Katie Melua

Katie Melua was born in a Georgian city Kutaisi on 16 September 1984. Her early childhood she spent in Tbilisi and then moved to Batumi. When Katie was 8 years old, her parents made a decision to leave their native country and went to Belfast, Ireland. In Belfast, Katie’s family lived for 5 years and then moved to southeastern London. When she turned 15, Melua got a chance to participate in a TV contest called "Stars Up Their Noses." She sang Mariah Carey’s “Without You.” No one expected Katie to win but she managed to do it. Even though the prize she got for the victory wasn’t anything huge, Melua got invaluable experience of performing onstage. When Katie Melua passed her exams and enrolled in the BRIT School for the Performing Arts. While studying, Katie discovered a variety of music styles and directions, as well as such famous artists as Queen, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan. She was very impressed by the songs of Eva Cassidy. When Melua found out that Cassidy was dead, she wrote a tribute song for her called “Faraway Voice.” The composer and producer Mike Batt came to BRIT School looking for musicians for his band. At the audition, Katie performed “Faraway Voice” and Batt realized that he found a talented singer. He helped Katie sign a contract with Dramatico, which lasted for many years.

In 2003, Katie recorded her first single “The Closest Thing To Crazy”. It reached the 10th spot on the UK Singles Chart. The end of the year was important for the 19-year-old Katie. She was invited to participate in Royal Variety, where she met Queen. Then she released her debut LP Call Off the Search. The album topped the UK British Chart and earned more than 10 platinum certificates in many countries. While traveling the world, Katie recorded her new LP Piece By Piece (2005). The lead single “Nine Million Bicycles” reached the 3rd spot in the UK Singles Chart. Katie’s next LP Pictures (2007) reached the 2nd spot on the UK Albums Chart and conquered several European charts. In 2006, Katie made it into the Guinness Book of World Records after singing deep under the water in the North Sea. In order to do that, she had to pass an extensive physical exam and go through rigorous survival training in Norway. In 2010, Melua released The House. It was slightly less popular than her previous albums but still made it into the top-10 of the most popular charts in the world and earned a gold certificate in the UK. In 2012, she released Secret Symphony, which was successful and reached the 8th spot on the UK Albums Chart. After the release of this LP, the singer’s popularity started to wane a little. Even though her next albums Ketevan (2013) and In Winter (2016) were successful, they didn’t manage to become such great hits as Katie’s first LPs. To date, Katie recorded seven studio albums and earned several prestigious awards, including an ECHO award. Melua works hard on her career, travels the world, and performs at many events.