Delta Goodrem

Birthname: Delta Lea Goodrem
Date of birth: 1984-11-09
Birthplace: Sydney, Australia
Height: 5' 1
Profession: Singer, and actress

Delta Lea Goodrem (born November 9, 1984) is a multi-ARIA Award winning Australian singer-songwriter, pianist and actress.
Signed to Sony at the age of 15, Goodrem rose to prominence in 2002 as a result of her role in the Australian television series Neighbours. She has become one of Australia's highest selling recording artists, her albums Innocent Eyes and Mistaken Identity both entering the Australian charts at number one with multi-platinum sales. Goodrem has to date, achieved seven number one singles and in mid-2005, embarked on The Visualise Tour, her debut concert tour of Australia. In 2003, at the age of 18, Goodrem was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a form of cancer. She has since made a full recovery.

Biography

Childhood and discovery

Goodrem was born on November 9, 1984 in Sydney, New South Wales and is the daughter of Denis and Lea Goodrem. She has a younger brother named Trent. Goodrem showed a strong interest in music and performing from a very young age. At five, she performed Olivia Newton John's "Hopelessly Devoted to You" for her father's fortieth birthday. She attended The Hills Grammar School in the Sydney suburb of Dural, though due to her school placing strong emphasis on sport (Goodrem taking part in numerous activities such as netball, running and swimming), music was primarily kept separate. At the age of seven, she appeared in an American commercial for the Galoob toy company, starring alongside fellow Australian performer Bec Cartwright. She began learning the piano at the age of ten, took up singing, dancing and acting lessons and appeared in numerous television commercials and shows. At twelve, she was signed as the Nesquik girl for four years. Goodrem also made small appearances in episodes of successful Australian shows Hey Dad...!, A Country Practice and Police Rescue. She saved up the money she earnt from these roles to go towards recording a demo CD.
At the age of thirteen, Goodrem recorded a demo CD with five songs she had written (as well the Australian national anthem) and sent the CD out to family and friends. A girlfriend of Goodrem's sent it to the Sydney Swans Football Club (of which Goodrem is a supporter) and they passed it onto another Swans fan, Glenn Wheatley, the manager behind successful Australian artists such as Little River Band and John Farnham. Interested to see if Goodrem had potential as a recording artist, Wheatley signed Goodrem an artist development deal with independent label, Empire Records. Between June 1999 to September 2000, Goodrem worked with producers Paul Higgins and Trevor Carter on thirteen tracks for an album called Delta, which saw "an ambitious 15-year-old keen to emulate the pop sound of the Spice Girls, Britney Spears and Mandy Moore". The album has yet to surface, Goodrem preventing its release years later via civil action in 2004.

