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Tulisa Contostavlos

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulisa_Contostavlos
Jump to: navigation, search
Tulisa Contostavlos

Contostavlos performing live on stage with N-Dubz
Background information
Birth name Tula Paulinea Contostavlos
Born 13 July 1988 (age 24)
Camden, London, England
Genres R&B, hip hop, grime, dance
Occupations Singer, songwriter, model, X Factor judge
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2000–present
Labels AATW (2008–)
Island (2011–)
Polydor (2007–08)
Def Jam (2010–11)
Associated acts N-Dubz
Website TulisaOfficial.com

Tula Paulinea "Tulisa" Contostavlos (Greek:Τούλα Παυλίνα Κοντόσταυλος; born 13 July 1988), sometimes known simply as Tulisa, is a British singer-songwriter. She is best known for being a member of the now defunct Camden-based hip hop group N-Dubz, with her cousin Dappy and their friend Fazer. N-Dubz formed in 2000 and released three studio albums before announcing their indefinite hiatus in 2011.

Since 2011, Contostavlos has been a judge on the The X Factor and mentored the "Groups" category in her first year, including Little Mix, the first ever group to win the competition. On 16 March 2012, during a Twitter dispute with Dappy, Contostavlos announced that N-Dubz had split up, and were not taking a break as stated in 2011.[1] Contostavlos released her debut solo album, The Female Boss, on 26 November 2012 which received negative feedback and poor first-week sales.[2]

Contents

Life and career

Early life and career beginnings

Contostavlos was born in Camden Town, North London, to an Irish mother, Anne Byrne (who, with her three sisters, was a member of the 1980s band Jeep)[3] and a Greek Cypriot father, Steve Contostavlos (part of Mungo Jerry).[citation needed] When Tulisa was five, her mother, who has bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder, was sectioned under the Mental Health Act.[3] Contostavlos's father left the family home when Tulisa was 14 years old.[4] She said that she was brought up in a 3 bedroom house and experienced a lot as a teenager: violence, depression, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, anorexia nervosa, mental health issues, financial difficulties and bullying.[5]

At thirteen she was very emotional .[6] She revealed that she twice tried to kill herself as a teenager and also used to self-harm to try to help her cope with everything she was going through.[5] With support from her uncle, N-Dubz's former manager, Byron Contostavlos, at age 14 she enrolled at Haverstock Secondary School, later attending Quintin Kynaston School[3] in St John's Wood, but she didn't sit her GCSE examinations.[3]

2000–11: Career with N-Dubz

Dappy and Fazer, who had already started rapping together, decided they wanted a female voice in the group, which was called the Lickle Rinsers Crew at the time, and so invited Contostavlos to be part of the group. They started performing together as a group around Camden from as young as twelve years old. For N-Dubz's second album, she did a solo song called "Comfortable". Performing as the Lickle Rinsers Crew, they released the singles "Bad Man Riddim" and "Life Is Getting Sicker by the Day", which became hits on English pirate radio stations.[7] After Lickle Rinsers Crew, they then became NW1, after the area they hail from, making their first music video in 2005 for the track "Everyday Of My Life", which received airplay on Channel U, recording more demos as NW1 such as "Don't Feel Like Moving", "Girl On Road" and "Livin Broke". Their first single to be released was "You Better Not Waste My Time", which was available for download only until their 2006 self-released single, "I Swear", which gained them their first mainstream notice. It wasn't until 2007's "Feva Las Vegas" (also self-released) that the group appeared on the UK charts, peaking at No. 57.[8] Each member appeared on the second series of Channel 4's Dubplate Drama after they began to get noticed as a group.

N-Dubz performing

In May 2008, a song entitled "Ouch" surfaced along with a music video.[9] The video for "Ouch" attracted over 4 million viewers on networking site YouTube in just over a month after release. On 6 August 2008, it was announced that the group had left Polydor Records and had signed to All Around the World records. The label predominantly specializes in dance music; however, they have occasionally released hip hop records such as Ice Cube's You Can Do It. The press release stated that the label would be releasing "Ouch" as the group's first single on the label in September 2008.[10] The group's first album, Uncle B, was released on 17 November 2008. The album includes "You Better Not Waste My Time", "I Swear", "Feva Las Vegas", "Love for My Slums", "Ouch", "Defeat You" and "Papa Can You Hear Me?".[11] "Strong Again" was touted as the third single to be released from the Uncle B album on 16 February 2009 and a music video was made,[12] before the physical CD released of the song was cancelled for unknown reasons. The song charted for five weeks in the UK Singles Chart, peaking highest at number 24.[13] Group member Dappy was featured in Tinchy Stryder's 2009 No. 1 single tentatively titled "Number 1", the video also featured cameo appearances from all N-Dubz's members.[14] Due to the success of their debut album, the group embarked on their first headlining tour, Uncle B Tour. The tour was originally planned for 16 dates but due to high demand 5 extra dates were added. The tour was supported by Stevie Hoang and Tinchy Stryder with whom N-Dubz collaborated with on his No. 1 single "Number 1". The tour sold out within days.[citation needed] During one performance, Tulisa fainted on stage. Multiple news sources reported that it was due to suspected swine flu.[15][16][17] The song "Wouldn't You" was then announced to be the seventh, and last, single to be released from the Uncle B debut album.[18] The song was released digitally on 25 May 2009 and peaked at No. 64 in the UK.[19]

