Diana King
Encyclopedia
Diana King is a reggae fusion
singer-songwriter
who specifically performed a mixture and fusion of R&B
, reggae
, pop
and dancehall
. She was born to a Jamaica
Indian
mother and an African father.
's 1994 song "Respect," from his album Ready to Die
, she signed a recording contract
with Sony Music
. King's first single
"Shy Guy
", co-written and produced by Andy Marvel
, from her debut album Tougher Than Love
, became a hit, reaching #13 on the Billboard Hot 100
and being certified gold by the RIAA
in the U.S.
; the single also hit #2 on the UK Singles Chart
, as well as reaching #1 on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
chart, going on to sell nearly five million singles worldwide. The song made the soundtrack to the 1995 film
, Bad Boys
. "Shy Guy" was also ranked by the Japan
ese radio station J-Wave
as the number-one song of 1995.
In 1997, King's second album Think Like a Girl
entered the Billboard
Top Reggae Albums chart at #1. King also scored another well-received hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Dance Club Play with her cover version
of the song "I Say a Little Prayer
" (originally recorded by Dionne Warwick
in 1967), which featured on the soundtrack
to the film, My Best Friend's Wedding
. King was also featured on the 1997 soundtrack to the documentary When We Were Kings
, where she performed the title track with Brian McKnight
. In 1998, King joined Celine Dion
and Brownstone
on stage to perform the hit "Treat Her Like a Lady" previously written and recorded by King from Tougher Than Love at the Essence Awards. That year she also appeared on Soul Train
, The RuPaul Show
, and VIBE
to promote Think Like a Girl. In 1999 she toured India
doing a five city tour. From Goa
she said "I never thought I would come back to India."
King entered negotiations with Madonna
's Maverick Records
label in 2000. In 2002 King released her third album Respect
, but was not released in the U.S., until summer of 2006, where it is only available on Amazon.com. Its first single "Summer Breezin'" receiving BET
and VH1
video and urban
radio airplay. In 2007 she co-wrote and recorded the song "The Light Within" with the German
reggae
artist
, Gentleman
, for his album Another Intensity
. She also had the girl duo Brick & Lace join her on one of her concerts as backup singers
.
She is currently writing and recording under her own record label
, ThinkLikeAgirl. She also tours Asia
annually. Her fourth studio album Warrior Girl was released in Japan on September 22, 2010.
Reggae fusion
Reggae fusion is a fusion genre of reggae that mixes reggae or dancehall with other genres, such as pop, rock, hip hop, R&B, house, jazz & drum and bass....
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...
who specifically performed a mixture and fusion of R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
, reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, 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...
and dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
. She was born to a Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
Indian
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
mother and an African father.
Career
After making an appearance on The Notorious B.I.G.The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
's 1994 song "Respect," from his album Ready to Die
Ready to Die
Ready to Die is the debut album of American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released September 13, 1994 on Bad Boy Records. The first release on the label, it features production by record producer and Bad Boy founder Sean "Puffy" Combs, Easy Mo Bee, Chucky Thompson, DJ Premier, and Lord Finesse,...
, she signed a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
. King's first 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...
"Shy Guy
Shy Guy (song)
"Shy Guy" is a song by Diana King from the Bad Boys soundtrack and also her debut album Tougher Than Love. It reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S....
", co-written and produced by Andy Marvel
Andy Marvel
Andy Marvel is a songwriter and music producer based out of New York City. He has written songs for Celine Dion, Diana King, Jessica Simpson and Colleen Fitzpatrick....
, from her debut album Tougher Than Love
Tougher Than Love
Tougher Than Love is the debut album by singer-songwriter, Diana King. The album peaked at #179 on The Billboard 200, #85 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #1 on the Top Reggae Albums chart...