Music career

2001-2003: Career launch and Innocent Eyes

At the age of fifteen, Goodrem landed a record deal with Sony and began work on an album of pop-dance songs with various producers and songwriters (including Mark Holden). In November 2001, at the age of sixteen, Goodrem's debut single "I Don't Care", written and produced by Steve Kipner (responsible for Christina Aguilera's "Genie in a Bottle") launched her professional singing career. The single was unsuccessful when it peak at #64 on the ARIA Singles chart and as a result, the album and proposed second single "A Year Ago Today" (for which a music video was created) were scrapped. The failure of "I Don't Care" allowed Goodrem and Sony to re-evaluate the future musical direction of her career. The following year, Goodrem joined the cast of Neighbours.
" (2003) cemented Goodrem's rising popularity.]]
In November 2002, Goodrem released the first single from her debut album, "Born to Try". A drastic change from the bubblegum pop of her debut single, this piano-based ballad debuted at #3 on the ARIA Singles chart before climbing to #1, becoming the third highest selling single of 2002. In January 2003, follow up single, "Lost Without You", topped the charts for two weeks while cementing Goodrem's popularity amongst the general Australian public. In the UK, she released "Born to Try" where it debuted and peaked at #3.
Her debut album Innocent Eyes, a collection of light pop tracks and big ballads (most of which were either written or co-written by Goodrem), was released in March 2003, debuting at #1. The third single, the title track "Innocent Eyes", debuted at #2 and peaked at #1. Promotion for the single included a Melbourne instore in which Goodrem signed autographs for a record eight hours to an estimated crowd of 10,000 people. In the UK, "Lost Without You" debuted at #4 while the album debuted and peaked at #2, going on to sell over 750,000 copies. Following UK single, "Innocent Eyes" became another top ten. In July, it was announced that Goodrem had been diagnosed with cancer.
"Not Me, Not I" became Goodrem's fourth consecutive Australian #1, beating the previous effort of three #1's from Kylie Minogue's debut Kylie album. She also became the only international or Australian act in history to be credited as the performer and writer of four ARIA #1 hits. The music video for "Not Me, Not I" was recorded close after the announcement of her cancer diagnosis and was the last kind of work Goodrem would undertake before beginning treatment. In early October, it was announced that Goodrem would not renew her contract with Glenn Wheatley, Lea Goodrem replacing him as her manager. Later the same month, Goodrem won a staggering seven ARIA Awards including "Best Female Artist", surpassing Natalie Imbruglia's previous record of six awards in 1999. Too unwell to perform at the ceremony, former Savage Garden singer Darren Hayes performed a rendition of "Lost Without You" as a tribute to her, bringing an overwhelmed Goodrem to tears. The final Australian single and fifth #1 from Innocent Eyes, "Predictable" was released in December and featured a cover of John Lennon's "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)". A promo single of "Throw It Away" was released to the UK media early 2004. Although not comerically released, it was avaliable to download online.
In the first week of December 2003, Innocent Eyes broke an Australian record previously held by John Farnham's Whispering Jack (1986), staying at #1 for 25 consecutive weeks. It was the highest selling album in Australia of 2003. In total, Innocent Eyes spent 29 weeks at #1, tied with Neil Diamond's Hot August Night (1972), as the second longest charting number-one album in Australian history. Innocent Eyes has been certified 14x platinum in Australia alone, while the album has sold close to three million copies worldwide.

2004-2005: Mistaken Identity and The Visualise Tour

After announcing in late December 2003 that she was in remission, Goodrem began work on her second album. In October 2004, she released the first single, "Out of the Blue". The ballad, co-written with UK songwriter-producer Guy Chambers, was well received by the public, debuting at #1, certified platinum. Goodrem performed "Out of the Blue" for the first time at the 2004 ARIA Awards. In the UK, the single debuted at #9.
Goodrem's second album Mistaken Identity was released on November 7, 2004 and debuted at #1 in Australia, also charting in the UK, New Zealand, Germany and Switzerland. The album is noted for its darker lyrics and mature themes, many of the songs (most notably "Extraordinary Day") detailing the hardships of Goodrem's previous twelve months while undergoing cancer treatment. The album's second Australian single, the title track "Mistaken Identity", debuted and peaked at #7 in January 2005, breaking Goodrem's string of consecutive #1 singles. The track was not promoted by Goodrem as she busy in the UK, promoting her second UK single "Almost Here", a duet with Irish singer and former Westlife member Brian McFadden. The duet debuted at #3, her equal best, although no further UK singles were released from Mistaken Identity. In Australia, "Almost Here" debuted at #1 and was certified platinum, becoming Goodrem's seventh #1. In May 2005, the fourth single from Mistaken Identity, the up-tempo track "A Little Too Late", proved far less successful than Goodrem's previous efforts, debuting and peaking at #13.

In July 2005, Goodrem embarked on her first headline concert tour, The Visualise Tour. She began with a "preview show" in Newcastle, before heading to Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra. The tour came under criticism when tickets were put on sale for $99 Australian dollars ($199 for VIP tickets); higher than most international acts touring in Australia at the time and this led to initially slow sales. By the time the concerts were due to take place, many venues sold out after tickets were reduced to $60. Once the tour concluded, over 80,000 tickets had been bought in total making the The Visualise Tour one of Australia's highest selling local tours.
A fifth single from Mistaken Identity, the inspirational ballad "Be Strong" (written for the late cancer sufferer Belinda Emmett) was released in September 2005 as a digital-only single. The b-sides featured live tour performances of "Be Strong" and "Last Night on Earth" and at one stage of the download chart, all three songs made up the top three. The DVD was released in November 2005 and became Goodrem's second consectutive #1 DVD when it debuted on the ARIA DVD chart.

