Denise Pearson
Encyclopedia
Denise Pearson is an English
singer-songwriter
. She is best known for being the lead vocalist with the British pop
/R&B
group Five Star
, which comprised herself and her four sibling
s. The group was created and managed by their father, Buster Pearson
, in 1983. The group officially disbanded in 2001, though partial reunions have occurred since. She is sometimes credited as Deniece Pearson.
" (1986) (Five Star's only self composed top ten hit single)
, "Hard Race" (1987), "There's a Brand New World
" (1988) and "What About Me Baby" (1990); ballad
s such as "Live Giving Love" (1987), "Let Me Be Yours
" (1988), "Feel Much Better" (1990), "Funktafied
" (2001), "Don't Let Me Be the Lonely One" (2001) and "Tell Me What You Want" (2001); and the uptempo "I'm Still Waiting" (1990), "Tienes Mi Amour" (1990), "The Love You Bring To Me" (1991), "Going With the Moment" (1994) and "Show Me" (1994).
In 1986, Five Star received a Grammy Award
nomination in the "Best Rhythm and Blues Instrumental Performance" category for Pearson's composition, "First Avenue", which was the B-Side
of Five Star's first hit single "All Fall Down".
with former Bros
singer Matt Goss
. Pearson was featured singing backing vocals for Tamia
in 2001 for the song "Stranger in My House" (as heard on the WB series For Your Love
).
In 2005, Pearson and singer-song writer Ryan Tedder
of the group OneRepublic
wrote a song together that Pearson sings entitled "Over You" which can be heard on her Myspace page. They also worked together on a new version of Five Star's 1986 hit single "System Addict".
In 2007, Pearson announced she was working on solo material. In May 2008, she recorded a promotional video for one of her tracks. Alongside brother Stedman, and a team of trained backing singers and dancers, Denise played several dates as Five Star to celebrate the group's 25th anniversary.
In 2009, Pearson made her West End Theatre
debut in the show Thriller – Live
, a musical based on the music of Michael Jackson
. In 2009, City Life magazine described her as "uncannily pitch perfect as a female answer to MJ [Michael Jackson]".
In 2011, Pearson appeared as one of the lead singers in the new West End show Respect La Diva which ran at the Garrick Theatre
.
in the United States
with her family in the early 1990s, Pearson married a racing driver, becoming Denise Saneinia. Despite divorcing in the late 1990s, she has kept this name for her subsequent songwriting credits, but still performs under the name Denise Pearson. In 1994 she gave birth to a son, Karan Saneinia Jr, followed by a daughter, Hassa Alexis Saneinia, a year later. Pearson moved back to the UK with her children in 2005.
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...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. She is best known for being the lead vocalist with the British pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
/R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
group Five Star
Five Star
Five Star are a British pop / R&B group, formed in 1983. Comprising siblings Stedman, Lorraine, Denise, Doris and Delroy Pearson, they were known for their flamboyant image, matching costumes and heavily choreographed dance routines...
, which comprised herself and her four sibling
Sibling
Siblings are people who share at least one parent. A male sibling is called a brother; and a female sibling is called a sister. In most societies throughout the world, siblings usually grow up together and spend a good deal of their childhood socializing with one another...
s. The group was created and managed by their father, Buster Pearson
Buster Pearson
Buster Pearson is the father and former manager of British pop group Five Star. He also owns and runs Tent Records. He moved to the UK in the late 1960s and toured as a guitarist with the likes of Otis Redding, Jimmy Cliff, Wilson Pickett and Desmond Dekker...
, in 1983. The group officially disbanded in 2001, though partial reunions have occurred since. She is sometimes credited as Deniece Pearson.
Career with Five Star
As well as being lead singer, Pearson was also the most prolific composer of the group. Five Star tracks written by her include "Stay Out of My LifeStay Out Of My Life
"Stay Out Of My Life" is a 1987 hit single by British pop group Five Star. It was the fifth release from their number one selling LP Silk & Steel, and reached no.9 in the UK singles chart....
" (1986) (Five Star's only self composed top ten hit single)
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, "Hard Race" (1987), "There's a Brand New World
There's A Brand New World
"There's A Brand New World" is the name of a 1988 single by the British pop group Five Star. Peaking at #61, it was the band's first single since 1985 not to make the UK Top 40.The track was taken from their fourth album, Rock The World.-Track listings:...
