Sharleen Eugene Spiteri
(born 7 November 1967 in Glasgow) is a Scottish singer. She fronts the band Texas and from 2008 has begun her career as a solo artist.
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SHARLEEN SPITERI TICKETS
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Biography
Spiteri was born in Bellshill, near Glasgow, to father Eddie, a
guitar-playing merchant seaman and mother Vilma, a singer. Spiteri is of
Maltese,
Italian and
Irish descent. When she was young the family moved from the Glaswegian suburbs to nearby
Balloch,
Dunbartonshire, close to the banks of
Loch Lomond. At school her nickname was ‘Spit the Dog’, after the gobbing mutt on the TV show
Tiswas [1].
Musical career
Spiteri's musical influences include
The Clash (the main reason she plays a black
Fender Telecaster) and
Blondie to
Marvin Gaye and
Prince. She is also a dedicated
Diana Ross fan.
She co-founded the band Texas while still a hairdresser in Glasgow at the Irvine Rusk salon.
Several
actors have appeared in Texas videos: "
In Demand" featured
Alan Rickman dancing the
tango with Spiteri, "I'll See It Through" featured
French actor
Jean Reno and "Getaway" had
James Purefoy courting Spiteri.
Spiteri supported
German Neue Deutsche Härte band
Rammstein by supplying guest
vocals in their
ballad "Stirb Nicht Vor Mir (Don't Die Before I Do)" on their
album Rosenrot
(2005). She also sang
backing vocals on the
Gun albums
Taking On The World
and
Gallus
from 1989 and 1992. She is the cousin of Gun singer
Mark Rankin. Spiteri additionally sang backing vocals on "Bad Time" by
Jayhawks on their
album "
Tomorrow the Green Grass" from 1995.
Solo career
On 6 July 2008 she entered the UK charts at number 47 with her first solo recording "All the Times I Cried". The following week, the song rose to #26.
Spiteri released her debut solo album
Melody
on 14 July 2008. It debuted at number 3 on the UK album chart, behind Coldplay's
Viva la Vida or Death and all his Friends
at number 2, and
Basshunter, who entered at number 1.
Tour Dates
| Date
| City
| Country
| Venue
|
| Melody Tour
|
| January 24th, 2009
| Aberdeen
| Scotland
| Music Hall
|
| January 25th, 2009
| Edinburgh
| Playhouse
|
| January 27th, 2009
| Glasgow
| Academy
|
| January 29th, 2009
| Newcastle upon Tyne
| England
| Newcastle City Hall
|
| January 30th, 2009
| Sheffield
| City Hall
|
| February 1st, 2009
| Manchester
| Apollo
|
| February 2nd, 2009
| Harrogate
| International Centre
|
| February 3rd, 2009
| Ipswich
| Regent Theatre
|
| February 8th, 2009
| Birmingham
| Symphony Hall
|
| February 9th, 2009
| Nottingham
| Royal Concert Hall
|
| February 10th, 2009
| Llandudno
| Wales
| Venue Cymru Theatre
|
| February 13th, 2009
| Bristol
| England
| Colston Hall
|
| February 15th, 2009
| London
| Hammersmith Apollo
|
| Festivals
|
| July 11th, 2009
| Charlbury
| England
| Cornbury Festival
|
| July 12th, 2009
| Liverpool
| Summerpops 09
|
| July 18th, 2009
| Casablanca
| Morocco
| Casa Music Festival
|
Cancelled dates: February 5th, 2009 - Brighton Dome, England.
Film
Spiteri landed the part of a
detective opposite
Edward Furlong in the thriller
Three Blind Mice
[2], but backed out due to pregnancy. She was also cast in
Moulin Rouge!
starring
Nicole Kidman and
Ewan McGregor, but she told
Jonathan Ross on his show on 4 November 2005 that she declined because she did not want to move to
Australia for a year.
Lesbian fan base
Spiteri has a large
lesbian fanbase, though her own sexual orientation is
heterosexual.
[3]
When Texas released their debut single, "I Don't Want a Lover", in 1989, Spiteri was adamant that she didn't want a 'girly' image and insisted on 'Big E' Levi jeans and a
denim jacket. She wrote and performed the title track to the 1990s
sitcom Ellen
, and once appeared alongside
Ellen DeGeneres in the opening credits.
Additionally, according to an article in the Scottish tabloid
Sunday Mail
, Spiteri's song "Don't Keep Me Waiting" (from the
Melody
album) will be used in the final season of
The L Word
,
Showtime's popular drama about a group of lesbians living in
West Hollywood.
[4]
Personal life
Spiteri had a long-term relationship with the editor of
Arena
magazine,
Ashley Heath. The couple have a daughter, Misty Kyd (named after the phrase from the
Clint Eastwood film
Play Misty for Me
and Wild West outlaw
Billy the Kid), born on 9 September 2002.
[5] The birth prompted her close friend
Thierry Henry to dedicate a goal to her daughter by revealing the slogan "For the new born Kyd" beneath his shirt later that day. The couple separated in the second half of 2004,
[6] and she is now dating TV chef
Bryn Williams.
[7] In June 2008 on
The Graham Norton Show she revealed that she was recently involved in an argument with
Paris Hilton in a
London club and told her to "
fuck off"
[8]. Sharleen is a patron of children's cancer charity
CLIC Sargent.
Discography
References
- DIVA Lesbian Magazine - Sharleen Spiteri - Texas all areas
- BBC News | SHOWBIZ | Texas singer lands film role
- DIVA Magazine: Sharleen Spiteri, Access All Areas
- Sunday Mail: Sharleen Spiteri a hit with Hollywood's gay community
- BBC NEWS | Scotland | Texas singer has baby girl
- BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Music | Texas singer splits from partner
- Sharleen Spiteri - My relationship with Bryn Williams
- Sharleen Spiteri vs Paris Hilton