With her single 'The Closest Thing To Crazy', Katie Melua broke through in the Netherlands in 2004.
Georgia - Ireland - London
The beauty was born in 1984 in Georgia, where she lived until the age of nine. This was still during the time of the Soviet Union. Her father was offered a job as a heart surgeon in Ireland, and at the age of nine, Katie moved with her family to the turbulent Belfast. However, Katie did not notice much of the unrest there. She attended a Catholic school, while her younger brother went to a Protestant school. During her stay in Ireland, the teenage Katie already felt she wanted to change the world. Not so much with her music, but rather as a politician. After five years, the family moved to London.
Talent contest
At fifteen, she took part in a talent contest on television; Stars Up Their Nose. She sang 'Without You' by Mariah Carey. She won the talent contest and enjoyed the stage experience. The success whetted her appetite for more, and she began writing and recording songs in the small studio at her parents' house. She enrolled in a music course, where she was introduced to various musical styles. Especially the lyrics of Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan were a source of inspiration for her.
Contract
Composer and producer Mike Batt visited her school and heard her perform. He was completely overwhelmed by her talent and offered her a record contract with his label Dramatico. Before diving into this, Katie first finished her studies. Her first single, 'The Closest Thing To Crazy', was released in the summer of 2003 in England. Her album, from which she performed several songs at the Royal Albert Hall in the presence of Queen Elizabeth, was released in November of that year and is called Call Off The Search.
Below sea level
After her success in her 'home country', Katie Melua broke through in the Netherlands in 2004. Like the English, the Dutch audience also fell for her beauty and music. In honour of the wedding of Prince Pieter-Christiaan and Princess Anita in 2005, she performed the song 'Nine Million Bicycles'. The song is from the singer's second album Piece By Piece. With a concert 303 metres below sea level on a drilling platform at the bottom of the North Sea, Katie Melua earned a mention in the Guinness Book of Records. She called it "her most surreal performance ever".
North Sea Jazz
Katie Melua performed in the summer of 2007 at the North Sea Jazz festival in Rotterdam's Ahoy. In 2010, Katie made a full comeback with her new album The House.
Birthday present
Katie Melua premiered her new song 'I Will Be There' at Queen Elizabeth II's birthday party at Buckingham Palace. The song was released as a single in August 2013. The gentle song with orchestra was recorded for her album Ketevan. Ketevan is her sixth studio album and was released on 16 September, Katie Melua's 28th birthday.
Top 2000
In the 23rd edition of the Top 2000, Katie appears with only one song, 'Nine Million Bicycles', at number 1302, and she is slipping down... Let's hope she gains some points in the next edition because she deserves it!
Sunday Morning Classic
On 13 November 2022, Katie was on our Sunday Morning Classic stage with her debut album Call Off The Search from 2003.
Katie Melua is often compared to Norah Jones because they both incorporate jazz into their music, but their voices are different. I personally consider Katie Melua easy-listening pop with a touch of jazz, and there's nothing wrong with that. Her voice on this album is still a bit thin (young), but she makes good use of it, and the songs are strong and atmospheric, partly due to the right arrangements.
With Call Off The Search, The Closest Thing To Crazy and the beautifully covered I Think It's Gonna Rain Today, the rest of the album can't go wrong. Mike Batt must also be mentioned as her discoverer and an excellent musician himself. And Katie, there are hardly any more beautiful!
As far as this debut album is concerned, I do enjoy it. A bit too sweet at times, but I can savour it in the right mood. This is an album I like to put on late at night.
Source: NPO and Wikipedia Photo: Harald Krichel and Kirk Stauffer
