Donna Lewis
Encyclopedia
Donna Lewis is a Welsh
singer-songwriter
and record producer
, best known for the 1996 pop hit single
"I Love You Always Forever
", and the adult contemporary chart-topper "At the Beginning
" with Richard Marx
. After releasing her second LP Blue Planet, Lewis left Atlantic Records
and independently released LPs Be Still and In the Pink
. Currently, Lewis is working on her next LP, as well as performing with her side project, Chute.
, Wales
, where she majored in classical composition for piano
and flute
. Lewis then went on to teach music for a year in Sussex
before moving to Birmingham
to sing in a bar band. During that time she set up a home studio and began recording demos. Before long she became a popular live attraction and circa 1993 began sending her demos
to record label
s.
The U.S.
based Atlantic Records
took an interest in Lewis and subsequently released her first single
, "I Love You Always Forever
", a synthpop
-driven love song which went on to become a major hit on VH1
. It was also successful on U.S. radio
, staying at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
for nine consecutive weeks, and spending 13 consecutive weeks at #1 on the airplay chart
. It exceeded one million "spin
s" on radio, to claim its place in music industry history as the most-played single up to that point, until Natalie Imbruglia
's "Torn
" broke the record two years later. The single reached #5 on the UK Singles Chart
in 1996, and spent 14 weeks in the chart.It helped her debut album
, Now in a Minute
, to #6 in the U.S. Billboard 200
chart, and #52 in the UK Albums Chart
.It was certified platinum
in the U.S.
In 1997 Lewis appeared as herself in the Season 7 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210
, "The Phantom of CU".
Lewis recorded "At the Beginning
" with Richard Marx
for the 1997 film Anastasia
. Her second LP, Blue Planet (1998), won critical acclaim, but it was largely overlooked by the public. Although it produced a minor hit in continental Europe and Asia, "I Could Be the One", and a U.S. #1 dance single, "Love Him", Lewis parted ways with Atlantic Records
and independently produced her third LP, Be Still
(2002), which featured her on an almost entirely acoustic
set. During the early 2000s Lewis was featured as a guest vocalist on several trance music
/house music
recordings. Her fourth LP, In the Pink
, was released in 2008; its first single was "Shout," which was included in the soundtrack to the Marian Quinn film 32A
. Lewis also sang lead vocals for her side project, Chute. which released their debut EP in April 2010. She is currently working on her next studio album, and an EP with Ryan Farish
.
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
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...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, best known for the 1996 pop hit single
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
"I Love You Always Forever
I Love You Always Forever
"I Love You Always Forever" is a single released in 1996 by Welsh singer Donna Lewis, from her debut album, Now in a Minute. Inspired by the H. E. Bates novel Love for Lydia, it was successful, reaching number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and staying there for nine weeks during the summer of...
", and the adult contemporary chart-topper "At the Beginning
At the Beginning
"At the Beginning" is a song by Donna Lewis and Richard Marx, released as the first single from the Anastasia soundtrack. It was released as a CD and cassette single on October 21, 1997 on Atlantic Records....
" with Richard Marx
Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"...
. After releasing her second LP Blue Planet, Lewis left Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
and independently released LPs Be Still and In the Pink
In the Pink (album)
In the Pink is the fourth album by singer-songwriter Donna Lewis. It is co-produced by Lewis, Simon Duffy and Gerry Leonard.-History:Lewis met Simon Duffy in Italy in 1999/2000, and in 2002 they began putting tracks together for the album, co-writing the song "Obsession". This process was halted...
. Currently, Lewis is working on her next LP, as well as performing with her side project, Chute.
Biography
At the age of six, Lewis began playing the piano. Her father, a jazz pianist lent encouragement, and while still a teenager, she began composing original songs. Her formal training was at the Welsh College of Music and Drama in CardiffCardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, where she majored in classical composition for piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
and flute
Flute
The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
. Lewis then went on to teach music for a year in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
before moving to Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
to sing in a bar band. During that time she set up a home studio and began recording demos. Before long she became a popular live attraction and circa 1993 began sending her demos
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
to 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,...
s.
The U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
based Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
took an interest in Lewis and subsequently released her 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...
, "I Love You Always Forever
I Love You Always Forever
"I Love You Always Forever" is a single released in 1996 by Welsh singer Donna Lewis, from her debut album, Now in a Minute. Inspired by the H. E. Bates novel Love for Lydia, it was successful, reaching number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and staying there for nine weeks during the summer of...