The lead single from the group's second album titled "I Need You" was released on 9 November 2009 and charted at No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart. The album Against All Odds, was released on 16 November 2009,[20] and charted at No. 6 in the UK Album Chart. The album went platinum within approximately 2 months of release. The second single, "Playing with Fire" features R&B/pop musician, Mr Hudson. The song reached No. 15 in the UK Charts on album downloads alone; however, when the single was released, it fell to No. 16, reaching a new peak at No. 14 the week after. The music video for the third single taken from the album, "Say It's Over", was released on 5 March 2010 on Channel AKA. It was announced that the single will be released on 25 April, it reached No. 27 on album downloads alone before the single was released. In late 2009, N-Dubz announced that they will tour their current album, Against All Odds in spring 2010, making it their third tour in two years, starting on 31 March and finishing on 20 April. It included 17 shows with supporting acts Skepta, Talay Riley and Ultra. On 1 April 2010, they released their first book, N-Dubz – Against All Odds: From Street Life to Chart Life, which they described as "the answer to the critics, there is a lot of bad press about N-Dubz at the moment and this is going to put the record straight about who we really are and what we're about!", saying they want to put "everything out there", and Fazer also adding "It's going to surprise you!".[21] The book also gives access to a secret N-Dubz website.

Tulisa performing.

The group filmed a 6 part documentary, Being... N-Dubz, which premiered on 21 June 2010 on 4Music,[22] and was later renewed for a second series in 2011.[23] After much speculation, it was confirmed that US label Def Jam signed the group. The first release was the album Love.Live.Life, N-Dubz's third studio album. It was released in the UK on 29 November 2010. The group began recording the album following the success of Against All Odds.[24] "We Dance On" was released on 20 May 2010, as the album's lead single. It peaked at #5 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was also included on the soundtrack to the film Streetdance 3D. "Best Behaviour" was released on 17 October 2010 as the second single from the album. It peaked at 10 in both the UK and Scotland, and became a top 40 hit in Ireland.[25] The song also appears on Skepta's album Doin' It Again. "Girls" was released as the album's third single on 12 December 2010. It peaked at 19 on the UK Singles Chart.[26] A fourth track from the album, "So Alive" was released as single on 6 February 2011. Five singles were released from Love.Live.Life. The first, "We Dance On", had previously been released in May 2010 from the StreetDance soundtrack. On 1 September 2010, N-Dubz announced via Facebook that their first new single from the album would be "Best Behaviour", which was eventually released on 17 October. The music video premiered on Channel AKA and Clubland TV on 8 September and was uploaded on YouTube by AATW Records later that day.[27] The final three singles from Love. Life. Live were "Girls", "So Alive" and "Morning Star".[28] Love. Life. Live became N-Dubz' third platinum selling album.[23]

2011–present: The X Factor and The Female Boss

In August 2011, it emerged that N-Dubz had parted company with record label Def Jam, stating that they were "Never going to co-operate with them when they decided to change what we are".[29] With Tulisa taking up a role as a judge on eighth series of The X Factor and Dappy releasing his solo single "No Regrets", N-Dubz' gig on 18 September 2011 was described as "their final gig for the foreseeable future".[23]

On 30 May 2011, Tulisa was confirmed as a judge for the eighth series of The X Factor, alongside Louis Walsh, Kelly Rowland and Gary Barlow.[30][31] The first public auditions began on 23 June 2011, with the new judging panel being sighted together for the first time.[32] Contostavlos mentored the Groups category and mentored 2 Shoes, Nu Vibe, The Risk, and Little Mix during the live shows. After three out of four of her acts were eliminated in the first five weeks of the competition, Constostavlos was left with Little Mix. The group then went on to become the most successful girl band in The X Factor history, having avoided the final showdown every week and winning the show in the process, making them the first group to do so in the show's eight year history.[33]

In 2011, Tulisa confirmed that she had started work on a solo album that would be released on 17 September 2012. On 19 April 2012, Contostavlos told Capital FM "You're going to have a track for every mood." I want it to be like a journey so you'll have everything from if you want to party on a night out, to big ballads if you've broken up with a boyfriend to more UK urban music."[34] The first single to be released from the album was "Young". The promo video for "Young" was filmed on 2 March in Miami. On 29 April 2012, "Young" was released as part of a remixes EP, which charted at number five on the Irish Singles Chart and number 1 in the UK. On 16 March 2012 during a Twitter row with her cousin and bandmate Dappy, it was alleged that N-dubz had split after he decided to cut off communications with the group members.[1] But the pair eventually reconciled on 28 June.[35]

