Katie Underwood
Encyclopedia
Not to be confused with Carrie Underwood
.
Katie Underwood (born 23 December 1975) is an Australian singer-songwriter
, best known for being a member of Bardot, winners of the first Australian series of Popstars
in 2000.
Since departing the group in 2001, her solo career has included numerous vocal appearances on dance
tracks such as the Disco Montego
Top 10 single "Beautiful
", and dance act T-Funk single "Be Together".
. After three years at university she dropped out and moved to Melbourne
.
In June 2007, The Sydney Morning Herald
printed an interview with Underwood about her bisexuality
. She currently lives in Melbourne.
, Underwood recorded a dance track with UK trance act Terra Ferma, releasing her first single "Don't Be Afraid" through Platipus Records
in the UK. She also recorded three more tracks which were included on the Terra Ferma album, released in early 2000.
After returning from the UK to Melbourne, Underwood began working with singer/songwriter Charlie Rooke (formerly of The Sharp
) and they formed a jazz-swing band called Corduroy Lounge.
In October 1999, she auditioned for the TV show Popstars
, making it through to the final five. As a result she was selected to join the girl group
Bardot. The group achieved instant success with the No. 1 hit "Poison
" and its No. 1 debut album
, headlined its own national tour and performed at the 2000 ARIA Awards in which it was nominated for three awards. Underwood travelled to New Zealand
, Singapore
, Taiwan
and the UK, promoting with Bardot.
In early 2001 she decided to leave the group in pursuit of a role in the production of Hair
. Unfortunately for Underwood, the production fell through due to financial problems.
Underwood later spoke of the deep depression she fell into as a result of what most people thought was a foolish career decision, despite the fact that Bardot's commercial success after her departure was muted. She subsequently turned the tables and made a successful comeback, earning respect from entertainment critics for her resilience.
Focusing on her passion for the clubbing
scene and dance music, Underwood returned to the spotlight in May 2002, collaborating with Australian dance duo Disco Montego
, resulting in the Top 10 ARIA
hit "Beautiful" and its follow-up "Magic".
At this time, she also appeared on the series Undercover Angels, a reality TV show which aimed to give a helping hand to people in need. She released her first solo single "Danger" in September 2003 which peaked at No. 33 on the singles chart and took a two year break in which no music was released.
In June 2006, Underwood re-emerged with dance act T-Funk on the track "Be Together", topping the ARIA Club charts for five consecutive weeks. It peaked at No. 31 on the mainstream singles chart. The music video of this song was directed by Bangladeshi born director Zayed Rizwan AKA SILK.
star, and a lesbian film called Submerge. She said she would have no problem with the leading roles because of her own lesbian experimentation. Dark Angels played in Melbourne during 2007. Submerge, directed by Sophie O'Connor, was due to be shot in January 2009.
In 2009 Underwood toured NSW in a new musical, David Tydd's Valentino (about Rudolph Valentino
), with fellow Bardot member Tiffani Wood
, and Normie Rowe
.
Carrie Underwood
Carrie Marie Underwood is an American country singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as the winner of the fourth season of American Idol, in 2005...
.
Katie Underwood (born 23 December 1975) is an Australian 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...
, best known for being a member of Bardot, winners of the first Australian series of Popstars
Popstars
Popstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss...
in 2000.
Since departing the group in 2001, her solo career has included numerous vocal appearances on dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
tracks such as the Disco Montego
Disco Montego
Disco Montego are an Australian R&B and dance music performance, song writing and production duo. The Dowlut brothers Dennis and Darren, formed Kaylan in Melbourne in 1995. They released an R&B album No Commandments in 2000, which reached No. 23 in Australia and spawned three Top 50...
Top 10 single "Beautiful
Beautiful (Disco Montego song)
"Beautiful" is a dance and pop song by former dance duo, Disco Montego, featuring guest vocals by Katie Underwood. The song reached No. 9 on the ARIA Charts and was certified gold...
", and dance act T-Funk single "Be Together".
Biography
Born in Adelaide, Underwood sang in a girls choir, and later studied Math and Computer Science at University of AdelaideUniversity of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
. After three years at university she dropped out and moved to Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
.
In June 2007, The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald
The Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
printed an interview with Underwood about her bisexuality
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
. She currently lives in Melbourne.
