|
Myleene Klass Profile |
|
-
Birth Date: April 6, 1978
-
Birth Place: Norfolk, England, UK
-
Birth Name: Myleene Angela Klass
-
Height: 5'6"
|
|
|
Biography |
It's on April 6, 1978, that Myleene Angela Klass was born in
Norfolk, England. Her father, Oscar, was a ship captain and
was therefore often away from home. Her mother, Magdalena,
took on the duties of raising Myleene and her younger
siblings Jessie and Don.
Myleene was only 4 years old when she started getting into
music. At that age she began playing piano, as well as her
grandfather's violin. Music was definitely in her genes
since this same grandfather was once head of the Vienna
Opera.
During the same period, Myleene was part of a singing trio
with her siblings and everyone called them the "von Trapp
kids." After attending two Catholic schools, St. Mary's and
Notre Dame, she pursued her secondary education at Cliff
Park High.
It was a very traumatic experience for Myleene because she
was constantly bullied. It wasn't uncommon for kids to steal
her lunch, spit on her, chase her around, and make fun of
her.
Through it all, she found solace in her music. When she was
14, she was fortunate enough to be offered a scholarship to
the Guildhall School of Music, where she learned to play the
harp. This school, which had her traveling to London from
Norfolk every weekend, was a great experience for her, since
this is where she could shine.
As her high school graduation rolled around in the mid-'90s,
she was offered a spot at Cambridge University but turned it
down because she wanted to pursue a music career. She didn't
waste any time, however, and got a part in the Miss Saigon
musical at the West End.
It was also during those years that Myleene got work singing
back vocals for Cliff Richards, k.d. lang, and Michael
Crawford, with whom she spent two months on tour.
Next for her was the Royal Academy of Music. Even though she
had no university degree, they listened to her music and
took her on as a post-graduate student.
Everything began moving really fast for Myleene. In January
2001, the British network ITV was launching a new TV show
called Popstars, in which a nationwide talent search would
allow the public to vote to form a five-member pop group.
Each week, millions of viewers tuned in to watch the
auditions.
Myleene was interested in the idea and submitted herself to
this grueling process. The group of hundreds of hopefuls was
brought down to 60 and finally to 10. The young musician
from Norfolk managed to hang on for the ride.
Finally, the votes were in and the final five were chosen.
They were Noel Sullivan, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw, Danny
Foster, and, of course, Myleene Klass. The band would
eventually be named Hear'Say.
At the same time, Myleene was offered a classical record
deal, but she turned it down as she didn't feel she could
commit herself to both. She wanted to give herself
wholeheartedly to her new band.
Before their first album, Popstars, was released in March
2001, Hear'Say was already one of the greatest cultural
phenomena the United Kingdom had ever seen. Their debut
single, "Pure and Simple," sold over 1.2 million copies and
they were on top of the world. It was the fastest selling
single in UK chart history.
In July 2001, they released a second album called Everybody.
However, after singles like "Lovin' Is Easy," "I Knew You
Were Waiting," and "Way to Your Love Pt. 1," the British
public soon grew tired of the endless tabloid articles on
them and their numerous TV interviews.
There was a great deal of animosity between Myleene and Kym
Marsh, and the latter eventually left the band in early
2002.
Hungry for publicity, Hear'Say held public auditions to find
a replacement even though the guy they finally chose, Johnny
Shentall, had previously been in another failed band and was
a friend. Was the audition rigged?
Still, things were looking bad for Hear'Say. Their tour was
indefinitely postponed, the hits dried up, and their fan
base vanished. As quickly as they had become popular,
Hear'Say became the butt of all jokes. In the fall of 2002,
the band split up.
In October 2002, the band members appeared on The Frank
Skinner Show and Myleene broke down crying as she revealed
that the press and public had ganged up on the group from
the beginning, not to mention her former boyfriend who was
selling information to the tabloids.
Being in the spotlight only to be ridiculed was not her idea
of success and it brought back painful memories from her
high school days.
But as the only member of Hear'Say with any formal musical
training, Myleene had plenty of options open to her.
In early 2003, Myleene was offered both a pop and classical
record deal. It was a no-brainer for her and she signed a
six-record deal with Universal Classics, worth more than a
million pounds.
Her album, Moving On, was released in Britain in October
2003. On it, she simply plays the piano, placing a new
contemporary spin on classical pieces and movie scores.
Happy where she is right now in her career, she currently
lives in London. |
|
|
Other
Information |
Family members: Mother Magdalana, father Oscar, brother Don
and sister Jessie.
Has sang backing vocals for k.d. lang and Cliff Richard.
Makes her home in London, England.
Plays the piano, harp and violin.
On Popstars she became a member of the band Hear Say. She is
now presenting CD:UK.
She was a guest call taker for the phone lines of the
donations to The Prince's Trust 30th Birthday: Live. |
|
|
|