2005-present: Post-Mistaken Identity activities

In April 2005, Goodrem's international record contract was extended to the United States with Columbia Records, an imprint of Sony Music. She relocated herself in New York and starred in North American soap opera series North Shore in an attempt to break into the American market, performing her first US single "Lost Without You" on the show. Reports soon began to circulate that Columbia had issued an ultimatum with Goodrem, asking to drop mother Lea Goodrem as her manager.. The rumour was denied by both Goodrem and her mother, stating that Lea was to remain as Goodrem's manager in Australia, and that there had always been plans to hire a separate manager in the US. On June 28 2005, a new, re-recorded version of "Lost Without You" was released to digital download stores, such as iTunes, receiving early spins on Adult Contemporary radio stations across America. Goodrem attended the 2005 American Music Awards, winning the award for "Highest Selling Australian Artist". The single however, proved of only limited success, peaking at #18 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, but failing to enter The Billboard Hot 100. There were plans to release a hybrid of her first two albums, entitled Born to Try, though after numerous delays, this now looks unlikely to occur. In an interview, Goodrem confirmed that she had put America on hold and instead wished to concentrate on her third studio album.
On March 15, 2006, Goodrem performed a brand new song "Together We Are One" at the MCG for the opening ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games. Written by Goodrem, Brian McFadden and Guy Chambers especially for the ceremony, the performance saw Goodrem surrounded by fireworks in front of 80,000 spectators and up to 1.5 billion television viewers worldwide. Due to pressure from fans, "Together We Are One" was released as an Australian single in April and debuted at #2 on the ARIA Singles chart. The song was performed on American television by the final five contestants of American Idol. In June, Goodrem signed to Modest! Entertainment for her world-wide management in the lead up to the release of her third studio album, which is due for release in early to mid-2007.
" which will appear in the upcoming Japanese film, Adiantum Blue. The album debuted at #17 on the Japanese international chart (excluding Japanese artists) and #24 on the official Japanese album chart (including Japanese artists). As of November 2006, due to her appearance on Music Station (highly popular music TV in Japan) and her instores, the album has to date peaked at #8 on the Japanese international chart and #19 on the official Japanese album chart.
In Los Angeles earlier this year, Goodrem recorded a duet with Tony Bennett on his song "Steppin' Out With My Baby" for the Australian edition of his album , released in September 2006. She also features on the new Westlife album The Love Album on a cover of "All Out of Love". Goodrem performed the song with Westlife on The X Factor on 18 November 2006. She is currently in L.A., writing and producing material for her third studio album.
In early December 2006, a song named "On My Own" was leaked onto the internet and was available for download on various websites. It talks of losing herself and is believed to have been written about her break up with Mark Philippoussis. It is also believe to have been recorded around the same time as Mistaken Identity but did not make the final cut.

Acting career

In 2002, Goodrem took up the role as shy school girl and aspiring singer Nina Tucker in the long-running Australian soap Neighbours. Like former Neighbours actresses turned pop singers, Kylie Minogue and Natalie Imbruglia, the show helped Goodrem launch her career as a singer. Her single "Born to Try" premiered on the show when Tucker's singing talents were discovered by her friend Connor O'Neill. Other key storylines involving Tucker include her love affair with Jack Scully as well as the relationship with her mother Trixie Tucker. Goodrem ceased work on the show when diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma in mid-2003, but following her recovery, made a brief return to the show. Goodrem's role scored her a Silver Logie for "Most Popular New Talent" at the 2003 Logie Awards and two other nominations at the 2004 Logie Awards. Since Neighbours, Goodrem has appeared in the last two episodes of short-lived American series, North Shore, playing a singer named Taylor Ward.
In March 2005, she starred in her first film role of Hating Alison Ashley, a movie based on the popular children's novel, Goodrem acting the title character). Despite a #4 debut on the Australian box office charts, the film performed poorly overall. Some critics accused Goodrem's performance of being too robotic and detached.

