Naomi Phoenix is an English

English people

The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

 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...

 from Warwick

Warwick

Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England. The town lies upon the River Avon, south of Coventry and just west of Leamington Spa and Whitnash with which it is conjoined. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census, it had a population of 23,350...

, who had several releases between 1997 and 1999 on Gut

Gut Records

The Gut Group was an independent record label, based in Maida Vale in London, in the United Kingdom.Formally introduced in 1991, Gut Recordings was founded by Guy Holmes, who had been Head of Promotions at Island Records...

 under the alias 'Naomi'. Naomi's name at the time of the releases was Naomi Freeth, but since leaving Gut has since changed her name to Naomi Phoenix (the name by which she now performs).

Whilst with Gut, Phoenix's label mates were Sound 5, Jimmy Somerville

Jimmy Somerville

James William Somerville is a Scottish pop singer and songwriter. He had considerable success in the 1980s with the pop groups Bronski Beat and The Communards, and has also had a successful solo career. He is known in particular for his falsetto singing voice...

, James Taylor Quartet, Space, Arabesque and Tom Jones

Tom Jones (singer)

Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...

. Naomi's band was formed of Phoenix (vocals and guitar), Spike Barker (drums), Simon 'Sickboy' Bayliss (bass), Dan Whitehouse (guitar) and Dean Deavall (keyboards). Phoenix was educated at Trinity Catholic Technology College

Trinity Catholic Technology College

Trinity Catholic School is a mixed Catholic secondary school in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England.The school has Technology College status awarded in 2000 and Arts College status awarded in 2004 and had been awarded Artsmark Gold award. Following an Ofsted inspection in 2009, the school was...

 in Warwick and Leamington Spa

Leamington Spa

Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington or Leam to locals, is a spa town in central Warwickshire, England. Formerly known as Leamington Priors, its expansion began following the popularisation of the medicinal qualities of its water by Dr Kerr in 1784, and by Dr Lambe...

, and was in the same year at this school as the folk

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 duo Nizlopi

Nizlopi

Nizlopi were a two-piece band, from 1993–2010, with Luke Concannon on vocals, guitar, and bodhrán, and John Parker on double bass, human beatbox, and providing backing vocals. They were based in Leamington Spa, England. Prior to attending Trinity Catholic Technology College, Luke and John...

. Phoenix 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...

 "Personal Touch" as a limited release of 3,000 copies in 1997. This debut single was supported several times by the Melody Maker

Melody Maker

Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...

music magazine featuring in their 'Hit List' prior to its release on 18 October 1997, given 'Single of the Week' following its release on 29 November 1997, and given a large spread interview as their 'Pick of the Week' on 6 December 1997. Phoenix also caught the attention of the NME

NME

The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...

. She has also appeared on national television including 'Music File' on BBC Two

BBC Two

BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...

 and also The Melinda Messenger

Melinda Messenger

Melinda Jayne Messenger is an English ex-glamour model, Page 3 Girl and a former presenter on the magazine programme Live from Studio Five. She is currently co-broadcaster of the reality show Cowboy Builders.-Biography:...

 Show on Channel 5.

Phoenix has supported Beth Orton

Beth Orton

Beth Orton is a BRIT Award–winning English singer-songwriter, known for her 'folktronica' sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica. She was initially recognised for her collaborations with William Orbit and the Chemical Brothers in the mid 1990s. However, these were not Orton's first...

, Saint Etienne

Saint Etienne (band)

Saint Etienne are an English Pop group comprising Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs. They are named after the French football team AS Saint-Étienne.-History:Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs were childhood friends and former music journalists...

, Hurricane #1

Hurricane No. 1

Hurricane #1 were an English indie rock band, formed in Oxford in 1996. The band were formed by former Ride guitarist Andy Bell, along with vocalist / guitarist Alex Lowe, bassist Will Pepper and drummer Gareth Farmer....

, and Heather Nova

Heather Nova

Heather Nova, is a Bermudian singer-songwriter and poet. She has released eight full-length albums and has found lasting success in Germany where two of her albums South and Storm have made their way into the Top-5 of German official album chart.-Biography:Heather Nova was born in Bermuda...

.

Singles

• "Personal Touch" (November 1997)
• "Be My Lover" (CD1) (March 1999)
• "Be My Lover" (CD2) (March 1999)
• "Passion Fruit Jam" (December 1999)

External links

• Phoenix's current MySpace
• [ Phoenix at Allmusic]