Musicians - Sonique

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	Musicians - Sonique

Sonique is the stage name of Sonya Clarke (born 21 June 1968), a British singer and DJ who is well known for her successful career in trance music. She was temporarily the lead vocalist for S'Express. She won the 2001 Brit Award for British female solo artist. She is considered to be the most successful female DJ ever.

Early life

Sonya Clarke was born and raised in Crouch End, North London. She has credited her later music success from listening to her mothers record collection of mostly R&B artists. The first record she ever purchased was Donna Summer's I Feel Love. When Sonique was 16 her mother remarried and moved back to Trinidad. She refused to move with her mother and two siblings and she stayed behind in England moving into the YMCA. With mounting debt and disgusted by the sexual advances of the hostel warden she moved out and slept on the streets.

Early Music career

At the age of 17 a youth worker commented that she had a nice voice and suggested she utilize it. She put together a reggae band called "Fari" in which she ended up writing all the music. She credits this band with getting her through her time on the streets. After Fari disbanded she set about getting a recording contract.

Sonique became a one hit wonder when she released the single Let Me Hold You published by Cooltempo in 1985. The single hit the top 25 on the British dance charts.

In 1990 she was credited for the transcendental loop-groove on a track called Zombie Mantra on the album Set the Controls for the Heart of the Bass, the debut record of William Orbit's project Bass-O-Matic. Soon after she teamed with DJ Mark Moore in S'Express. The dance-pop duo charted in the UK with such singles as Nothing to Lose. She maintained a friendship with Mark Moore after S'Express disbanded and shortly afterwards he gave her the gift of a set of turntables and a mixer with which she began experimenting.

DJ career

While clubbing she became frustrated at what she considered to be the inept performances by DJs. She decided to take on the challenge herself. For three years she accompanied both Mark Moore and her childhood friend Judge Jules to their DJ gigs to study the crowds. She eventually signed on to Jules' companies Serious.

She was DJ in residence at Club Manumission in Ibiza from 1997-1999.

In 2001 after the phenomenal success of It Feels so Good she announced that she planed to retire from the world of DJing to focus on her singing career. Shortly after Born to be Free was released she started DJing again on special occasions and later retured the headlining events.

In 2004 Sonique announced she is working on a new album called Sonique on Kosmo this should be released in 2005. Three tracks have been selected as singles, these will be Another World (released in 2004), Why (released spring 2005) and Alone.

Discography

Albums

Fantazia British Anthems ... Summertime (1998) (Disc 2 mixed by Sonique)
Serious Sounds of Sonique - In the Mix & on the Mic (2000) (live recording of her DJ set)
Hear My Cry (2000)
Club Mix (2001)
Born to Be Free (2003)

Singles

S'Express

Nothing to lose (#32 UK)
Find'em, Fool'em, Forget'em

Solo Artist

Let Me Hold You (1985) (top 25 UK)

It Feels so Good (UK release 1998, US release 1999, UK re-release 2000) (UK #1)
Sky (2000)

I Put a Spell on You (2001)
Can't Make Up My Mind (2003)

Alive (single) (2003)
Another World (single) (2004)

*Why (single) (2005)

Pop culture occurrences of her music

In Butters' Very Own Episode, an episode of South Park that mainly focuses on Butters, Sonique's "It Feels So Good" was played in a Gay bathhouse.

Trivia

Is Dyslexic

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