Personal life

Cancer

On July 8, 2003, at the age of 18, Goodrem was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a form of cancer which attacks the body's immune system. As a result, she was forced to put all working commitments on hold while undertaking treatment for the disease. In an exclusive interview with the Australian Women's Weekly, Goodrem revealed that her body had been giving warning signs since 2002. Symptoms included a head to toe rash, fatigue, weight loss, night sweats and appearance of a lump on her neck. "I was doing sit-ups when I felt something pop in my neck. I reached down and I felt a small lump at the base of my throat. It wasn't sore, it wasn't visible, but I could feel it."As part of her treatment, Goodrem undertook chemotherapy, which resulted in the loss of her hair, and radiation therapy.
News of her diagnosis appeared on the front pages of newspapers and an outpour of support was shown by fans and the general public alike, Goodrem thanking them during The Visualise Tour for all the letters and well wishes she received. Reflecting on that period of her life, Goodrem says, "It's weird to see pictures of that time. In some ways the fact that I was so sick was so out there, and yet I kept it really private. No-one saw me on the days I was really sick...I was 18 when I was diagnosed and I had a number one album and single in the country. And in the UK, I was number two. It was such a bipolar year".

Relationships

Goodrem has to date been involved in three high-profile relationships. During her time on Neighbours, she was romantically linked with fellow cast member Blair McDonough. Goodrem's song "Not Me, Not I" is widely speculated to be written about their breakup. In 2004, while going through remission, Goodrem began a nine month relationship with Australian tennis player Mark Philippoussis. Goodrem's song "Out of the Blue" is widely assumed to be about their relationship. The couple began their relationship after meeting at a tennis tournament, where Goodrem thanked him for expressing support for her cancer recovery (Philippoussis' father had also battled Hodgkin's Lymphoma). , though he has denied the allegations.
On the Mistaken Identity album, Goodrem collaborated with Irish singer Brian McFadden on the duet "Almost Here". In early January 2005, reports suggested the pair were romantically engaged after being photographed together on a beach resort in South Africa, although both denied this.. A week later, the Sunday Mirror reported that McFadden had admitted the relationship. The couple underwent weeks of tabloid scrutiny, focusing particularly on the fallout of McFadden's marriage with former Atomic Kitten star Kerry Katona. Press speculation suggested that the pair had embarked on their affair before McFadden had separated with Katona. This was denied by both Goodrem and McFadden. There have been numerous rumours that McFadden and Goodrem have become engaged, but these have been denied. The couple's relationship faced further scrutinty in May 2006 when a newspaper claimed that Goodrem's mother had advised her to end her relationship with McFadden.

Charity work

Goodrem is a member of RADD (Recording Artists, Actors And Athletes Against Drink Driving), a group of celebrities using their position to rally, and raise awareness of the risks of drunk driving. She has recorded a message, which has aired on Australian radio, about the risks of drink driving.
Goodrem also uses her experience with cancer to raise awareness for other young people affected by the disease, helping to launch a UK web site specifically aimed at young teenagers affected, in mid 2005. She is a well-known ambassador for Research Australia's Thank You Day, which celebrates the country's health and medical researchers. She makes regular appearances at local charity events; on November 7 2005, Goodrem received a Thank You Day Celebrity Advocacy Award "in recognition of her efforts in raising funds and awareness for Australian medical research and charities." She has established the Delta Goodrem Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Trust Fund, created to help raise funds for Hodgkin's patients. A percentage of all CDs, concert tickets and merchandise sold goes towards the charity.

Dannii Minogue

Birthname: Danielle Jane Minogue
Date of birth: 1971-10-20
Birthplace: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Height: 5' 2"
Nationality: Australian
Profession: model, musician

Danielle Jane Minogue (born October 20 1971), known as Dannii Minogue, is an Australian singer-songwriter, dancer, actress and occasional model, television presenter and fashion designer.
Minogue rose to prominence in the early 1980s as a result of her role in the Australian television talent show Young Talent Time, before commencing her career as a pop singer in the early 1990s. She has to date released four studio albums and achieved a total of nine UK Top 10 hits. Since the release of her 1997 album Girl, Minogue has focused on establishing herself as a dance artist, her 2001 collaboration with Dutch DJs Riva on "Who Do You Love Now?" becoming her most successful release worldwide. She is currently signed to All Around The World Records and in 2006 released her first official greatest hits compilation The Hits & Beyond, spanning fifteen years of music.