, became a hit, reaching #13 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and being certified gold by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; the single also hit #2 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, as well as reaching #1 on the Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles
The European Hot 100 Singles has been compiled by Billboard and Music & Media magazine since March, 1984. The chart is based on national singles sales charts in 15 European countries: Austria, Belgium , Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden,...
chart, going on to sell nearly five million singles worldwide. The song made the soundtrack to the 1995 film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, Bad Boys
Bad Boys (1995 film)
Bad Boys is a 1995 American action comedy film directed by Michael Bay in his directorial debut, and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer...
. "Shy Guy" was also ranked by the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese radio station J-Wave
J-Wave
J-Wave is a commercial radio station based in Tokyo, Japan, broadcasting on 81.3 FM from the Tokyo Tower to the Tokyo area. J-Wave airs mostly music covering a wide range of formats. The station is considered the most popular among FM broadcasts in Tokyo, and has surprised the radio broadcast...
as the number-one song of 1995.
In 1997, King's second album Think Like a Girl
Think Like a Girl
Think Like a Girl is the second album by singer-songwriter, Diana King. The album debuted and peaked at #1 on the Top Reggae Albums chart. Includes the hits "L-L-Lies", "Find My Way Back" and "Say a Little Prayer." Standout album tracks include a cover of Culture Club's "Do You Really Want to Hurt...
entered the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top Reggae Albums chart at #1. King also scored another well-received hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and the Hot Dance Club Play with her cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of the song "I Say a Little Prayer
I Say a Little Prayer
"I Say a Little Prayer" is a song written by songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Dionne Warwick, originally peaking at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in December 1967.-Background:...
" (originally recorded by Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
in 1967), which featured on the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
to the film, My Best Friend's Wedding
My Best Friend's Wedding
My Best Friend's Wedding is a 1997 romantic comedy film directed by P. J. Hogan. It stars Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz, Dermot Mulroney, Rupert Everett, and Philip Bosco.The film received mostly positive reviews from critics...
. King was also featured on the 1997 soundtrack to the documentary When We Were Kings
When We Were Kings
When We Were Kings is a 1996 documentary film directed by Leon Gast about the famous Rumble in the Jungle heavyweight championship match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The fight was held in Zaire on October 30, 1974.The film features a number of celebrities, including James Brown, Jim...
, where she performed the title track with Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....
. In 1998, King joined Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
and Brownstone
Brownstone (group)
Brownstone is an American female contemporary R&B group that was popular during the mid-1990s. They are best known for their 1995 hit single "If You Love Me," which was nominated for a Best R&B Performance Grammy Award...
on stage to perform the hit "Treat Her Like a Lady" previously written and recorded by King from Tougher Than Love at the Essence Awards. That year she also appeared on Soul Train
Soul Train
Soul Train is an American musical variety show that aired in syndication from October 1971 to March 2006. In its 35-year history, the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists, although funk, jazz, disco, and gospel artists have also appeared.As a nod to Soul Trains...
, The RuPaul Show
RuPaul
RuPaul Andre Charles , best known as simply RuPaul, is an American actor, drag queen, model, author, and singer-songwriter, who first became widely known in the 1990s when he appeared in a wide variety of television programs, films, and musical albums. Previously, he was a fixture on the Atlanta...
, and VIBE
VIBE
Vibe is a music and entertainment magazine founded by producer Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip-hop music artists, actors and other entertainers...
to promote Think Like a Girl. In 1999 she toured India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
doing a five city tour. From Goa
Goa
Goa , a former Portuguese colony, is India's smallest state by area and the fourth smallest by population. Located in South West India in the region known as the Konkan, it is bounded by the state of Maharashtra to the north, and by Karnataka to the east and south, while the Arabian Sea forms its...
she said "I never thought I would come back to India."
King entered negotiations with Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
's Maverick Records
Maverick Records
Maverick Recording Company is an American record label owned and operated by Warner Music Group, and distributed through Warner Bros. Records.-Company history:...
label in 2000. In 2002 King released her third album Respect
Respect (Diana King album)
Respect is the third album by singer-songwriter, Diana King. Includes the lead single, "Summer Breezin'." Highlights include "Down Lo", "She Had A..." and "Wallflower."-Track listing:* 1. "Summer Breezin'"* 2. "Suga, Suga"* 3. "Credit Card"...