Contostavlos was named at number 15 in FHM's '100 Sexiest Women in the World list' in the May 2010 issue.[36] She topped the list in 2012.[37]

Contostavlos released her second solo single "Live It Up", which features guest vocals from American rapper Tyga.[38] on 9 September 2012 and debuted at number 11 in the UK.[39] On 27 September, Tulisa released "Honest: My Story So Far", the singer's official autobiography, she also revealed she will be releasing a fiction novel.[40]

Contostavlos unveiled her third solo single "Sight of You" was released on 2 December to mostly negative reviews and charted lower than expected at number 18,[41] the following week beginning 3 December her debut album The Female Boss was released to negative reviews and charted poorly with low sales at number 35.[2]

Acting career

Contostavlos played the role of Laurissa (a cocaine addict who is in R&B group The Fam) in the TV series Dubplate Drama. She will play herself in the upcoming film, Bulla,[42] and is to make her big screen debut in Arjun Rose slasher Demons Never Die.[43]

Personal life

Relationships

Starting in 2008 and lasting for around 18 months, Contostavlos dated South London based DJ/rapper/singer, Justin Edwards also known as MC Ultra, whom she also helped in developing his music career.[citation needed]

Contostavlos was in an on/off relationship with DJ Adam Bailey, to whom she was reportedly engaged in early 2009. Bailey was accused of grievous bodily harm against her[44] and she gave evidence in his trial. In December 2009, Bailey was cleared of involvement in the attack.[45][46]

In 2010, Contostavlos was on a BBC programme called Tulisa: My Mum And Me describing her life before N-Dubz looking after her mother.[47] She was in a relationship with N-Dubz band-mate Fazer from May 2010 but the relationship ended after an argument on holiday in early February 2012.

In 2012 Tulisa had a brief relationship with Skins actor Jack O'Connell it was reported they split due to incompatible work schedules.[48][49]

Sex tape

In March 2012, a sex tape of Contostavlos and her former lover Justin Edwards emerged on the internet.[50][51] Contostavlos was granted an injunction (Contostavlos v Mendahun) that legally blocks the distribution of the tape.[52] The injunction prohibits anyone from using, publishing, communicating or disclosing all or any part of the film to any other person.[53][54]

Simon Cowell stated that the scandal would not affect her job on The X Factor. In the aftermath she later recorded a video response in which she clarified the relationship on her YouTube account "Tulisaconto",[55][56] and stated that she was both heartbroken and devastated by Justin Edwards' release of the video.[50][57]

In July 2012, she settled a legal action against Edwards, who apologised for releasing the tape.[58] Her lawyer is still pursuing action against Edwards former manager Chris Herbert, who has had his job as a consultant on The X Factor suspended.[59]

Discography

Main article: Tulisa Contostavlos discography
See also: N-Dubz discography

Tours

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2007 - 2009 Dubplate Drama Laurissa  
2010 Tulisa: My Mum & Me Herself/Presenter  
2011 Big Fat Gypsy Gangster Herself/Shanikwa  
2011 Demons Never Die Amber  