", a synthpop
Synthpop
Synthpop is a genre of popular music that first became prominent in the 1980s, in which the synthesizer is the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s by the use of synthesizers in progressive rock, electronic art rock, disco and particularly the "Kraut rock" of...
-driven love song which went on to become a major hit on 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...
. It was also successful on U.S. radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, staying at #2 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...
for nine consecutive weeks, and spending 13 consecutive weeks at #1 on the airplay chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
. It exceeded one million "spin
Spin (radio)
In radio broadcasting, a spin is a single play of a song. The term is also used as a unit to measure popularity, typically in spins per week...
s" on radio, to claim its place in music industry history as the most-played single up to that point, until Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Imbruglia
Natalie Jane Imbruglia is an Australian singer-songwriter, model and actress. In the early 1990s, Imbruglia was known to audiences as Beth Brennan in the popular Australian soap Neighbours. Three years after leaving the programme, Imbruglia launched a singing career with the international hit,...
's "Torn
Torn (Ednaswap song)
"Torn" is a song by the band Ednaswap from their debut album Ednaswap . It was their second single from that album, after "Glow". "Torn" was written by Scott Cutler, Anne Preven, and Phil Thornalley during a demo session in 1993 before Ednaswap was formed. The lyrics were written by Preven....
" broke the record two years later. The single reached #5 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 ...
in 1996, and spent 14 weeks in the chart.It helped her debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Now in a Minute
Now in a Minute
Now in a Minute is the debut album by Donna Lewis released in 1996. The album is best known for the single "I Love You Always Forever" which broke airplay records on U.S. and U.K. charts and spawned a remix single. Two other singles taken from the album are "Without Love" and "Mother"...
, to #6 in the U.S. 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...
chart, and #52 in the UK Albums Chart
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...
.It was certified platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in the U.S.
In 1997 Lewis appeared as herself in the Season 7 episode of Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210
Beverly Hills, 90210 is an American drama series that originally aired from October 4, 1990 to May 17, 2000 on Fox and was produced by Spelling Television in the United States, and subsequently on various networks around the world. It is the first series in the Beverly Hills, 90210 franchise...
, "The Phantom of CU".
Lewis recorded "At the Beginning
At the Beginning
"At the Beginning" is a song by Donna Lewis and Richard Marx, released as the first single from the Anastasia soundtrack. It was released as a CD and cassette single on October 21, 1997 on Atlantic Records....
" with Richard Marx
Richard Marx
Richard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"...
for the 1997 film Anastasia
Anastasia (1997 film)
Anastasia is a 1997 American animated musical film produced and directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman. It was the first feature film to be released by Fox Animation Studios....
. Her second LP, Blue Planet (1998), won critical acclaim, but it was largely overlooked by the public. Although it produced a minor hit in continental Europe and Asia, "I Could Be the One", and a U.S. #1 dance single, "Love Him", Lewis parted ways with Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
and independently produced her third LP, Be Still
Be Still (album)
Be Still is the third album by Donna Lewis. This album is only available for purchase from her website. The first two tracks were re-released with different arrangements on her fourth studio album, In The Pink.-Track listing:#"Ireland" – 3:45...
(2002), which featured her on an almost entirely acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
set. During the early 2000s Lewis was featured as a guest vocalist on several trance music
Trance music
Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that developed in the 1990s.:251 It is generally characterized by a tempo of between 125 and 150 bpm,:252 repeating melodic synthesizer phrases, and a musical form that builds up and breaks down throughout a track...
/house music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
recordings. Her fourth LP, In the Pink
In the Pink (album)
In the Pink is the fourth album by singer-songwriter Donna Lewis. It is co-produced by Lewis, Simon Duffy and Gerry Leonard.-History:Lewis met Simon Duffy in Italy in 1999/2000, and in 2002 they began putting tracks together for the album, co-writing the song "Obsession". This process was halted...
, was released in 2008; its first single was "Shout," which was included in the soundtrack to the Marian Quinn film 32A
32A
32A is a 2007 feature film, directed by Marian Quinn, from her own script. It was shot principally in Dublin, with additional footage in Roscommon and Sligo....
. Lewis also sang lead vocals for her side project, Chute. which released their debut EP in April 2010. She is currently working on her next studio album, and an EP with Ryan Farish
Ryan Farish
Ryan Farish is an American electronic artist, producer and DJ from Virginia Beach, Virginia. As a Grammy-nominated and 2008 Dove Award-winning songwriter/producer/composer/multi-instrumentalist, Farish launched his music career on the first generation MP3.com...