, but was not released in the U.S., until summer of 2006, where it is only available on Amazon.com. Its first single "Summer Breezin'" receiving BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
and VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
video and urban
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
radio airplay. In 2007 she co-wrote and recorded the song "The Light Within" with the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
artist
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, Gentleman
Gentleman (musician)
Tilmann Otto , better known by his stage name Gentleman, is a German Reggae musician.- Personal life :...
, for his album Another Intensity
Another Intensity
Another Intensity is the fifth LP released by the Reggae artist Gentleman. The Far East Band takes part in the achievement of this album.-Track listing:# "Evolution" - 3:49# "Tranquility " - 3:19# "Lack Of Love" - 4:01...
. She also had the girl duo Brick & Lace join her on one of her concerts as backup singers
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
.
She is currently writing and recording under her own record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, ThinkLikeAgirl. She also tours Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
annually. Her fourth studio album Warrior Girl was released in Japan on September 22, 2010.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
US Reggae | US Heatseekers Top Heatseekers Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical... |
UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Tougher Than Love Tougher Than Love Tougher Than Love is the debut album by singer-songwriter, Diana King. The album peaked at #179 on The Billboard 200, #85 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #1 on the Top Reggae Albums chart... |
179 | 85 | 1 | 6 | 50 |
| 1997 | Think Like a Girl Think Like a Girl Think Like a Girl is the second album by singer-songwriter, Diana King. The album debuted and peaked at #1 on the Top Reggae Albums chart. Includes the hits "L-L-Lies", "Find My Way Back" and "Say a Little Prayer." Standout album tracks include a cover of Culture Club's "Do You Really Want to Hurt... |
- | - | 1 | - | - |
| 2002 | Respect Respect (Diana King album) Respect is the third album by singer-songwriter, Diana King. Includes the lead single, "Summer Breezin'." Highlights include "Down Lo", "She Had A..." and "Wallflower."-Track listing:* 1. "Summer Breezin'"* 2. "Suga, Suga"* 3. "Credit Card"... |
- | - | - | - | - |
| 2010 | Warrior Girl | - | - | - | - | - |
Singles
| Year | Title | Album | US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
US Dance Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
US Dance sales Hot Dance Singles Sales Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes... |
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
AUS Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Stir It Up" | Cool Runnings (Soundtrack) | - | 53 | - | - | - | - |
| 1994 | "Shy Guy Shy Guy (song) "Shy Guy" is a song by Diana King from the Bad Boys soundtrack and also her debut album Tougher Than Love. It reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.... " |
Tougher Than Love/Bad Boys (Soundtrack) | 13 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 2 | 3 |
| 1995 | "Love Triangle" | Tougher Than Love | - | 85 | - | - | - | - |
| 1995 | "Ain't Nobody" | Tougher Than Love | 94 | 63 | 4 | - | 13 | 11 |
| 1997 | "I Say a Little Prayer I Say a Little Prayer "I Say a Little Prayer" is a song written by songwriters Burt Bacharach and Hal David for Dionne Warwick, originally peaking at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart in December 1967.-Background:... " |
Think Like a Girl | 38 | 68 | 8 | 5 | 17 | 6 |
| 1997 | "L-L-Lies" | Think Like a Girl | 71 | 67 | - | - | - | - |
| 1997 | "Find My Way Back" | Think Like a Girl | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1997 | "When We Were Kings" (with Brian McKnight Brian McKnight Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet.... ) |
When We Were Kings (Soundtrack) | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2002 | "Summer Breezin'" | Respect | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2006 | "Yu Dun Kno'" | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
| 2010 | "Closer" | Warrior Girl | - | - | - | - | - | - |