipient/Nominated work Award Result
2007 Corinne Bailey Rae Best New Artist Nominated
"Put Your Records On" Record of the Year Nominated
Song of the Year Nominated
2008 "Like a Star" Song of the Year Nominated
River: The Joni Letters (featured artist) Album of the Year Won
2012 "Is This Love" Best R&B Performance Won

Others awards and nominations

Year Result Award Category Nominated Work
2006 Nominated BET Awards BET J Cool Like Dat Award General
Nominated MTV Europe Music Awards Best UK & Ireland Act General
Nominated MTV Woodie Awards International Woodie (Favorite International Artist) General
Nominated UK Festival Music Awards Best Urban Act General
Nominated Premios 40 Principales Mejor Artista Nuevo Internacional General
Nominated MOBO Awards Best Song "Put Your Records On"
Won Best UK Female General
Won Best UK Newcomer General
Won MOJO Awards Best New Act General
Won Q Awards Best New Act General
2007 Nominated BET Awards Best New Artist General
Nominated Best Female R&B Artist General
Nominated BRIT Award Best British Single "Put Your Records On"
Nominated British Female Artist General
Nominated British Breakthrough Act General
Nominated Teen Choice Awards Best Female Breakthrough Artist General
Nominated ECHO Awards International Newcomer of the Year General
Nominated Ivor Novello Awards PRS Most Performed Work General
Nominated MOBO Awards Best UK Female General
Nominated NAACP Image Awards Outstanding Album Corinne Bailey Rae
Nominated Outstanding Female Artist General
Won Outstanding New Artist General
Won Music Week Awards International Marketing Campaign of the Year General
Won European Border Breakers Awards (EBBA) United Kingdom General
Nominated Kickers Urban Music Award Best Neo Soul Act Corinne Bailey Rae
Nominated Best Crossover Chart Act General
Nominated Urban Music Awards Best Neo Soul Act General
Won BMI Pop Awards Song of the Year "Put Your Records On"
2010 Nominated Mercury Prize Album of the Year The Sea
Nominated Q Awards Best Female Act Corinne Bailey Rae
Nominated MOBO Awards Best UK R&B Soul Act Act Corinne Bailey Rae
Nominated American Smooth Jazz Awards Best Female Act Corinne Bailey Rae
Nominated BET Awards Best International Act Corinne Bailey Rae
Nominated Soul Train Music Awards Centric Award Corinne Bailey Rae

References

  1. ↑ Gibson Black History Month Salutes: Corrine Bailey Rae Retrieved on 6 March 2007.
  2. ↑ "Sound of 2006: The Top 10". BBC News. 6 January 2006. Retrieved 14 January 2007.
  3. 1 2 Making my new album helped me come to terms with husband's drug death, reveals Corinne Bailey Rae Daily Mail. Retrieved 20 March 2012
  4. ↑ Britain’s wealthiest women – Corinne Bailey Rae Cosmopolitan. Retrieved 20 March 2012
  5. 1 2 EMI Artists and Songwriters Among Winners at the 54th Annual Grammys EMI Music. Retrieved 20 March 2012
  6. ↑ "Music – News – Bailey Rae announces new album details – Digital Spy". Digital Spy. 22 October 2009. Retrieved 22 October 2009.
  7. ↑ Canal Pop: Corinne Bailey Rae lança novo álbum em 2010. Territorio.terra.com.br. Retrieved on 2012-01-01.
  8. ↑ Corinne Bailey Rae Wins Best R&B Performance Grammy.com. Retrieved 20 March 2012
  9. ↑ After loss, Corinne Bailey Rae heals with music msnbc. Retrieved 20 March 2012
  10. 1 2 3 "The official Corinne Bailey Rae site". Retrieved 9 March 2006.
  11. ↑ "Albums available here". Retrieved 22 January 2010.
  12. ↑ Tributes for Bailey Rae's husband, BBC News, 24 March 2008.
  13. ↑ Simpson, Dave (11 November 2005). "I was speechless, just squeaking!". London: Guardian. Retrieved 18 June 2008.
  14. ↑ Pareles, Jon (13 July 2007). "A D.J. Segues to His Other Job, His Band Close at Hand". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  15. ↑ "Bailey Rae's husband found dead". BBC News. 25 March 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  16. ↑ "Singer's husband dies of suspected overdose". Yorkshire Post. 23 March 2008. Retrieved 24 March 2008.
  17. ↑ "Husband of singer Corinne Bailey Rae dead". Miami Herald. 23 March 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  18. ↑ "Corinne Bailey Rae's husband 'found dead'". Telegraph.co.uk (London). 23 March 2008. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  19. ↑ Overdose Killed Singer's Husband BBC, 22 December 2008
  20. 1 2 3 O'Hagan, Sean (4 October 2009). "Corinne Bailey Rae: 'It happened to me. It could happen to anyone at any time'". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 30 April 2010.
  21. ↑ Corinne Bailey Rae: The soul survivor on finishing her album after her husband died and finding love again Independent, 26 February 2016
  22. ↑ Simpson, Dave (11 November 2005). "'I was speechless, just squeaking!'". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 9 March 2006.
  23. ↑ Corinne Bailey Rae Music News & Info. Billboard.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-01.
  24. ↑ "Certified Awards Search". Retrieved 23 October 2009.Enter Corinne Bailey Rae in the search field
  25. ↑ "RIAA – Searchable Database". RIAA. Retrieved 18 April 2008.
  26. ↑ Jo's Live Lounge Description; www.bbc.co.uk.
  27. ↑ "Stevie: Please Keep Listening, Boomers". KCNC-TV. 11 February 2007. Archived from the original on 2 July 2007. Retrieved 12 February 2007.
  28. ↑ Cashmere, Paul, (21 June 2008) "Corrine Bailey Rae and Herbie Hancock To Do Joni At Abbey Road". Undercover Media. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  29. ↑ Capitol Records News. Capitolrecords.com. Retrieved on 2012-01-01.
  30. ↑ Two Programmes – Later... with Jools Holland, Series 35, Episode 10. BBC. Retrieved on 2012-01-01.
  31. ↑ "Corinne Bailey Rae". Corinnebaileyrae.net. Retrieved 2013-02-19.
  32. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20110724084150/http://www.stjoenews.net/news/2010/jan/12/grammy-winner-corinne-bailey-rae-launches-new-albu/. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  33. ↑ Live From The Artists Den: Corinne Bailey Rae. KPBS.org (2010-07-22). Retrieved on 2012-01-01.
  34. ↑ Schulman, Kori (3 June 2010). "Honoring Sir Paul McCartney". The White House. Retrieved 31 July 2010.
  35. ↑ Acclaimed songstress Corinne Bailey Rae is Cord’s Special Ambassador
  36. ↑ "30 Songs / 30 Days for Half the Sky | Half The Sky". Halftheskymovement.org. 2012-08-30. Retrieved 2013-02-19.

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