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| Birth Name(s) : Sarah Brightman |
Date of Birth: August 14, 1960 |
| Status:
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Partner:
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| Profession:
Musician |
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Full Sarah Brightman Biography
Sarah Brightman was born near London, England in 1960. She was a workaholic from an early age, never wasting a minute of free time. Straight from school, she went to ballet lessons. When she got home at eight o'clock, she went to bed. She got up at four in the morning to do her homework and then began the schedule all over again. When she was a teenager she decided to try her hand, or her vocals, at singing. In 1978, she released the single, "I Lost My Heart To A Starship Trooper" and it became an instant disco hit. In 1981, she tried out for a role in an up-and-coming musical, ‘Cats'. It was there that she met her soul mate and future husband, Andrew Lloyd Webber. They were married in 1982, and she went on to star in a number of his shows, particularly ‘The Phantom of the Opera', in which the role of Christine was written for her. Sarah gained recognition in the London theatre scene, but it was not the kind she wanted. People got the notion that the only push behind her success was that she was Mrs. Andrew Lloyd Webber.
A far too career-orientated Sarah decided the only way to get the recognition she deserved was to go out and gain it for herself. She divorced Lloyd Webber in 1990, but despite this, they are still the best of friends. In 1991, she met Frank Peterson. He became her producer, leading her to huge success with Albums such as Dive (1993), Fly (1995) Timeless/Time To Say Goodbye (1997), Eden (1998), and La Luna (2000). Her style and vocal ability range from upbeat pop songs to opera arias, all of which are performed beautifully. Because of Sarah's hard work and determination, her name and voice are known world wide. She is truly an artist. |
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Additional Sarah Brightman Biography
Sarah Brightman (born August 14, 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano, actress and dancer.
At sixteen, in 1976, Brightman joined the dance group Pan's People, a staple on the BBC series Top of the Pops. She left a year later to lead Hot Gossip, a mixed dance act who appeared regularly on The Kenny Everett Video Show. The group, whose routines were more provocative than those of Pan's People, had a chart-topping disco hit in 1978 with "I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper", a space-themed track which sold half a million copies and reached number six on the UK charts. The group released a follow-up single, "Adventures of the Love Crusader", six months later, but it was less successful, failing to chart on the UK's top 50. Brightman, now solo, released several more disco singles in subsequent years under Whisper Records; these included "Not Having That" and a cover of the song "My Boyfriend's Back". None of these, however, were as prominent as "I Lost My Heart to a Starship Trooper".
Brightman achieved even greater success with her starring role as Christine Daaé in Lloyd Webber's adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera. The role of Christine, like Requiem before it, was specifically written for her. Lloyd Webber refused to open The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway unless Brightman originated the role of Christine. Initially, the American Actors' Equity Association balked, due to their policy of hiring only Americans. Lloyd Webber had to agree to cast an American in a leading role in his next West End musical before the Equity would allow Brightman to appear (a promise he kept later in the casting for Aspects of Love).
Her stage career curtailed, Brightman pursued solo recording in Los Angeles. She was inspired by the German band Enigma and requested to work with one of its members. Her request was answered and in 1991 Brightman traveled to Germany to meet her future producer, Frank Peterson. Their first major label release was Dive (1993), a water-themed pop album that featured the hit "Captain Nemo", a cover of a song by the Swedish electronica band Dive.
Timeless (released in 1997, with the title Time to Say Goodbye in the United States) contained "Time to Say Goodbye" and other classical-inspired tracks such as "Just Show Me How to Love You", a duet with José Cura (originally sung by Dario Baldambembo with the title "Tu Cosa Fai Stasera?"), a cover of the Queen hit "Who Wants to Live Forever", and "Tu Quieres Volver", (originally recorded by the Gipsy Kings).
The albums Eden, La Luna, and Harem were accompanied by live tours which incorporated the theatricality of her stage origins. Brightman acknowledged this in an interview, saying, "They're incredibly complicated... natural. I know what works, what doesn't work, all the old tricks." In both 2000 and 2001, Brightman was among the top 10 most popular British performers in the U.S., with concert sales grossing $7.2 million from 34 shows in 2000 and over $5 million from 21 shows in 2001.
Most recently, the Harem tour grossed over $60 million and sold over 700,000 tickets, $15 million and 225,000 sales of which came from the North American leg, although with ticket prices raised 30% from previous tours, average sales per venue were up 65%. In North America, Harem tour promoters Clear Channel Entertainment (now Live Nation) took the unusual step of advertising to theatre subscribers, in an effort to reach fans of Brightman's Broadway performances, and also sold VIP tickets, at $750 each, that included on-stage seating during the concert and a backstage pass.
Television specials on PBS were produced for every Brightman album in the U.S.; a director of marketing has credited these as her number-one source of exposure in the country. Indeed, her concert for Eden was among PBS's most grossing pledge events.
Brightman was one of the artists featured on the January 2007 series of the prime time BBC One Show Just the Two of Us, partnered with English cricketer Mark Butcher. The pair finished the competition in third place.
On 7 July 2007 she performed "Nessun Dorma", "La Luna", "Nella Fantasia" and "Time To Say Goodbye" at the Chinese leg of Live Earth in Shanghai to standing ovations in the pouring rain. On August 25, Brightman debuted her theme song for the IAAF Championships and Japanese single, at the opening ceremony in Osaka, "Running".
She will be performing "The Journey Home" on the Jolly Polly Pirate Ship in the 2007 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Macy's Press Release
Brightman has undergone vocal training first with Elizabeth Hawes, head of the Trinity Music College in London, and later with Ellen Faul of Juilliard. She currently studies with internationally known voice teacher David Romano. She has a three-octave vocal range that extends to an E above Soprano C. |
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Sarah Brightman Quote(s)
| In the past, I always used to be looking for answers. Today, I know there are only questions. So I just live. |
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