" (1988) and "What About Me Baby" (1990); ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s such as "Live Giving Love" (1987), "Let Me Be Yours
Let Me Be Yours
"Let Me Be Yours" is the name of a 1988 single by the British pop group Five Star. Released in November of that year as their intended Christmas single, the track entered the UK charts at #51 but failed to go any higher....
" (1988), "Feel Much Better" (1990), "Funktafied
Funktafied
"Funktafied" is the name of a 2001 single by British pop group Five Star, peaking at #26 on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in July of that year and becoming their first single from their Eclipse album. The single was a U.S...
" (2001), "Don't Let Me Be the Lonely One" (2001) and "Tell Me What You Want" (2001); and the uptempo "I'm Still Waiting" (1990), "Tienes Mi Amour" (1990), "The Love You Bring To Me" (1991), "Going With the Moment" (1994) and "Show Me" (1994).
In 1986, Five Star received a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination in the "Best Rhythm and Blues Instrumental Performance" category for Pearson's composition, "First Avenue", which was the B-Side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
of Five Star's first hit single "All Fall Down".
After Five Star
Projects outside of Five Star included a 1997 recording of "This Pain", a duetDuet (music)
A duet is a musical composition for two performers. In classical music, the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word duo is also often used. A piece performed by two pianists performing together on the same piano is referred to as...
with former Bros
Bros
Bros were a British band active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, consisting of twin brothers Matt Goss and Luke Goss along with Craig Logan...
singer Matt Goss
Matt Goss
Matthew Weston Goss is an English singer and songwriter currently based in Los Angeles. He was the lead singer of 1980s pop group Bros, which also featured his twin brother Luke Goss as drummer and Craig Logan as bass player...
. Pearson was featured singing backing vocals for Tamia
Tamia
Tamia Hill , and known professionally as Tamia, is a four-time Grammy-nominated Canadian R&B and soul singer, songwriter, record producer, composer, model, entrepreneur and philanthropist, as well as an occasional actress.She is best known for her 2000 hit "Stranger In My House" and Fabolous' 2003...
in 2001 for the song "Stranger in My House" (as heard on the WB series For Your Love
For Your Love (TV series)
For Your Love is an American sitcom that premiered on March 17, 1998 on NBC. It was canceled after six episodes, but was picked up by The WB Network. It ran there for four years before its 2002 cancellation.-Synopsis:...
).
In 2005, Pearson and singer-song writer Ryan Tedder
Ryan Tedder
Ryan Benjamin Tedder is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is best known as the frontman of the pop rock band, OneRepublic, though he has an independent career as songwriter and producer for various artists such as Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Far East Movement, Jordin Sparks, Leona...
of the group OneRepublic
OneRepublic
OneRepublic is an American pop rock band from Colorado Springs, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by Ryan Tedder and Zach Filkins, the band achieved massive success on MySpace, becoming the most prominent unsigned act on the website then...
wrote a song together that Pearson sings entitled "Over You" which can be heard on her Myspace page. They also worked together on a new version of Five Star's 1986 hit single "System Addict".
In 2007, Pearson announced she was working on solo material. In May 2008, she recorded a promotional video for one of her tracks. Alongside brother Stedman, and a team of trained backing singers and dancers, Denise played several dates as Five Star to celebrate the group's 25th anniversary.
In 2009, Pearson made her West End Theatre
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
debut in the show Thriller – Live
Thriller – Live
Thriller – Live is a two and a half hour concert celebrating the music of The Jackson 5 and the solo work of Michael Jackson. It had already been performed in the United Kingdom, Germany, Netherlands, and Scandinavia before opening at the Lyric Theatre, London on 2 January 2009...
, a musical based on the music of Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. In 2009, City Life magazine described her as "uncannily pitch perfect as a female answer to MJ [Michael Jackson]".
In 2011, Pearson appeared as one of the lead singers in the new West End show Respect La Diva which ran at the Garrick Theatre
Garrick Theatre
The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster. It opened on 24 April 1889 with The Profligate, a play by Arthur Wing Pinero. In its early years, it appears to have specialised in the performance of melodrama, and today the theatre is a...
.
Personal life
After moving to CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with her family in the early 1990s, Pearson married a racing driver, becoming Denise Saneinia. Despite divorcing in the late 1990s, she has kept this name for her subsequent songwriting credits, but still performs under the name Denise Pearson. In 1994 she gave birth to a son, Karan Saneinia Jr, followed by a daughter, Hassa Alexis Saneinia, a year later. Pearson moved back to the UK with her children in 2005.