Alesha Dixon

Alesha was born and raised in Welwyn Garden City, a prototype new town, surrounded by the idyllic Hertfordshire hills but a stone’s throw away from the hustle of London, this was the perfect stomping ground for a girl who’d end up making organic, modern and high energy music for a living. As Alesha hit her teenage years there was musical influx of strong independent female role models like Madonna, Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul from the US that made a big impression. “I was fascinated by this fantasy world,” Alesha recalls. “To see women like that back then was huge – it was a big deal, and I wanted to be like them. Neneh Cherry was a massive influence for me. I remember seeing her on Top Of The Pops – that ‘Buffalo Stance’ appearance everyone remembers - and turning to my mum and saying, ‘she looks like me!’ I had never seen a mixed race singer from Sweden before her - it was important to have someone like her that I could identify with as a child.”

Alesha has always displayed the traits that make her so successful, even at the age of three she was described as being chatty, independent and creative. After studying a National Diploma in Sport Studies Alesha found fame with the UK Garage trio Mis-teeq. Boasting hits from ‘Why’ and ‘All I Want’ to ‘One Night Stand’ and ‘Scandalous’, the MOBO winning group scored seven Top Ten singles and released two platinum selling albums. Alesha went on to showcase an electrifying performance after accepting an invitation to appear in the N.E.R.D video ‘She Wants To Move’. Choreographed by Missy Elliott’s Hi-Hat choreographer, Alesha’s presence in the video helped propel the record to become the band’s biggest hit to date.

After Mis-teeq separated in 2005, when their record label, Telstar, went into liquidation, Alesha was signed to Polydor as a solo artist, Alesha admits that one of the toughest years of her life was being dropped from the label after disappointing sales of her first two singles. “I went through an awful period of hitting rock bottom, and I had two choices; stay on the ground or get back up, and that’s what I did, I got back up. I had more fire than I did before.”

In 2007, indicative of Alesha’s determination, grit and resolve, she joined hit BBC show ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ as a contestant. A testament to her roundhouse talent Alesha went on to win the series receiving the highest marks ever awarded on the show, which led the BBC to ask Alesha to return as a judge on the 2009 series. A rejuvenated Alesha signed a new deal with Asylum Records, which resulted in an incredible 2008 and 2009, with smash hits including ‘The Boy Does Nothing’, ‘Breathe Slow’ and ‘Let’s Get Excited’. The success of the singles spurred Alesha onto a variety of other achievements including recording and penning ‘To Love Again’ with the UK’s finest songsmith - Gary Barlow, platinum album sales for ‘The Alesha Show’, a BRIT nomination and a sold-out UK tour. She also climbed to the peak of Mt Kilimanjaro the same year helping to raise over £3 million for Comic Relief alongside the likes of Cheryl Cole, Fearne Cotton and Chris Moyles.

Along with her incredible UK support, Alesha is one of a few UK artists in recent times to enjoy significant international success with singles from ‘The Alesha Show’ topping the charts in Europe and Australia.

In addition to her music and ‘Strictly…’ work, Alesha is also a presenter, model, philanthropist and business-woman. She has made several documentaries on subjects ranging from domestic violence to the digital age in the entertainment world. As well as working closely with the RSPCA, the PDSA, the ACLT (African-Caribbean Leukemia Trust) and Comic Relief, Alesha is an official ambassador for both Help A London Child and The Prince’s Trust and also backed Nickelodeon’s 2009’s anti-bullying initiative. Last year, she collaborated with Dune on a line of jewelry, the proceeds of which were donated to the Teenage Cancer Trust, and has her own jewelry line with Evoke. Alesha also recently announced a four-year profit-share with health club LA Fitness. Rather than just being an advocate for the brand, Dixon is the creative director who is actively involved in advising the company on classes and recruiting new members.

So after an adventurous few years that saw her enjoy huge success, Alesha is back with a brilliant new album ‘The Entertainer’ and first single ‘Drummer Boy’. The forthcoming record is Dixon’s third solo album, in addition to two platinum albums as part of Mis-Teeq and. Her second solo album, 2008’s The Alesha Show, was also certified platinum.

The new album sees Alesha on dazzling form with self-assured tracks that are packed full of cool hip-Pop punch. It encompasses the sound of modern UK pop/R&B with an unapologetic commercial edge. It’s an album that is fun, fearless and forthright.

In the past Alesha has admitted to being “intimidated” about working with big-player producers; this time she was certain of both of her talent and what she wanted to achieve during recording. Alesha points out that “things have leveled out recently and I’ve become a lot more stable and grounded in myself. I’m still that energetic person that is just as ambitious, but there’s a lot more calmness within. The new record is a place where I definitely feel happy in my own skin, and comfortable with what’s going on in my life, and I’m optimistic about my future.”

As well as working with UK producers like Naughty Boy (Chipmunk, Wiley) and gifted newcomers The Fairground (Jay Sean), Alesha recorded part of the album in LA with top-tier talent including Toby Gad (Beyoncé, Alicia Keys), Busbee (Katy Perry, Timbaland), Stereotypes [Justin Beiber, Ne-Yo], Nate Walker (Jamie Foxx, Trey Songz), and vocal producer Kuk Harrell (Rihanna, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige). As with all her past work, Alesha was heavily involved in both the songwriting and vocal production of the record.

The lead single, ‘Drummer Boy’, is an unabashed celebration of Alesha’s self-assuredness when it comes to relationships. Produced by The Trackstarz’ Sham (Usher, Britney], ‘Drummer Boy’, is a fantastically quirky slice of pop which is destined to become a dancefloor anthem. Boasting dramatic drumlines, witty wordplay, and an insistent rhythm, the hook heavy single is an unstoppable piece of persuasive brilliance, and a fantastic taste of what is to come from the new album.
“I think the tougher the sounds and the louder, noisier and more outrageous it is, the happier I am. I don’t like playing it safe,” laughs Alesha. “What I love most about it is that it feels like an event, and that’s why I wanted it as the first single. It feels like the beginning of something and I wanted to take people on a journey with the album.”

On this record Alesha is set free from the constraints of making an album that she was expected to make, Dixon has encompassed the spirit of her early artistry and given it a modern makeover. In doing so, she’s created the UK pop/R&B album of 2010. “I’m aware that you’re only as good as your last record, and I feel like I’ve made an album that I love. It’s the most exciting record I’ve made to date and I’m 100% proud of it.”