Music career
In February 1999 in LondonLondon
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...
, Underwood recorded a dance track with UK trance act Terra Ferma, releasing her first single "Don't Be Afraid" through Platipus Records
Platipus Records
Platipus Records was a popular trance music record label that was based in London, UK. It was founded in 1993 by Simon Berry. The early releases were almost exclusively limited to Berry's various projects, including Union Jack, Clanger, and Art of Trance...
in the UK. She also recorded three more tracks which were included on the Terra Ferma album, released in early 2000.
After returning from the UK to Melbourne, Underwood began working with singer/songwriter Charlie Rooke (formerly of The Sharp
The Sharp
The Sharp was a 3-piece pop/rock band from Melbourne, Australia.The band formed in 1988 with Allan Catlin on double bass and lead vocals, Charlie Rooke on guitar and lead vocals, and Danny Simcic / Piet Collins on drums....
) and they formed a jazz-swing band called Corduroy Lounge.
In October 1999, she auditioned for the TV show Popstars
Popstars
Popstars is an international reality television franchise and a precursor to the Idol series. The series first began in New Zealand in 1999 when producer Jonathan Dowling formed the five member all-girl group TrueBliss...
, making it through to the final five. As a result she was selected to join the girl group
Girl group
A girl group is a popular music act featuring several young female singers who generally harmonise together.Girl groups emerged in the late 1950s as groups of young singers teamed up with behind-the-scenes songwriters and music producers to create hit singles, often featuring glossy production...
Bardot. The group achieved instant success with the No. 1 hit "Poison
Poison (Bardot song)
"Poison" is a pop song by Australian female group Bardot, and was the first single from their debut album Bardot . It was co-written and produced by Australian producer Michael Szumowski....
" and its No. 1 debut album
Bardot (album)
Bardot is the debut album by Australian female pop group Bardot, released in May 2000 .The album went to number one in Australia and New Zealand and spawned the singles "Poison", I Should've Never Let You Go" and "These Days" ....
, headlined its own national tour and performed at the 2000 ARIA Awards in which it was nominated for three awards. Underwood travelled to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and the UK, promoting with Bardot.
In early 2001 she decided to leave the group in pursuit of a role in the production of Hair
Hair (musical)
Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
. Unfortunately for Underwood, the production fell through due to financial problems.
Underwood later spoke of the deep depression she fell into as a result of what most people thought was a foolish career decision, despite the fact that Bardot's commercial success after her departure was muted. She subsequently turned the tables and made a successful comeback, earning respect from entertainment critics for her resilience.
Focusing on her passion for the clubbing
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
scene and dance music, Underwood returned to the spotlight in May 2002, collaborating with Australian dance duo Disco Montego
Disco Montego
Disco Montego are an Australian R&B and dance music performance, song writing and production duo. The Dowlut brothers Dennis and Darren, formed Kaylan in Melbourne in 1995. They released an R&B album No Commandments in 2000, which reached No. 23 in Australia and spawned three Top 50...
, resulting in the Top 10 ARIA
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
hit "Beautiful" and its follow-up "Magic".
At this time, she also appeared on the series Undercover Angels, a reality TV show which aimed to give a helping hand to people in need. She released her first solo single "Danger" in September 2003 which peaked at No. 33 on the singles chart and took a two year break in which no music was released.
In June 2006, Underwood re-emerged with dance act T-Funk on the track "Be Together", topping the ARIA Club charts for five consecutive weeks. It peaked at No. 31 on the mainstream singles chart. The music video of this song was directed by Bangladeshi born director Zayed Rizwan AKA SILK.
Acting career
In 2007 Underwood confirmed her plans to star in a new musical called Dark Angels, based on the story of a bisexual burlesqueBurlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
star, and a lesbian film called Submerge. She said she would have no problem with the leading roles because of her own lesbian experimentation. Dark Angels played in Melbourne during 2007. Submerge, directed by Sophie O'Connor, was due to be shot in January 2009.
In 2009 Underwood toured NSW in a new musical, David Tydd's Valentino (about Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
), with fellow Bardot member Tiffani Wood
Tiffani Wood
Tiffany "Tiffani" Jane Wood , briefly known as Tiffani Cummins, is an Australian singer-songwriter, who is a former member of female pop group Bardot. Wood later established an independent solo career, and released her debut solo album Bite Your Tongue in 2006.-Early life:Wood was born on 8...
