Claudia Fontaine
Encyclopedia
Claudia Fontaine is a backing vocalist
from Bethnal Green
, London
, England
. She has sung with Betty Boo
, Dusty Springfield
, Claudia Brücken
, Julia Fordham
and the bands Pink Floyd
and The Beatmasters. She is also a recurring vocalist for Incognito
.
During the 1980s, Claudia and fellow backing vocalist Caron Wheeler
(and later, third member Naomi Thompson) were collectively known as Afrodiziak
and performed with such artists as Elvis Costello and The Attractions, Neneh Cherry
, The Specials
, Heaven 17
and Howard Jones
.
Claudia was the lead vocalist on The Beatmasters hit single "Warm Love", in 1989 She also sang lead on the song "Deeper Into Harmony" on The Beatmaster's 1992 album "Life And Soul".
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
from Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is a district of the East End of London, England and part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, with the far northern parts falling within the London Borough of Hackney. Located northeast of Charing Cross, it was historically an agrarian hamlet in the ancient parish of Stepney,...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. She has sung with Betty Boo
Betty Boo
Alison Moira Clarkson better known as Betty Boo, is an English singer, songwriter and pop-rap artist...
, Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
, Claudia Brücken
Claudia Brücken
Claudia Brücken is a German singer who fronted the synthpop groups Propaganda and Act. Since 1996 she has been working with OMD member Paul Humphreys, first without a name, since 2004 as Onetwo...
, Julia Fordham
Julia Fordham
Julia Fordham is a British singer-songwriter based in California. Her professional career started in the early 1980s, under the name "Jules Fordham", as a backing singer for Mari Wilson and Kim Wilde.-Career:...
and the bands Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
and The Beatmasters. She is also a recurring vocalist for Incognito
Incognito (band)
Incognito is a British band, as well as one of the members of the United Kingdom's acid jazz movement. Their debut album, Jazz Funk, was released in 1981, with thirteen more albums following, the last of which, Transatlantic RPM, was released in 2010....
.
During the 1980s, Claudia and fellow backing vocalist Caron Wheeler
Caron Wheeler
Caron Wheeler is a two-time Grammy Award winning British R&B/soul singer, who gained fame by writing and singing the lead vocals on the two biggest hits for Soul II Soul Caron Wheeler (19 January 1963) is a two-time Grammy Award winning British R&B/soul singer, who gained fame by writing and...
(and later, third member Naomi Thompson) were collectively known as Afrodiziak
Afrodiziak
Afrodiziak was the collective name used by the British singers Caron Wheeler and Claudia Fontaine in the mid-to-late 1980s. As a duo, they were best known for performing backup vocals on Elvis Costello's 1983 album Punch the Clock, especially its single, the international hit "Everyday I Write the...
and performed with such artists as Elvis Costello and The Attractions, Neneh Cherry
Neneh Cherry
Neneh Mariann Cherry is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, and occasional DJ and broadcaster...
, The Specials
The Specials
The Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
, Heaven 17
Heaven 17
Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
and Howard Jones
Howard Jones (musician)
Howard Jones is a musician, singer and songwriter. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, "Jones is an accomplished singer-songwriter who was a regular chart visitor in the mid 1980s with his brand of synthpop. Jones, who was equally popular in the U.S., appeared at Live...
.
Claudia was the lead vocalist on The Beatmasters hit single "Warm Love", in 1989 She also sang lead on the song "Deeper Into Harmony" on The Beatmaster's 1992 album "Life And Soul".
Filmography
- Pulse (1994)
- ShowgirlsShowgirlsShowgirls is a 1995 American drama film directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring former teen actress Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, and Gina Gershon...
(1995) - Alfie (2004)
Selected discography
- Punch the ClockPunch the ClockPunch the Clock is an album released in 1983 by Elvis Costello and the Attractions. It was Costello's eighth album, his seventh with the Attractions since 1978. The album featured Costello's first U.S...
- Elvis CostelloElvis CostelloElvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
& the Attractions (1983) - In the StudioIn the StudioIn the Studio is the third album from the ska band The Specials, released in 1984 - long after the break-up of the original Specials - and only just managed to get into the UK Top 35....
- The SpecialsThe SpecialsThe Specials are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. Their music combines a "danceable ska and rocksteady beat with punk's energy and attitude", and had a "more focused and informed political and social stance" than other ska groups...
(1984) - How Men AreHow Men AreHow Men Are is the third album by the English synthpop group Heaven 17, released in September 1984 by Virgin Records. The album peaked at no.12 in the UK and was certified Silver by the BPI in October 1984....
- Heaven 17Heaven 17Heaven 17 are an English synthpop band originating from Sheffield in the early 1980s. The trio comprises Martyn Ware , Ian Craig Marsh and Glenn Gregory...
(1984) - Dream into ActionDream into ActionDream into Action is the second album by British pop musician Howard Jones. It was released in March 1985 and reached No.2 in the UK Album Charts...
- Howard JonesHoward Jones (musician)Howard Jones is a musician, singer and songwriter. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, "Jones is an accomplished singer-songwriter who was a regular chart visitor in the mid 1980s with his brand of synthpop. Jones, who was equally popular in the U.S., appeared at Live...
(1985) - "Warm Love" (single) - BeatmastersBeatmastersThe Beatmasters are a team of dance music songwriters, musicians and producers who were successful as artists in their own right in the UK in the late 1980s and early 1990s and then went on to produce and remix records for many other groups...
(1989) - Bonafide - Maxi PriestMaxi PriestMax Alfred "Maxi" Priest is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with a R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion, and became one of the first international successes who regularly dabbled in the genre as well as being one of the most...
(1990) - Love: And a Million Other Things - Claudia BrückenClaudia BrückenClaudia Brücken is a German singer who fronted the synthpop groups Propaganda and Act. Since 1996 she has been working with OMD member Paul Humphreys, first without a name, since 2004 as Onetwo...
(1991} - Mothers HeavenMothers HeavenMothers Heaven is the second album from the Scottish pop band Texas. The album was released on 8 October 1991 by Mercury Records and was the follow on to debut album, Southside...
- TexasTexas (band)Texas are a Scottish pop band from Bearsden, near Glasgow, Scotland. They were founded by Johnny McElhone in 1986 and feature Sharleen Spiteri on lead vocals. Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at Scotland's University of Dundee...
(1991) - Schubert DipSchubert DipSchubert Dip is the debut album by the rock band EMF, released in 1991 on Parlophone Records. The name is a pun on the name of the popular sweet Sherbet Dip and the 19th-century composer Franz Schubert.-Track listing:...
- EMFEMF (band)EMF were an indie dance band from the United Kingdom. The band, from the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, came to prominence at the beginning of the 1990s. During its initial eight year run , EMF had released three studio albums and had gone on hiatus and reformed twice...
(1991) - PlayPlay (Squeeze album)Play is a 1991 album by the British New Wave group Squeeze. It is the band's ninth album, and their only released by Reprise Records. It is also of note as it is the first LP in the Squeeze discography to feature only four official members instead of five...
- Squeeze (1991) - "Deeper into Harmony" - Beatmasters (1992)
- Funky Little Demons - The Wolfgang PressThe Wolfgang PressThe Wolfgang Press was an English post-punk band, active from 1983 until 1995, recording for the 4AD label. The core of the band was Michael Allen , Mark Cox , and Andrew Gray , with many guest musicians....
(1994) - Pulse - Pink FloydPink FloydPink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
(1995) - FrestoniaFrestonia (album)Frestonia is the sixth album by British group Aztec Camera, released in November 1995 on the Reprise Records label. It is the last album to be released under the name of Aztec Camera: Roddy Frame's subsequent releases would be under his own name...
- Aztec CameraAztec CameraAztec Camera were a Scottish New Wave band from the Glasgow suburb of East Kilbride, formed in 1980 and centered around teenage singer-songwriter, Roddy Frame. Their album Love was among the nominations for Best British Album at the 1989 BRIT Awards....
(1995) - Across from MidnightAcross from MidnightAcross from Midnight is the sixteenth studio album by Joe Cocker, released in 1997 .- Track listing :# "Tonight" – 4:49 # "Could You Be Loved" – 5:47...
- Joe CockerJoe CockerJohn Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
(1997) - Jealous God - Nathan Larson (2001)