References

  1. ^ a b 'Dappy left... I haven't heard from him since': Tulisa's Twitter feud with cousin confirms that N-Dubz HAVE split Daily Mail. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  2. ^ a b "iTunes Music - The Female Boss". Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d "Three Programmes – Tulisa: My Mum and Me, 10 August 2010". BBC. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  4. ^ Sloan, Jenna (27 April 2009). "Contostavlos's family tragedies". The Sun (London).
  5. ^ a b "N-Dubz's Tulisa: "I attempted suicide"". Digital Spy. 25 March 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  6. ^ Wootton, Dan (22 November 2009). "BULLIES DROVE ME TO THE EDGE OF SUICIDE | N-Dubz Tulisa was violently bullied for years". News Of The World. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  7. ^ "Biography". Archived from the original on 2 February 2008., Channelu.tv. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  8. ^ Feva Las Vegas. Acharts.us. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  9. ^ N-Dubz – Ouch, Youtube.com, 16 August 2008
  10. ^ AATW Artist Profile – N-Dubz. Aatw.com (6 August 2008). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  11. ^ Uncle B on Amazon. Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  12. ^ N-Dubz -Strong Again, Youtube.com, 26 June 2009
  13. ^ Strong Again – Music Charts. Acharts.us. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  14. ^ Tinchy Stryder and N-Dubz claim first UK 'number 1'. BBC News (27 April 2009). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  15. ^ N-Dubz star Tulisa Contostavlos ‘has swine flu’ – The Sun. Thesun.co.uk (2 May 2009). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  16. ^ N-Dubz singer tested for swine flu –. Nme.com (2 May 2009). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  17. ^ Is this the first celebrity swine flu victim? Chart-topping N-Dubz singer Tulisa in isolation ward with suspected case – Mail Online. Dailymail.co.uk (2 May 2009). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  18. ^ N-Dubz Wouldn't You. Digitalspy.co.uk (17 April 2009). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  19. ^ Further chart information. Chartstats.com (20 June 2009). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  20. ^ Album release date. Umtv.co.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  21. ^ "N-Dubz hit back at critics by launching autobiography". BBC News. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  22. ^ News. Ndubz.com. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  23. ^ a b c Dappy: 'We bullied our way in' The Guardian. 19–09–11. Retrieved 20–09–11
  24. ^ "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  25. ^ Best Behaviour – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. En.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  26. ^ Jury, Anna (21 November 2010). "N-Dubz's Tulisa Contostavlos: 'I'm a musician, if I wanted to take my clothes off, I would have been a stripper’". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  27. ^ "Best Behaviour" music video on YouTube Retrieved on 9 September 2010.
  28. ^ MORNING STAR – OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO ndubz.com. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
  29. ^ "N-Dubz no longer signed to US record label". RTÉ News. 13 August 2011.
  30. ^ Fletcher, Alex (30 May 2011). "Tulisa, Kelly Rowland confirmed for 'X Factor'". Digital Spy (London: Hachette Filipacchi UK). Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  31. ^ "Judging panel announced!". The X Factor (itv.com). 30 May 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  32. ^ "X Factor’s Tulisa: I could never replace Cheryl Cole ashley cole's ex". Daily Mirror. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  33. ^ "Misha B kicked off X Factor as Little Mix make history" 4 December 2011, The Mirror
  34. ^ Tulisa Contostavlos Promises "Variety" On Debut Solo Album, Capital FM
  35. ^ Bull, Sarah. "The feud is over! Tulisa delights N-Dubz fans as she posts picture with Dappy following public spat with bandmate". 28 June 2012 (London: Daily Mail). Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  36. ^ "N-Dubz star Tulisa refuses to pose in her pants but sizzles in tight black dress | The Sun |Showbiz|Bizarre". London: The Sun. 1 May 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  37. ^ FHM's 100 Sexiest Women In The World 2012: The full list! | Girls | FHM.com
  38. ^ Tulisa debuts new single 'Live It Up' - listen, Digital Spy, 24 July 2012, retrieved 2012-08-16
  39. ^ Live It Up (feat. Tyga) [Remixes - EP], iTunes, http://itunes.apple.com/gb/preorder/live-it-up-feat.-tyga-remixes/id547305030, retrieved 2012-08-16
  40. ^ TULISA CONTOSTAVLOS PENS A NOVEL Daily Star. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  41. ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/singlesreviews/a441467/tulisa-sight-of-you-single-review.html
  42. ^ Bulla at Internet Movie Database
  43. ^ N-Dubz's Tulisa lands film debut in Suicide Kids metro.co.uk. Retrieved: 10 November 2010.
  44. ^ Dino, Nicole. "TULISA has confirmed her engagement is OFF". News Of The World. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  45. ^ Sullivan, Mike (7 December 2009). "N-Dubz star Tula Contostavlos feared being shot during confrontation with gang, court told | The Sun |News". London: The Sun. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  46. ^ "Bailey: singer's ex cleared of revenge attack". 7 December 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
  47. ^ "Tulisa – My Mum & Me Review: I Need You". Channelhopping.onthebox.com. 10 August 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  48. ^ Tulisa 'dating Skins' bad boy Jack O'Connell' just two months after splitting with Fazer | Mail Online
  49. ^ Tulisa looks far from heartbroken as she arrives at the airport following split from her boyfriend of three months | Mail Online
  50. ^ a b "Tulisa's Sex Tape Confession: "It Is Me"". MTV. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  51. ^ Blackburn, Jen. The Sun (London). http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/x_factor/4265317/Sex-tape-shame-Tulisa-says-I-dont-regret-a-thing.html.
  52. ^ Anisiobi, J J; Sheridan, Emily. "Tulisa obtains gagging order from the High Court after 'sex tape' hits the internet". Daily Mail (London).
  53. ^ "Tulisa 'sex tape' removed after lawyers obtain injunction". The Daily Telegraph (London). 20 March 2012.
  54. ^ Cochrane, Kira (19 April 2012). "Tulisa: 'I don't like getting emotional'". The Guardian (London).
  55. ^ Tulisa talks. YouTube. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  56. ^ BBC - Newsbeat - Simon Cowell supports Tulisa in sex tape scandal
  57. ^ "Tulisa sex tape: X factor judge 'heartbroken' by intimate video leaked online". London: The Daily Telegraph. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  58. ^ Bull, Sarah; McConnell, Donna (12 July 2012). "Triumphant Tulisa settles legal action against ex over sex tape publication". The Daily Mail (London). Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  59. ^ "Tulisa sex tape would be career suicide, says Herbert". BBC Newsbeat. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.