, and Normie Rowe
Normie Rowe
Norman John "Normie" Rowe AM was a major male solo performer of Australian pop music in the 1960s. Known for his bright and edgy tenor voice and dynamic stage presence, many of Rowe's most successful recordings were produced by Pat Aulton, house producer for the Sunshine Records, Spin Records and...
.
Albums
Underwood's vocals feature on the following artist studio albums:- 2000: Terra Ferma – The Adventures of...
- 2000: BardotBardotBardot was an Australian female pop group which formed in 1999 on the Australian reality television series of Popstars. Aired in early 2000, the program was a fresh concept to audiences, attracting high ratings and much attention in the media....
– BardotBardot (album)Bardot is the debut album by Australian female pop group Bardot, released in May 2000 .The album went to number one in Australia and New Zealand and spawned the singles "Poison", I Should've Never Let You Go" and "These Days" .... - 2002: Disco MontegoDisco MontegoDisco Montego are an Australian R&B and dance music performance, song writing and production duo. The Dowlut brothers Dennis and Darren, formed Kaylan in Melbourne in 1995. They released an R&B album No Commandments in 2000, which reached No. 23 in Australia and spawned three Top 50...
– Disco Montego - 2009: Ain't Nobody's Baby – Ain't Nobody's Baby
Singles
| Year | Single | 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... peak position |
Certification 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,... |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solo | ||||
| 2003 | "Danger" | 33 | Single-only | |
| Featured vocalist | ||||
| 1999 | "Don't Be Afraid" with Terra Ferma | – | The Adventures of... | |
| 2002 | "Beautiful Beautiful (Disco Montego song) "Beautiful" is a dance and pop song by former dance duo, Disco Montego, featuring guest vocals by Katie Underwood. The song reached No. 9 on the ARIA Charts and was certified gold... " with Disco Montego Disco Montego Disco Montego are an Australian R&B and dance music performance, song writing and production duo. The Dowlut brothers Dennis and Darren, formed Kaylan in Melbourne in 1995. They released an R&B album No Commandments in 2000, which reached No. 23 in Australia and spawned three Top 50... |
9 | ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... : Gold |
Disco Montego |
| "Magic" with Disco Montego | 22 | |||
| 2006 | "Be Together" with T-Funk | 31 | Single-only | |
| Group collaborations | ||||
| 2000 | "Poison Poison (Bardot song) "Poison" is a pop song by Australian female group Bardot, and was the first single from their debut album Bardot . It was co-written and produced by Australian producer Michael Szumowski.... " with Bardot Bardot Bardot was an Australian female pop group which formed in 1999 on the Australian reality television series of Popstars. Aired in early 2000, the program was a fresh concept to audiences, attracting high ratings and much attention in the media.... |
1 | ARIA: 2× platinum | Bardot |
| "I Should've Never Let You Go I Should've Never Let You Go "I Should've Never Let You Go" is a pop song by Australian female group Bardot, and was the second single from their debut album Bardot... " with Bardot |
14 | ARIA: Gold | ||
| "These Days These Days (Bardot song) "These Days" is the third single by Australian pop group Bardot, released in August 2000 on the back of their first national tour. It debuted and peaked at No.19 on the ARIA Singles chart and was certified gold. The single was available in two unique formats... with Bardot |
19 | ARIA: Gold | ||
| 2002 | "Good Times" with Disco Montego, Selwyn Selwyn (singer) Selwyn is an R&B singer from Perth, Western Australia. He was a contestant on the Australian reality series Popstars 2, but did not make it through to the final group lineup. He was re-discovered while working at a shopping centre as a trolley boy... , Peta Morris and Jeremy Gregory |
– | Single-only | |
| 2004 | "Twelve Days of Christmas The Twelve Days of Christmas (song) "The Twelve Days of Christmas" is an English Christmas carol that enumerates a series of increasingly grand gifts given on each of the twelve days of Christmas. Although first published in England in 1780, textual evidence may indicate the song is French in origin... " with Dreamtime Christmas All-Stars Dreamtime Christmas All-Stars Dreamtime Christmas All-Stars are an all-star collaboration of Australian celebrities. They released one single, "Twelve Days Of Christmas", which reached No... |
26 | Single-only | |