Kaci Battaglia


Kaci Lyn Battaglia, also known as Kaci, is a former American recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress, and LGBT advocate. Kaci gained fame in 2001 with her hit single "Paradise".

Early life

Kaci Battaglia was born and raised in Clearwater, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay region to a musical family. She is the daughter of Danny Battaglia and Donna DeVille. Battaglia began singing when she was three years old, and often performed at her father's karaoke club. By the age of eight she began performing throughout Florida for dignitaries, in concerts, and for sports events. In 2001, Battaglia tested post-high school in all subjects. As a result, she began attending St. Petersburg College both online and between tours.

Music career

At age 11, Battaglia independently released A Thousand Stars, an album that was produced by her mother, Donna. A portion of the proceeds from A Thousand Stars went to help a housing project for the less fortunate. Battaglia began looking for a recording contract when she was eleven years old, due to the success of her independent album. She caught attention of record producer Joel Diamond after Battaglia's mother called and asked Diamond to audition her daughter. Diamond put up his own money to record her. After being turned down by over 20 record labels with his demo, "Paradise", for her, it was Mike Curb who called Diamond months after receiving the recording and told him that he wanted to sign Battaglia to Curb Records.
Her debut single "Paradise", a cover of the theme song originally sung by Phoebe Cates in the 1982 film Paradise, was released in 2001 and hit #11 in the UK. Battaglia's Latin-flavored second single "Tu Amor" was released in the UK on July of the same year, scoring a more moderate impact on the charts, peaking at number 24. Her third single was a cover of The Partridge Family's, "I Think I Love You". It became her only top 10 hit in the UK in February of the year 2002.
In 2003, she teamed up with a Japanese photographer and released a photo book entitled, Kaci: I'm a Singer. This photo book was filled with pictures of Battaglia while in her hometown in Florida. The book was released in 2007 exclusively in Japan, along with a re-release of her album, Paradise. Kaci did a song "I Will Learn to Love Again" for the 2005 film The Perfect Man.
She released "I Can't Help Myself", a track that was serviced to dance radio stations and does not appear on the record. Her single "Crazy Possessive" reached #1 on the Billboard Dance chart. Another single, "Body Shots" was featured on episode 8x02 of The CW's One Tree Hill also reached #1 on the Billboard Dance chart. Her album Bring It On released in 2010 only in Japan as a physical release, however it was released digital download in the United States.

Personal life

She parted ways with Curb Records in 2013. Kaci is working towards a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. Since her departure from the entertainment industry, she has become a born-again Christian and an animal rights activist seeking an end to the dog meat industry. On February 13, 2016, Kaci married Selleck Keene in Clearwater, Florida. They have one daughter born April 2018.

Highlights

Albums

Touring