Childhood and beginning

Dannii Minogue was born in Melbourne, Australia, to an Australian father, Ron Minogue, and a Welsh-born mother, Carol Jones who had immigrated as a child from Maesteg, Wales in 1955 to Townsville, Queensland. Minogue is the youngest of three children; her sister Kylie Minogue is a dance-pop singer and actress, and her older brother, Brendan, is a news cameraman in Australia.
Minogue began her career as a child on Australian television, and from the age of seven, Minogue appeared in soap operas such as Skyways and The Sullivans without attracting much attention. In 1979 she was invited to be a regular performer on the weekly music program Young Talent Time, quickly becoming one of the most popular and highest profile members in the show’s twenty year history. Minogue recorded on two albums for the show which featured her first solo recordings including a cover version of the Madonna hit "Material Girl". Minogue left Young Talent Time in 1988 to further her career as an actress, appearing as teen rebel tomboy Emma Jackson on the hit soap opera Home and Away, a role especially written for her. Her popularity in Australia was demonstrated when she was nominated for a "Silver Logie" for the country's "Most Popular Actress on Australian television". The show achieved high ratings in Europe, gaining Minogue a large fan base outside of Australia.
In 1988, she launched her own fashion line simply titled Dannii, becoming a successful fashion designer. The line was popular in Australia, selling out in ten days across the country. DanniiMusic.com - Chronology Retrieved April 22, 2006. Over the next year she would design and release an additional three lines, which were also successful.

Recording and performing career

Mushroom Records: 1990 - 1997

After recording and performing with the television show Young Talent Time, Minogue signed a recording contract with Mushroom Records in January 1989. Minogue traveled to New York City to work with producers Alvin Moody and Vincent Bell, writing and recording songs for her debut album. Her first album Dannii (1990), a collection of dance songs, reached number twenty-four on the Australian albums chart. Outside Australia it was released under the title Love and Kisses (1991) and reached number eight on the UK album charts. It sold over 60,000 copies AustraliaArjan Writes "Interview with Dannii Minogue", December 13, 2002. Retrieved April 22, 2006.

Accusations of racism

In 2002, Minogue did an interview with Britain’s GQ magazine. In the interview she said that French National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen had "struck a chord with people", and that "even the street signs Australia are written in Asian now!"
This was presented as if Minogue sided with Le Pen and was attacking asylum seekers and immigrants, although Minogue says that her remarks were intended the opposite way, expressing horror at the popularity of Le Pen and expressing praise for the way Australia has handled multi-culturalism. She says she considered suing the journalist for misconstruing her remarks.

Gay icon

Minogue is regarded as a gay icon, which she embraces and credits for much of her success. "Gays have always been a part of my music," says Minogue. "I have never jumped on the pink bandwagon to increase my popularity. It just came naturally." Minogue believes that the gay community has connected with her because her music is about "having fun and going out dancing", which Minogue says gay culture loves to do. She is a strong supporter of social equality for the gay community, but believes that the struggle for equal right such as marriage is not a black and white issue. "Some kind of certificate of commitment is important. It doesn’t have to be a marriage," said Minogue. "Something official that is accepted by all government bodies would be sufficient. As long as you can have a special day together that is recognized by the government is what counts.". Dannii performed at London Gay Pride and then at London's G.A.Y a few years before her sister had, apparently recommending Kylie appear at G.A.Y due to the fantastic crowd response.

Puss 'N Boots incident

In February of 2006, Minogue, while at the Puss 'N Boots strip club, allegedly engaged in sexually explicit, and possibly illegal, activities with one of the establishment's lap dancers. Surveillance tape stills made their way to the internet, where the pictures allegedly show Minogue kissing and fondling the dancer, breaking the club’s strict "no-touching" rules, and it later appears that the dancer performs oral sex on Minogue. A spokesman for Minogue, downplayed the event as a "harmless girls' night out," according to the British tabloid The Sun. Notably, these stills were released six months after the original event occurred, leading to accusations of a publicity push in the weeks leading up to a new single release.

Awareness campaigns and charity

In 2004 Minogue posed nude with just a long red ribbon covering her body to help the fight against AIDS. She is an ambassador for the Terence Higgins Trust, which raises awareness about the disease. Personal experiences made Minogue want to educate people about AIDS since she has known many people within the entertainment industry and close personal friends who have been affected by the disease. Minogue's main mission with the trust is to "break down myths", such as that AIDS is a gay disease saying, "HIV doesn't discriminate - somewhere in their minds young people still think it is a gay disease."
She has also been a long-time supporter of breast cancer research. In 2003 she put her support behind the Funny Women charity, which included comedy acts to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research, as well as raising awareness of other issues such as domestic violence.
In addition to her work with the Terence Higgins Trust, Minogue also supports The Lighthouse Foundation (another AIDS charity) and the Young Homeless.
Dannii donated her used thongs that she wore at the recent club promotion at G.A.Y, which was stained, and was given to charity to raise awareness.