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Tulisa Contostavlos

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulisa_Contostavlos
Jump to: navigation, search
Tulisa Contostavlos

Contostavlos performing live on stage with N-Dubz
Background information
Birth name Tula Paulinea Contostavlos
Born 13 July 1988 (age 24)
Camden, London, England
Genres R&B, hip hop, grime, dance
Occupations Singer, songwriter, model, X Factor judge
Instruments Vocals
Years active 2000–present
Labels AATW (2008–)
Island (2011–)
Polydor (2007–08)
Def Jam (2010–11)
Associated acts N-Dubz
Website TulisaOfficial.com

Tula Paulinea "Tulisa" Contostavlos (Greek:Τούλα Παυλίνα Κοντόσταυλος; born 13 July 1988), sometimes known simply as Tulisa, is a British singer-songwriter. She is best known for being a member of the now defunct Camden-based hip hop group N-Dubz, with her cousin Dappy and their friend Fazer. N-Dubz formed in 2000 and released three studio albums before announcing their indefinite hiatus in 2011.

Since 2011, Contostavlos has been a judge on the The X Factor and mentored the "Groups" category in her first year, including Little Mix, the first ever group to win the competition. On 16 March 2012, during a Twitter dispute with Dappy, Contostavlos announced that N-Dubz had split up, and were not taking a break as stated in 2011.[1] Contostavlos released her debut solo album, The Female Boss, on 26 November 2012 which received negative feedback and poor first-week sales.[2]

Contents

Life and career

Early life and career beginnings

Contostavlos was born in Camden Town, North London, to an Irish mother, Anne Byrne (who, with her three sisters, was a member of the 1980s band Jeep)[3] and a Greek Cypriot father, Steve Contostavlos (part of Mungo Jerry).[citation needed] When Tulisa was five, her mother, who has bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder, was sectioned under the Mental Health Act.[3] Contostavlos's father left the family home when Tulisa was 14 years old.[4] She said that she was brought up in a 3 bedroom house and experienced a lot as a teenager: violence, depression, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, anorexia nervosa, mental health issues, financial difficulties and bullying.[5]

At thirteen she was very emotional .[6] She revealed that she twice tried to kill herself as a teenager and also used to self-harm to try to help her cope with everything she was going through.[5] With support from her uncle, N-Dubz's former manager, Byron Contostavlos, at age 14 she enrolled at Haverstock Secondary School, later attending Quintin Kynaston School[3] in St John's Wood, but she didn't sit her GCSE examinations.[3]

2000–11: Career with N-Dubz

Dappy and Fazer, who had already started rapping together, decided they wanted a female voice in the group, which was called the Lickle Rinsers Crew at the time, and so invited Contostavlos to be part of the group. They started performing together as a group around Camden from as young as twelve years old. For N-Dubz's second album, she did a solo song called "Comfortable". Performing as the Lickle Rinsers Crew, they released the singles "Bad Man Riddim" and "Life Is Getting Sicker by the Day", which became hits on English pirate radio stations.[7] After Lickle Rinsers Crew, they then became NW1, after the area they hail from, making their first music video in 2005 for the track "Everyday Of My Life", which received airplay on Channel U, recording more demos as NW1 such as "Don't Feel Like Moving", "Girl On Road" and "Livin Broke". Their first single to be released was "You Better Not Waste My Time", which was available for download only until their 2006 self-released single, "I Swear", which gained them their first mainstream notice. It wasn't until 2007's "Feva Las Vegas" (also self-released) that the group appeared on the UK charts, peaking at No. 57.[8] Each member appeared on the second series of Channel 4's Dubplate Drama after they began to get noticed as a group.

N-Dubz performing

In May 2008, a song entitled "Ouch" surfaced along with a music video.[9] The video for "Ouch" attracted over 4 million viewers on networking site YouTube in just over a month after release. On 6 August 2008, it was announced that the group had left Polydor Records and had signed to All Around the World records. The label predominantly specializes in dance music; however, they have occasionally released hip hop records such as Ice Cube's You Can Do It. The press release stated that the label would be releasing "Ouch" as the group's first single on the label in September 2008.[10] The group's first album, Uncle B, was released on 17 November 2008. The album includes "You Better Not Waste My Time", "I Swear", "Feva Las Vegas", "Love for My Slums", "Ouch", "Defeat You" and "Papa Can You Hear Me?".[11] "Strong Again" was touted as the third single to be released from the Uncle B album on 16 February 2009 and a music video was made,[12] before the physical CD released of the song was cancelled for unknown reasons. The song charted for five weeks in the UK Singles Chart, peaking highest at number 24.[13] Group member Dappy was featured in Tinchy Stryder's 2009 No. 1 single tentatively titled "Number 1", the video also featured cameo appearances from all N-Dubz's members.[14] Due to the success of their debut album, the group embarked on their first headlining tour, Uncle B Tour. The tour was originally planned for 16 dates but due to high demand 5 extra dates were added. The tour was supported by Stevie Hoang and Tinchy Stryder with whom N-Dubz collaborated with on his No. 1 single "Number 1". The tour sold out within days.[citation needed] During one performance, Tulisa fainted on stage. Multiple news sources reported that it was due to suspected swine flu.[15][16][17] The song "Wouldn't You" was then announced to be the seventh, and last, single to be released from the Uncle B debut album.[18] The song was released digitally on 25 May 2009 and peaked at No. 64 in the UK.[19]