.
Studio albums
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales threshold) |
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
AUT |
GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
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... |
US 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... |
|||||||||
| Now in a Minute Now in a Minute Now in a Minute is the debut album by Donna Lewis released in 1996. The album is best known for the single "I Love You Always Forever" which broke airplay records on U.S. and U.K. charts and spawned a remix single. Two other singles taken from the album are "Without Love" and "Mother"... |
|
47 | — | 66 | 43 | 52 | 6 |
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... : Platinum |
||||||
| Blue Planet |
|
— | 33 | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| Be Still Be Still (album) Be Still is the third album by Donna Lewis. This album is only available for purchase from her website. The first two tracks were re-released with different arrangements on her fourth studio album, In The Pink.-Track listing:#"Ireland" – 3:45... |
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| In the Pink In the Pink (album) In the Pink is the fourth album by singer-songwriter Donna Lewis. It is co-produced by Lewis, Simon Duffy and Gerry Leonard.-History:Lewis met Simon Duffy in Italy in 1999/2000, and in 2002 they began putting tracks together for the album, co-writing the song "Obsession". This process was halted... |
Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
— | — | — | — | — | — | |||||||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
AUT |
NZ |
NOR VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
UK 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 ... |
US 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 Adult |
US AC |
US Dance |
|||||
| 1996 | "I Love You Always Forever I Love You Always Forever "I Love You Always Forever" is a single released in 1996 by Welsh singer Donna Lewis, from her debut album, Now in a Minute. Inspired by the H. E. Bates novel Love for Lydia, it was successful, reaching number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and staying there for nine weeks during the summer of... " |
2 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | — | Now in a Minute | ||
| "Without Love" | — | — | 47 | — | — | 39 | 41 | 36 | — | — | ||||
| 1997 | "Mother" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Fool's Paradise Fool's Paradise (song) "Fools Paradise" is a single released in 1996 by Welsh singer Donna Lewis taken from her debut album, Now in a Minute.-Tracklisting:# "Fools Paradise" - # "Fools Paradise" -... " |
— | — | — | — | — | 169 | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "Love & Affection" | — | — | — | — | — | 123 | — | — | — | — | ||||
| 1998 | "I Could Be the One" | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Blue Planet | ||
| "Love Him" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | ||||
| 1999 | "Falling" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2007 | "Shout" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | In the Pink | ||
| 2008 | "You to Me" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart | ||||||||||||||
Featured singles
| Year | Single | Artist | Peak chart positions |
Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 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 AC |
||||
| 1997 | "At the Beginning At the Beginning "At the Beginning" is a song by Donna Lewis and Richard Marx, released as the first single from the Anastasia soundtrack. It was released as a CD and cassette single on October 21, 1997 on Atlantic Records.... " |
Richard Marx Richard Marx Richard Noel Marx is an American adult contemporary and pop/rock singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He had a string of hit singles in the late 1980s and 1990s, including "Endless Summer Nights", "Right Here Waiting", "Now and Forever", and "Hazard"... |
45 | 2 | Anastasia Anastasia (soundtrack) Anastasia: Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack to Fox Animation Studios 1997, first animated feature Anastasia. It contains songs from the film written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty, David Newman, and performed by Liz Callaway, Jim Cummings, Jonathan Dokuchitz, and Kelsey Grammer, among... (soundtrack) |
Collaborations
- The Seduction of Claude DebussyThe Seduction of Claude DebussyThe Seduction of Claude Debussy is a 1999 concept album by Art of Noise, featuring a line-up of Trevor Horn, Anne Dudley, Paul Morley, and Lol Creme. Also appearing on the album are John Hurt, soprano Sally Bradshaw, Rakim, and Donna Lewis...
- Art of Noise [guest vocalist] (2000) - Take Me Over - Dino Lenny [guest vocalist] (2001)
- When the Rain Comes Down - [guest vocalist] (2001)
- Dancing Angel - Ryan FarishRyan FarishRyan Farish is an American electronic artist, producer and DJ from Virginia Beach, Virginia. As a Grammy-nominated and 2008 Dove Award-winning songwriter/producer/composer/multi-instrumentalist, Farish launched his music career on the first generation MP3.com...
[guest vocalist] (2010) - Chute (EP) - [lead singer] (2010)
See also
- List of number-one dance hits (United States)
- List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart