Nicki French


Nicola "Nicki" Sharon French is an English singer and actress. She is best known for her 1995 dance cover version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart", which reached the US and UK Top 5, and for representing the United Kingdom in the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm.

Career

French was born in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. She provided backing vocals on Rose-Marie's 1992 album, Emotional Exposure. Generally, French had been a session singer for many years before she covered "Total Eclipse of the Heart", a song originally made famous by Bonnie Tyler. French's single was first released in 1994 in the United Kingdom. When it was re-released in 1995, the song reached number 5 during a three-month chart run in the UK Singles Chart, selling over 250,000 copies in the process and earning a silver sales award.
The single achieved greater success in the United States, where it reached number 2, spending six months on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and gained Gold certification from the RIAA. The single also reached number 1 in a number of countries – Japan, Canada, Spain and Brazil – as well as charting in Australia, Germany, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. French sold in excess of 5 million copies.
Her second single "For All We Know", a cover version of The Carpenters' song, only reached number 42 in the UK Singles Chart, hindered by poor distribution and a barcode error. The track was due to be released in the US but due to a dispute between record companies only made it as far as a promo release in America. Her debut album, Secrets, charted in Japan, Brazil, Israel, Canada, Australia and the United States. Further singles from the album included "Is There Anybody Out There?", "Did You Ever Really Love Me?" and "Never in a Million Years". "Did You Ever Really Love Me?" was also released Stateside.
Various other songs were added to formats around the world, including renditions of "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" and "Stop! In the Name of Love". French was her record label's biggest artist but due to them achieving limited success with their other acts they went into liquidation. French was then signed by Logic Records UK, during which time she released "Te Amo" in various countries. In Brazil it reached number 4 becoming French's fifth consecutive Top 10 in the airplay charts. It was stocked by HMV in the United Kingdom in the summer of 1997 but failed to reach the UK Singles Chart. Another single from this album was due for release, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry", but it only ever made it to various compilations. In 1998, she released her second album, entitled "French Revolution" and had success in Japan and Taiwan but was eventually dropped by her record label after management reconstructing.
In 2000, she entered the Eurovision Song Contest with "Don't Play That Song Again", the song being selected by the British public ahead of seven other finalists on radio and TV. She was then signed up by RCA and the track entered at number 34 in the UK chart. French finished the contest in 16th place, at the time the lowest placing for any UK act.
French signed to Jim Steinman's Ravenous Records label for a short period in 2000, during which time she recorded "Lovers Again" and "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" neither of which were ever commercially released. She later went on to record three tracks with the writer of her Eurovision hit, John Springate. These were dance and reggae covers of previous Eurovision entries, French herself chose not to release them but still occasionally performs her versions at Eurovision events.
In 2003, French was one of nine contestants on a special Eurovision edition of BBC Television's The Weakest Link. Joining Sonia, Lyn Paul, James Fox, Katie Boyle, Bobby Gee, Jessica Garlick, Katrina Leskanich and Jemini on the show hosted by Anne Robinson, French won the event and was declared 'The Strongest Link' raising £13,000 for Cancer Research, having lost her father to cancer in 1997. In fact, French had been a last minute substitute for original guest, Gina G, who had to drop out of the show when she went into labour. She still has a strong relationship with Eurovision and its fans, and is booked each year to co-host the London Eurovision Party with Paddy O’Connell.
In 2003 she was the only British artist to feature in an ABC Television special in LA; ‘The Disco Ball – a 30-Year Celebration’, filmed at the Shrine Auditorium, also starring among others - Gloria Gaynor, Whoopi Goldberg, KC & the Sunshine Band, Chic, Irene Cara, and Usher.
French continues to tour the United Kingdom and Europe, performing her hits as well as new material. She released two singles, "I Surrender" in 2004 and "Calling Out My Name" in 2005. "I Surrender" charted on the EuroNRG Top 40 chart in February 2005. However, her later release, billed as 'Diva DJs Vs Nicki French', "Total Eclipse of the Heart 2006" did not appear in the UK Singles Chart.
French has retained her large gay following, and has headlined some of the biggest Pride shows in recent years including EuroPride, Stockholm Pride and the world's biggest Pride event Australia's Mardi Gras.
In 2007 French was invited back to Brazil, one of her most successful territories, to perform a show for the radio station Energia 97FM. The tickets sold out quickly, and another show was booked for the preceding evening. Since then, French has been invited back to Brazil regularly to perform shows.
In 2009 a special edition of French's second album French Revolution became available. The CD contained seventeen tracks and included all three of her most recent singles along with a previously unreleased version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart". The same year, she released "No Smoke", which did not enter the UK charts.
French regularly worked on tracks with Energise Records, and was always their main artist. She often provided backing vocals for their other artists, as well as lead & backing on her own. In early 2015 Energise released a four-CD album of songs they had recorded with French over the previous years, ‘One Step Further’, which is their biggest-selling album to date.
In 2014, 20 years after the success of ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, Mike Stock and French have started working together again, recording new tracks for his label Modal Production Group. The first release from the studio is the anthemic dance number, ‘This Love’: according to Stock himself ‘the song’s message is a celebration of love and commitment’.
In 2017 French performed at the first ever Isle of Wight Pride, in Ryde.

Theatre

In recent years, French has managed to combine her acting, as well as her singing skills. In 2007 she was cast as understudy for the original London cast of "Menopause the Musical", starring Su Pollard. She was subsequently part of all the UK and Irish productions, and has played three out of the four roles throughout her connection with the show, elevating to being cast in the main roles.
From August 2010 she toured the UK in the hit Annie, performing eight different roles every night in the show's long run, and was understudy for the role of Miss Hannigan, played by Su Pollard.
In April 2012, French was the first person to play the roles of Dora and Sarah, in a brand new comedy ‘Guilty Pleasures’ by Ron Aldridge, which opened at the Pavilion Theatre in Bournemouth, but the premise of a men's brothel covering as a spa didn't go down well, and the show closed at the same venue, despite being booked for a UK tour. French then created the role of Sarah in Pauline Fleming's comedy ‘Dirty Dating.Com’, which premiered at the Stockport Plaza Theatre and the Epstein Theatre, Liverpool, and in October played Helga ten Dorp in Ira Levin's ‘Deathtrap’ at the Brookside Theatre, Romford.
In 2013, French was honoured to be given responsibility for bringing Ethel Merman to life in a new two-hander play, ‘Gee, But It’s Good to be Here – An Audience With Ethel Merman’, written by Steve Burbridge. It premiered at the Trent House, Newcastle upon Tyne, and French spent many hours watching clips of Merman speaking and singing in order to do the part justice. It worked, as she received great reviews for the piece.

Pantomime

French took on her first pantomime in 2008, playing Queen Genevieve in ‘Sleeping Beauty’. The pantomime gained great reviews, making it into the top 10 pantomimes in the UK in The Daily Telegraph newspaper.
In 2009 she was Fairy Godmother in ‘Cinderella’, for New Pantomime Productions, alongside Syd Little, Leah Bracknell, Aiden J Harvey and Hayley Clarke.
She was working on the tour of ‘Annie’ in 2010, but in 2011 went back to panto, playing Dandini in ‘Cinderella’ with Danny Young and Neil & Christine Hamilton, and for the 2012 Christmas season played Fairy Sparkle in ‘Cinderella’ with Steven Arnold, Stuart Wade and Tom Owen, again for NPP.
In 2013 she was cast as Queen Charlotte in an Easter production of ‘Sleeping Beauty’ for Enchanted Entertainment, alongside Peter Duncan, and at Christmas played her first ‘baddie’ role of Wicked Stepmother Queen in ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’ for Paul Holman Productions at the Palace Theatre, Newark, with Bernie Clifton.
In 2014, French she worked again for Paul Holman, playing Witch Guillotine in ‘Beauty and the Beast’ at Oakengates, Telford, alongside Matt Evers. In the 2015 panto season she will be at the Pomegranate Theatre, Chesterfield, playing the Wicked Queen again. In 2016, she played the Ice Queen in another Paul Holman production of Santa Claus The Musical at the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth, alongside Mark Read from A1 and Jason Sutton.

Personal life

French was born in Carlisle to Joseph and Eileen. She has two sisters, Allison and Carolyn, and a brother, Timothy, who is a songwriter. The French family moved when Nicki was four and settled in Tenterden, Kent. She attended Homewood School and West Kent College in Tonbridge.
French married Gavin Mallett, a professional musician, in July 1993 at St. Mildred's Church, Tenterden. The couple lived in Middlesex. They are now divorced.

Discography

Albums