The lead single from the group's second album titled "I Need You" was released on 9 November 2009 and charted at No. 5 in the UK Singles Chart. The album Against All Odds, was released on 16 November 2009,[20] and charted at No. 6 in the UK Album Chart. The album went platinum within approximately 2 months of release. The second single, "Playing with Fire" features R&B/pop musician, Mr Hudson. The song reached No. 15 in the UK Charts on album downloads alone; however, when the single was released, it fell to No. 16, reaching a new peak at No. 14 the week after. The music video for the third single taken from the album, "Say It's Over", was released on 5 March 2010 on Channel AKA. It was announced that the single will be released on 25 April, it reached No. 27 on album downloads alone before the single was released. In late 2009, N-Dubz announced that they will tour their current album, Against All Odds in spring 2010, making it their third tour in two years, starting on 31 March and finishing on 20 April. It included 17 shows with supporting acts Skepta, Talay Riley and Ultra. On 1 April 2010, they released their first book, N-Dubz – Against All Odds: From Street Life to Chart Life, which they described as "the answer to the critics, there is a lot of bad press about N-Dubz at the moment and this is going to put the record straight about who we really are and what we're about!", saying they want to put "everything out there", and Fazer also adding "It's going to surprise you!".[21] The book also gives access to a secret N-Dubz website.

Tulisa performing.

The group filmed a 6 part documentary, Being... N-Dubz, which premiered on 21 June 2010 on 4Music,[22] and was later renewed for a second series in 2011.[23] After much speculation, it was confirmed that US label Def Jam signed the group. The first release was the album Love.Live.Life, N-Dubz's third studio album. It was released in the UK on 29 November 2010. The group began recording the album following the success of Against All Odds.[24] "We Dance On" was released on 20 May 2010, as the album's lead single. It peaked at #5 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was also included on the soundtrack to the film Streetdance 3D. "Best Behaviour" was released on 17 October 2010 as the second single from the album. It peaked at 10 in both the UK and Scotland, and became a top 40 hit in Ireland.[25] The song also appears on Skepta's album Doin' It Again. "Girls" was released as the album's third single on 12 December 2010. It peaked at 19 on the UK Singles Chart.[26] A fourth track from the album, "So Alive" was released as single on 6 February 2011. Five singles were released from Love.Live.Life. The first, "We Dance On", had previously been released in May 2010 from the StreetDance soundtrack. On 1 September 2010, N-Dubz announced via Facebook that their first new single from the album would be "Best Behaviour", which was eventually released on 17 October. The music video premiered on Channel AKA and Clubland TV on 8 September and was uploaded on YouTube by AATW Records later that day.[27] The final three singles from Love. Life. Live were "Girls", "So Alive" and "Morning Star".[28] Love. Life. Live became N-Dubz' third platinum selling album.[23]

2011–present: The X Factor and The Female Boss

In August 2011, it emerged that N-Dubz had parted company with record label Def Jam, stating that they were "Never going to co-operate with them when they decided to change what we are".[29] With Tulisa taking up a role as a judge on eighth series of The X Factor and Dappy releasing his solo single "No Regrets", N-Dubz' gig on 18 September 2011 was described as "their final gig for the foreseeable future".[23]

On 30 May 2011, Tulisa was confirmed as a judge for the eighth series of The X Factor, alongside Louis Walsh, Kelly Rowland and Gary Barlow.[30][31] The first public auditions began on 23 June 2011, with the new judging panel being sighted together for the first time.[32] Contostavlos mentored the Groups category and mentored 2 Shoes, Nu Vibe, The Risk, and Little Mix during the live shows. After three out of four of her acts were eliminated in the first five weeks of the competition, Constostavlos was left with Little Mix. The group then went on to become the most successful girl band in The X Factor history, having avoided the final showdown every week and winning the show in the process, making them the first group to do so in the show's eight year history.[33]

In 2011, Tulisa confirmed that she had started work on a solo album that would be released on 17 September 2012. On 19 April 2012, Contostavlos told Capital FM "You're going to have a track for every mood." I want it to be like a journey so you'll have everything from if you want to party on a night out, to big ballads if you've broken up with a boyfriend to more UK urban music."[34] The first single to be released from the album was "Young". The promo video for "Young" was filmed on 2 March in Miami. On 29 April 2012, "Young" was released as part of a remixes EP, which charted at number five on the Irish Singles Chart and number 1 in the UK. On 16 March 2012 during a Twitter row with her cousin and bandmate Dappy, it was alleged that N-dubz had split after he decided to cut off communications with the group members.[1] But the pair eventually reconciled on 28 June.[35]

