Charlotte Church

Welsh soprano Charlotte Church became an overnight classical superstar in November 1998 with the release of her debut album, Voice of an Angel, issued when she was just 12 years old. Born in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales, she began performing in public at age three, and soon began making television appearances, followed by live dates at prestigious venues including the London Palladium and the Royal Albert Hall. Upon signing to Sony Classical, she released Voice of an Angel to considerable media attention; a self-titled effort followed in 1999. Both albums went platinum in the U.S. after reaching the Top Ten in the U.K. Dream a Dream, a Christmas album, released in 2000, hit the Top Ten and went platinum in the U.S. Her fourth release, 2001′s Enchantment, included Broadway and jazz. She also appeared in the film A Beautiful Mind. After a best-of compilation released in 2005 (Prelude), Church recorded her first pop album, 2006′s dance- and R&B-oriented Tissues and Issues, in a bid to fully crossover as pop singer. She also debuted a variety show on Great Britain’s Channel 4 (The Charlotte Church Show). Church’s sixth studio effort and second full-length pop album, Back to Scratch, was released in October of 2010. Two years later, she released One, the first in a series of EPs. ~ Jason Ankeny