Vanessa White
Encyclopedia
Vanessa Karen White is an English
pop
singer and songwriter. White was born to a Nigerian father and Spanish-Filipino mother. She rose to fame in 2008 as a member of English/Irish girl-group The Saturdays
. She is the youngest member of the band. White is noted for her extensive vocal range.
, Somerset
. Attracted to performing from a young age she attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School
on Saturdays before being offered a full time place and moving to Stratford, London
with her family when she was five. She applied for The Brit School, but was turned down. She appeared in several theatre productions, including the West End
production of The Lion King
as Young Nala and also played one of the King's daughters in The King And I
from 2000-2002. She has a brother, Ryan, and a younger sister, Celine.
" due to her extensive vocal range. Initially, White and band member Una Healy had the strongest relationship, as they discovered that they were very alike. However, she has grown to love the other members all the same. She has also received comparison to American singers Alicia Keys
, Beyoncé and Mariah Carey
.
During June and July 2009, White toured the UK with The Saturdays
(The Work Tour
). Before she was about to go on stage for the second show of the tour in Dundee
, White tripped over a cable backstage and tore a ligament in her ankle and missed a large proportion of the show that night. Once paramedics had strapped up her foot, she was permitted to join the band on stage in a wheelchair. White spent the next few shows appearing on stage sitting on a bar stool and gradually began to stand for more and more songs as the tour progressed, before being able to perform her choreography again.
White is the only member of The Saturdays to feature in every song in their debut album, Chasing Lights
.
Along with the other members of the group, White has co-written a track on their second album, Wordshaker
, titled "Deeper". It was written in a two day studio session.
In their EP, Headlines! she features in verses and ad-libs on "Missing You", "Ego", "Higher", "Forever is Over" and "Puppet". White shared the stage for The Saturdays 2011 tour with no accidents.
's debut album A.D.H.D.
on the track 'Swagger Chick'. The album was released on the 27 July 2009. In January 2010, White participated in the first series
of the ITV
celebrity reality television programme Popstar to Operastar
. She was the second contestant eliminated, on 22 January. White took part in and was compressed into a box so that it appears only her head, hands and feet are there on Stephen Mulhern
's Magic Numbers.
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...
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...
singer and songwriter. White was born to a Nigerian father and Spanish-Filipino mother. She rose to fame in 2008 as a member of English/Irish girl-group The Saturdays
The Saturdays
The Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with...
. She is the youngest member of the band. White is noted for her extensive vocal range.
Early life
White was born in YeovilYeovil
Yeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 27,949 at the 2001 census, although the wider urban area had a population of 42,140...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. Attracted to performing from a young age she attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School
Sylvia Young Theatre School
Sylvia Young Theatre School is an independent fee-paying stage school, in Westminster, London, named after its founder and Principal, Sylvia Young.-Outline:...
on Saturdays before being offered a full time place and moving to Stratford, London
Stratford, London
Stratford is a place in the London Borough of Newham, England. It is located east northeast of Charing Cross and is one of the major centres identified in the London Plan. It was historically an agrarian settlement in the ancient parish of West Ham, which transformed into an industrial suburb...
with her family when she was five. She applied for The Brit School, but was turned down. She appeared in several theatre productions, including the West End
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...
production of The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
as Young Nala and also played one of the King's daughters in The King And I
The King and I
The King and I is a stage musical, the fifth by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. The work is based on the 1944 novel Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon and derives from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, who became governess to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in...
from 2000-2002. She has a brother, Ryan, and a younger sister, Celine.
2007-present: The Saturdays
Having already been signed as a solo artist White auditioned for, and was accepted as, a member of a newly-formed girl group in 2007. She gelled quickly with the four other members who now refer to her as "our Christina AguileraChristina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
" due to her extensive vocal range. Initially, White and band member Una Healy had the strongest relationship, as they discovered that they were very alike. However, she has grown to love the other members all the same. She has also received comparison to American singers Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
, Beyoncé and Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
.
During June and July 2009, White toured the UK with The Saturdays
The Saturdays
The Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with...
(The Work Tour
The Work Tour
The Work Tour is the debut headlining theatre tour by British girl group The Saturdays. The tour became the bands first headlining tour, but their second time actually touring, after they spent part of 2008 as support act for Girls Aloud on their Tangled Up Tour. The tour opened on 2 June 2009, and...
). Before she was about to go on stage for the second show of the tour in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, White tripped over a cable backstage and tore a ligament in her ankle and missed a large proportion of the show that night. Once paramedics had strapped up her foot, she was permitted to join the band on stage in a wheelchair. White spent the next few shows appearing on stage sitting on a bar stool and gradually began to stand for more and more songs as the tour progressed, before being able to perform her choreography again.
White is the only member of The Saturdays to feature in every song in their debut album, Chasing Lights
Chasing Lights
Chasing Lights is the debut album by British-Irish girl group The Saturdays, released on 27 October 2008 by Fascination Records. The album was re-issued on 16 March 2009 to include their cover of Depeche Mode's 1981 song "Just Can't Get Enough"....
.
Along with the other members of the group, White has co-written a track on their second album, Wordshaker
Wordshaker
"Wordshaker" generated generally favorable reviews amongst critics upon its release. Allmusic's Matthew Chisling awarded the album three out of five stars, praising the girls and the album for "combining aggressive basslines and vocals that are a pinch of prowess". Chisling's praised tracks like...
, titled "Deeper". It was written in a two day studio session.
In their EP, Headlines! she features in verses and ad-libs on "Missing You", "Ego", "Higher", "Forever is Over" and "Puppet". White shared the stage for The Saturdays 2011 tour with no accidents.
Solo releases and appearances
White provided additional vocals on Master ShortieMaster Shortie
Theo Jerome Kerlin is a British MC who is credited by his stage name Master Shortie. He is also a singer, establishing his own record label, Odd One Out. Plus has been listed in the Sound of 2009 poll.-Early life:...
's debut album A.D.H.D.
A.D.H.D. (album)
A.D.H.D is the debut album by English Hip-hop artist, Master Shortie. The album was released on July 27, 2009 and has so far failed to chart.-Track listing:#"ADHD " #"Bringing It Back"#"Nothing to Be Scared of "...
on the track 'Swagger Chick'. The album was released on the 27 July 2009. In January 2010, White participated in the first series
Popstar to Operastar (series 1)
Popstar to Operastar is a British television music competition to find new singing talent in Opera. The show began on 15 January 2010 and finished on 19 February 2010. The show has eight popstars which took part within the competition battled each other learning opera. The judges were Rolando...
of the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
celebrity reality television programme Popstar to Operastar
Popstar to Operastar
Popstar to Operastar is a British television programme singing competition based around the training of pop stars of current to be able to sing opera. The show began airing on ITV on 15 January 2010 at 9pm. The show is repeated on TV3 Ireland on Saturday evening. The programme is produced by...
. She was the second contestant eliminated, on 22 January. White took part in and was compressed into a box so that it appears only her head, hands and feet are there on Stephen Mulhern
Stephen Mulhern
Stephen Daniel Mulhern is a British TV presenter, entertainer, and former magician. He began presenting in the studio on CITV in May 1998 and became a leading presenter until he left in August 2002. He has presented a number of shows, including SMTV Live, Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown and...
's Magic Numbers.