Deni Hines

Deni Hines Biography

Dohnyale "Deni" Sharon Hines (born September 4, 1970 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian R&B singer, and is the daughter of singer Marcia Hines.

Hines released her first single with the Australian band Rockmelons with the a cover version of the Bill Withers 1971 hit "Ain't No Sunshine". She then went to release solo material with the top ten single "It's Alright" and the top twenty album Imagination (1996) which clocked in sales over 2.5 million copies worldwide. Her latest album is titled Water for Chocolate which was released on August 19, 2006 and features the singles "Water for Chocolate", "Son of a Preacher Man" and "5 Days of Rain".

Deni Hines grew up in Australia and was inspired by her mother's success as a singer to follow a career in show business. She was discovered by a friend when she was singing to the radio and then was encouraged to pursue singing as a career. Her earliest employment was as a backing vocalist for such artists as Kylie Minogue (her Rhythm of Love Tour, Australia and Far East 1991), Jimmy Barnes, Wa Wa Nee and Peter Blakeley before she was approached by the band Rockmelons to provide vocals for several of their songs. The first song that Hines released with the Rockmelons collaboration was a cover version of the Bill Withers 70's hit "Ain't No Sunshine" in 1991. The song proved to be a success charting at number five on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. With the success of the first single, the reggae-inspired "That Word (L.O.V.E.)" was the second song released with the collaboration and became another top five single, charting at number four in Australia. The third and final song Hines released with the band was the ballad "It's Not Over". The song was also a success but was not as big as the previous two, charting at number fifteen in Australia. With the success with the Rockmelons, Hines became one of the most well known faces, and voices, in Australia.

After three hit singles with the Rockmelons, Hines was signed to Mushroom Records and released her first solo single "It's Alright" in 1995. It was a contemporary dance track that contrasted sharply with her earlier Rockmelons performances, and it became one of the year's biggest hits in Australia charting at number four on the Australian ARIA Singles Charts and winning an ARIA Award award for "Breakthrough Artist - Single". "Imagination", the second song released solo by Hines was released at the beginning of 1996 and was not as successful as "It's Alright" only peaking at number thirty-seven. With two songs released from the album, Hines released her debut album Imagination on May 25, 1996 and became a hit, charting at number fifteen on the Australia ARIA Albums Chart and was nominated for two ARIA Awards; "Breakthrough Artist - Album" and "Best Female Artist". "I Like the Way" and "I'm Not in Love" (a cover version of a 10cc' song) were the album's third and fourth singles but both failed to chart in to top fifty in Australia. Even though "I'm Not in Love" failed to make an impact on the charts, it nominated Hines for two ARIA Awards for "Best Pop Release" and "Best Female Artist". Imagination was also released in Japan on July 24, 1996 and had sales of 300,000 copies, making the total sales of 2.5 million worldwide.

In order to properly promote her album properly, Hines moved to the UK in 1997 and re-issued her album under the title Pay Attention and toured withLighthouse Family and Earth, Wind & Fire. "It's Alright" was released in the United Kingdom in 1997 and was received well peaking at number thirty-five on the singles chart. The track also managed to peak at number twenty-two in France. Further hits such as "I Like the Way", "Joy" and "Delicious" followed, however, her career quickly lost its impetus after her album Pay Attention failed to impact the charts. In 1998, Hines cracked the U.S. market on the dance charts with "Joy" and "I Like the Way" both peaking in the top twenty of the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts. Hines released an album of remixed songs from her Imagination and Pay Attention albums on July 14, 1998, titled Remix Your Imagination. This album failed to break into any charts around the world but the song "Dream Your Dream" from the album managed to chart in Japan.

In 2000, Hines did a cover version of the Grace Jones song "Pull Up to the Bumper" for the soundtrack for 2000 Australian film The Wog Boy. 2002 saw Hines released a "Greatest Hits" album ("A Delicious Collection") based on contractual commitments with her then record company Festival Mushroom. In 2003 she spent time in France working with Hip Hop artist I:AM writing and recording for his album in addition to co-writing a track "Welcome" of which Beyonce Knowles vocalled for I:AM's release.