Contostavlos was named at number 15 in FHM's '100 Sexiest Women in the World list' in the May 2010 issue.[36] She topped the list in 2012.[37]

Contostavlos released her second solo single "Live It Up", which features guest vocals from American rapper Tyga.[38] on 9 September 2012 and debuted at number 11 in the UK.[39] On 27 September, Tulisa released "Honest: My Story So Far", the singer's official autobiography, she also revealed she will be releasing a fiction novel.[40]

Contostavlos unveiled her third solo single "Sight of You" was released on 2 December to mostly negative reviews and charted lower than expected at number 18,[41] the following week beginning 3 December her debut album The Female Boss was released to negative reviews and charted poorly with low sales at number 35.[2]

Acting career

Contostavlos played the role of Laurissa (a cocaine addict who is in R&B group The Fam) in the TV series Dubplate Drama. She will play herself in the upcoming film, Bulla,[42] and is to make her big screen debut in Arjun Rose slasher Demons Never Die.[43]

Personal life

Relationships

Starting in 2008 and lasting for around 18 months, Contostavlos dated South London based DJ/rapper/singer, Justin Edwards also known as MC Ultra, whom she also helped in developing his music career.[citation needed]

Contostavlos was in an on/off relationship with DJ Adam Bailey, to whom she was reportedly engaged in early 2009. Bailey was accused of grievous bodily harm against her[44] and she gave evidence in his trial. In December 2009, Bailey was cleared of involvement in the attack.[45][46]

In 2010, Contostavlos was on a BBC programme called Tulisa: My Mum And Me describing her life before N-Dubz looking after her mother.[47] She was in a relationship with N-Dubz band-mate Fazer from May 2010 but the relationship ended after an argument on holiday in early February 2012.

In 2012 Tulisa had a brief relationship with Skins actor Jack O'Connell it was reported they split due to incompatible work schedules.[48][49]

Sex tape

In March 2012, a sex tape of Contostavlos and her former lover Justin Edwards emerged on the internet.[50][51] Contostavlos was granted an injunction (Contostavlos v Mendahun) that legally blocks the distribution of the tape.[52] The injunction prohibits anyone from using, publishing, communicating or disclosing all or any part of the film to any other person.[53][54]

Simon Cowell stated that the scandal would not affect her job on The X Factor. In the aftermath she later recorded a video response in which she clarified the relationship on her YouTube account "Tulisaconto",[55][56] and stated that she was both heartbroken and devastated by Justin Edwards' release of the video.[50][57]

In July 2012, she settled a legal action against Edwards, who apologised for releasing the tape.[58] Her lawyer is still pursuing action against Edwards former manager Chris Herbert, who has had his job as a consultant on The X Factor suspended.[59]

Discography

Main article: Tulisa Contostavlos discography
See also: N-Dubz discography

Tours

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
2007 - 2009 Dubplate Drama Laurissa  
2010 Tulisa: My Mum & Me Herself/Presenter  
2011 Big Fat Gypsy Gangster Herself/Shanikwa  
2011 Demons Never Die Amber  