Deni Hines

Deni Hines Biography

Dohnyale "Deni" Sharon Hines (born September 4, 1970 in Sydney, Australia) is an Australian R&B singer, and is the daughter of singer Marcia Hines.

Hines released her first single with the Australian band Rockmelons with the a cover version of the Bill Withers 1971 hit "Ain't No Sunshine". She then went to release solo material with the top ten single "It's Alright" and the top twenty album Imagination (1996) which clocked in sales over 2.5 million copies worldwide. Her latest album is titled Water for Chocolate which was released on August 19, 2006 and features the singles "Water for Chocolate", "Son of a Preacher Man" and "5 Days of Rain".

Deni Hines grew up in Australia and was inspired by her mother's success as a singer to follow a career in show business. She was discovered by a friend when she was singing to the radio and then was encouraged to pursue singing as a career. Her earliest employment was as a backing vocalist for such artists as Kylie Minogue (her Rhythm of Love Tour, Australia and Far East 1991), Jimmy Barnes, Wa Wa Nee and Peter Blakeley before she was approached by the band Rockmelons to provide vocals for several of their songs. The first song that Hines released with the Rockmelons collaboration was a cover version of the Bill Withers 70's hit "Ain't No Sunshine" in 1991. The song proved to be a success charting at number five on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. With the success of the first single, the reggae-inspired "That Word (L.O.V.E.)" was the second song released with the collaboration and became another top five single, charting at number four in Australia. The third and final song Hines released with the band was the ballad "It's Not Over". The song was also a success but was not as big as the previous two, charting at number fifteen in Australia. With the success with the Rockmelons, Hines became one of the most well known faces, and voices, in Australia.

After three hit singles with the Rockmelons, Hines was signed to Mushroom Records and released her first solo single "It's Alright" in 1995. It was a contemporary dance track that contrasted sharply with her earlier Rockmelons performances, and it became one of the year's biggest hits in Australia charting at number four on the Australian ARIA Singles Charts and winning an ARIA Award award for "Breakthrough Artist - Single". "Imagination", the second song released solo by Hines was released at the beginning of 1996 and was not as successful as "It's Alright" only peaking at number thirty-seven. With two songs released from the album, Hines released her debut album Imagination on May 25, 1996 and became a hit, charting at number fifteen on the Australia ARIA Albums Chart and was nominated for two ARIA Awards; "Breakthrough Artist - Album" and "Best Female Artist". "I Like the Way" and "I'm Not in Love" (a cover version of a 10cc' song) were the album's third and fourth singles but both failed to chart in to top fifty in Australia. Even though "I'm Not in Love" failed to make an impact on the charts, it nominated Hines for two ARIA Awards for "Best Pop Release" and "Best Female Artist". Imagination was also released in Japan on July 24, 1996 and had sales of 300,000 copies, making the total sales of 2.5 million worldwide.

In order to properly promote her album properly, Hines moved to the UK in 1997 and re-issued her album under the title Pay Attention and toured withLighthouse Family and Earth, Wind & Fire. "It's Alright" was released in the United Kingdom in 1997 and was received well peaking at number thirty-five on the singles chart. The track also managed to peak at number twenty-two in France. Further hits such as "I Like the Way", "Joy" and "Delicious" followed, however, her career quickly lost its impetus after her album Pay Attention failed to impact the charts. In 1998, Hines cracked the U.S. market on the dance charts with "Joy" and "I Like the Way" both peaking in the top twenty of the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play charts. Hines released an album of remixed songs from her Imagination and Pay Attention albums on July 14, 1998, titled Remix Your Imagination. This album failed to break into any charts around the world but the song "Dream Your Dream" from the album managed to chart in Japan.

In 2000, Hines did a cover version of the Grace Jones song "Pull Up to the Bumper" for the soundtrack for 2000 Australian film The Wog Boy. 2002 saw Hines released a "Greatest Hits" album ("A Delicious Collection") based on contractual commitments with her then record company Festival Mushroom. In 2003 she spent time in France working with Hip Hop artist I:AM writing and recording for his album in addition to co-writing a track "Welcome" of which Beyonce Knowles vocalled for I:AM's release.