References

  1. ^ a b 'Dappy left... I haven't heard from him since': Tulisa's Twitter feud with cousin confirms that N-Dubz HAVE split Daily Mail. Retrieved 16 March 2012.
  2. ^ a b "iTunes Music - The Female Boss". Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d "Three Programmes – Tulisa: My Mum and Me, 10 August 2010". BBC. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  4. ^ Sloan, Jenna (27 April 2009). "Contostavlos's family tragedies". The Sun (London).
  5. ^ a b "N-Dubz's Tulisa: "I attempted suicide"". Digital Spy. 25 March 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  6. ^ Wootton, Dan (22 November 2009). "BULLIES DROVE ME TO THE EDGE OF SUICIDE | N-Dubz Tulisa was violently bullied for years". News Of The World. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  7. ^ "Biography". Archived from the original on 2 February 2008., Channelu.tv. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  8. ^ Feva Las Vegas. Acharts.us. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  9. ^ N-Dubz – Ouch, Youtube.com, 16 August 2008
  10. ^ AATW Artist Profile – N-Dubz. Aatw.com (6 August 2008). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  11. ^ Uncle B on Amazon. Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  12. ^ N-Dubz -Strong Again, Youtube.com, 26 June 2009
  13. ^ Strong Again – Music Charts. Acharts.us. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  14. ^ Tinchy Stryder and N-Dubz claim first UK 'number 1'. BBC News (27 April 2009). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  15. ^ N-Dubz star Tulisa Contostavlos ‘has swine flu’ – The Sun. Thesun.co.uk (2 May 2009). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  16. ^ N-Dubz singer tested for swine flu –. Nme.com (2 May 2009). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  17. ^ Is this the first celebrity swine flu victim? Chart-topping N-Dubz singer Tulisa in isolation ward with suspected case – Mail Online. Dailymail.co.uk (2 May 2009). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  18. ^ N-Dubz Wouldn't You. Digitalspy.co.uk (17 April 2009). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  19. ^ Further chart information. Chartstats.com (20 June 2009). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  20. ^ Album release date. Umtv.co.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  21. ^ "N-Dubz hit back at critics by launching autobiography". BBC News. 1 April 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  22. ^ News. Ndubz.com. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  23. ^ a b c Dappy: 'We bullied our way in' The Guardian. 19–09–11. Retrieved 20–09–11
  24. ^ "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  25. ^ Best Behaviour – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. En.wikipedia.org. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  26. ^ Jury, Anna (21 November 2010). "N-Dubz's Tulisa Contostavlos: 'I'm a musician, if I wanted to take my clothes off, I would have been a stripper’". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  27. ^ "Best Behaviour" music video on YouTube Retrieved on 9 September 2010.
  28. ^ MORNING STAR – OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO ndubz.com. Retrieved 9 February 2011.
  29. ^ "N-Dubz no longer signed to US record label". RTÉ News. 13 August 2011.
  30. ^ Fletcher, Alex (30 May 2011). "Tulisa, Kelly Rowland confirmed for 'X Factor'". Digital Spy (London: Hachette Filipacchi UK). Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  31. ^ "Judging panel announced!". The X Factor (itv.com). 30 May 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  32. ^ "X Factor’s Tulisa: I could never replace Cheryl Cole ashley cole's ex". Daily Mirror. 9 June 2011. Retrieved 11 June 2011.
  33. ^ "Misha B kicked off X Factor as Little Mix make history" 4 December 2011, The Mirror
  34. ^ Tulisa Contostavlos Promises "Variety" On Debut Solo Album, Capital FM
  35. ^ Bull, Sarah. "The feud is over! Tulisa delights N-Dubz fans as she posts picture with Dappy following public spat with bandmate". 28 June 2012 (London: Daily Mail). Retrieved 29 July 2012.
  36. ^ "N-Dubz star Tulisa refuses to pose in her pants but sizzles in tight black dress | The Sun |Showbiz|Bizarre". London: The Sun. 1 May 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  37. ^ FHM's 100 Sexiest Women In The World 2012: The full list! | Girls | FHM.com
  38. ^ Tulisa debuts new single 'Live It Up' - listen, Digital Spy, 24 July 2012, retrieved 2012-08-16
  39. ^ Live It Up (feat. Tyga) [Remixes - EP], iTunes, http://itunes.apple.com/gb/preorder/live-it-up-feat.-tyga-remixes/id547305030, retrieved 2012-08-16
  40. ^ TULISA CONTOSTAVLOS PENS A NOVEL Daily Star. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
  41. ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/singlesreviews/a441467/tulisa-sight-of-you-single-review.html
  42. ^ Bulla at Internet Movie Database
  43. ^ N-Dubz's Tulisa lands film debut in Suicide Kids metro.co.uk. Retrieved: 10 November 2010.
  44. ^ Dino, Nicole. "TULISA has confirmed her engagement is OFF". News Of The World. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  45. ^ Sullivan, Mike (7 December 2009). "N-Dubz star Tula Contostavlos feared being shot during confrontation with gang, court told | The Sun |News". London: The Sun. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  46. ^ "Bailey: singer's ex cleared of revenge attack". 7 December 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2010.
  47. ^ "Tulisa – My Mum & Me Review: I Need You". Channelhopping.onthebox.com. 10 August 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  48. ^ Tulisa 'dating Skins' bad boy Jack O'Connell' just two months after splitting with Fazer | Mail Online
  49. ^ Tulisa looks far from heartbroken as she arrives at the airport following split from her boyfriend of three months | Mail Online
  50. ^ a b "Tulisa's Sex Tape Confession: "It Is Me"". MTV. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  51. ^ Blackburn, Jen. The Sun (London). http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/tv/x_factor/4265317/Sex-tape-shame-Tulisa-says-I-dont-regret-a-thing.html.
  52. ^ Anisiobi, J J; Sheridan, Emily. "Tulisa obtains gagging order from the High Court after 'sex tape' hits the internet". Daily Mail (London).
  53. ^ "Tulisa 'sex tape' removed after lawyers obtain injunction". The Daily Telegraph (London). 20 March 2012.
  54. ^ Cochrane, Kira (19 April 2012). "Tulisa: 'I don't like getting emotional'". The Guardian (London).
  55. ^ Tulisa talks. YouTube. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  56. ^ BBC - Newsbeat - Simon Cowell supports Tulisa in sex tape scandal
  57. ^ "Tulisa sex tape: X factor judge 'heartbroken' by intimate video leaked online". London: The Daily Telegraph. 22 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  58. ^ Bull, Sarah; McConnell, Donna (12 July 2012). "Triumphant Tulisa settles legal action against ex over sex tape publication". The Daily Mail (London). Retrieved 12 July 2012.
  59. ^ "Tulisa sex tape would be career suicide, says Herbert". BBC Newsbeat. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.

External links

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