Louise Redknapp

Louise Elizabeth Redknapp (née Nurding, born 4 November 1974), is an English singer, songwriter and media personality. She was a member of Eternal, an R&B girl group which debuted in 1993 with their quadruple-platinum studio album Always & Forever. In 1995, she departed from the group for a solo career, in which she released the platinum-selling albums Naked (1996), Woman in Me (1997) and Elbow Beach (2000). Redknapp has sold over five million records in the UK, and 15 million records worldwide.

Louise Redknapp
Louise Redknapp attending the BAFTA Awards in 2009.
Born
Louise Elizabeth Nurding

(1974-11-04) 4 November 1974
Lewisham, London, England
Other namesLouise
Occupation
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • media personality
  • actress
  • television presenter
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1998; div. 2017)​
Children2
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1992–present
Labels
Associated actsEternal
Websitewww.louiseofficial.co.uk

Aside from music, Louise has presented several television shows and was a judge on the UK version of So You Think You Can Dance. She was married to the English former footballer and television pundit Jamie Redknapp.

In 2016, she reached the final in the fourteenth series of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing.

Heavy Love, her first studio album in almost 20 years, was released on 17 January 2020.

Early life

Louise Elizabeth Nurding was born in Lewisham, London.[1] Her father was a builder and her mother worked at Gatwick Airport.[2] Louise and her two younger brothers grew up in Eltham, London, and Oxted, Surrey. She describes herself as having come from a single-parent family with her mum.[3]

At the age of 11, she won a scholarship[3] to the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in London, where she met her future Eternal colleague Kéllé Bryan on her first day.[4]

Music career

Eternal

While out clubbing at the age of 15, Louise met the music producer Denis Ingoldsby, who was forming an all-girl group.[2][5] She subsequently introduced Denis to Kéllé Bryan.[5][6] Kéllé and Louise, together with sisters Easther and Vernie Bennett, formed the band Eternal in 1992.[5] The group performed R&B, and recorded a number of hits during the 1990s.[7] Eternal's debut single "Stay" entered the UK charts at number sixteen and climbed to number four,[1] and their debut album, Always and Forever became the first album by a female group to achieve over a million sales in the UK.[8] Louise left the group in 1995 to pursue a solo career,[9] amid unsubstantiated rumours that she was forced to leave because a radio station in the United States dedicated to black music would not promote the racially mixed group.[10] Redknapp says that she left because she was miserable and homesick.[3]

Solo career with EMI

In late 1995, Louise signed a record deal with First Avenue management and EMI Records. Now professionally known simply as "Louise", her debut solo single was the orchestral ballad "Light of My Life" (which reached number eight on the UK charts). Her second solo release, "In Walked Love" (previously a hit from the self-titled 1992 album by the dance/pop group Exposé), fared less well and missed the UK Top Ten.

However, Louise's third single, "Naked", turned things around and became her biggest hit to date, peaking at number five in the UK.

Louise's debut solo album, also entitled Naked, was subsequently released in 1996 on the back of the single's success. The album received lukewarm reviews, but nevertheless peaked at number seven in the UK album charts. It was later certified Platinum by the BPI for over 300,000 copies sold. Two further singles were released: "Undivided Love" (UK #5) and "One Kiss From Heaven" (UK #9).

In 1997, Louise returned with the single "Arms Around The World", which reached number four in the UK. Her second solo album, Woman in Me, peaked at number five in the UK and went on to gain multi-platinum status. The album also made an impact across Europe, charting well in a number of countries. To support and celebrate the success of the album, Louise embarked on a UK wide 'sell-out' arena tour of over twenty dates, including Wembley Arena.

"Let's Go Round Again" (a cover of a song by The Average White Band) was the second single released from the album, which reached number ten.

At the start of 1998, Louise's career was at a high point: her second album had gone platinum, she was on the cover of magazines such as Smash Hits and GQ, and she had been voted Sexiest Woman in the World by the readers of FHM magazine.

In 1998, Louise married the footballer Jamie Redknapp, then focused on making what she described as her "most personal album to date", Elbow Beach, released in 2000. Louise was more involved in the process of this album than her previous two, co-writing all 12 tracks and co-producing most of them.

The lead single from Elbow Beach, the R&B-styled "2-Faced" went straight into the charts at number three, and became Louise's highest-charting single. Despite initial hype and critical praise, total sales for Elbow Beach were weaker than the previous two productions, and the album peaked at number twelve. The same year, Louise was hired to 'sex up' the 2000 National Egg Awareness Campaign.

After Elbow Beach was released, she had one album left on her five-album deal with EMI (including Eternal's Always and Forever). In 2001, the label decided to release a greatest hits compilation, incorporating all of her top ten hit singles (including those she had performed with Eternal), called Changing Faces – The Best Of Louise. The collection featured three new tracks, including a cover of Five Star's 1987 hit "The Slightest Touch". The album peaked at number nine in the UK, and she embarked on the second solo tour of her career.

EMI later released a second greatest hits album entitled Finest Moments, with a slightly different track listing.

After EMI

In 2002, Redknapp signed a £1.5 million contract with her manager Oliver Smallman's Positive Records (a division of Universal Music) to record her fourth solo album. The album was due for release in 2004 alongside the single "Bounce Back". However, due to the singer's becoming pregnant with her son Charley, the album was never released. The only single released from the album was the double A-side "Pandora's Kiss"/"Don't Give Up", which peaked at number five and raised money for Tickled Pink/Breast Cancer Care. The unreleased album saw Louise work with the likes of Sylvia Bennett Smith and Marc 'M2E' Smith (Destiny's Child, Jamelia, Stacie Orrico, Terri Walker), Mark Hill (Craig David) and Pete Martin (Sugababes, Dannii Minogue, Nate James). The album would also have included Louise's first duet with boyband 3rd Wish on the track "Don't Ever Change".

Return to music

In August 2017, Redknapp posted a picture of herself in the recording studio on her Instagram account, showing that she had been working on new music. On 13 September 2017, Louise revealed she would be returning to the music industry by announcing her first live show in more than 15 years at Under The Bridge in London on 22 December 2017. Titled 'Intimate & Live', the show had enough demand for tickets selling out in under 5 minutes, leading promoters and Louise to announce additional dates for January 2018 in Manchester, Glasgow, and Birmingham.

On 1 February 2018, Warner/Chappell UK confirmed Redknapp had signed a deal with them to release new material later in the year.[11]

In February 2019, Louise announced she had signed a global record deal with ADA / Warner music.

On 25 March 2019, Louise announced that her fourth solo album Heavy Love would be released on 18 October 2019. The lead single, "Stretch", was released on 26 March 2019 to critical acclaim. She then released follow-up singles 'Lead Me On', 'Small Talk','Breaking Back Together', 'Not The Same' and 'Hurt' as a bonus single after announcing 'Heavy Love' was to be pushed back to a 2020 release.

Career beyond music

On television, Louise has presented editions of SMTV Live, CD:UK, Soccer Aid: Extra Time, This Morning (interviewing fashion designer Tracy Boyd and others), three series of the revived The Clothes Show for UKTV Style, and in March 2007 the controversial documentary The Truth About Size Zero for ITV.[12][13][14]

With her husband Jamie Redknapp and former footballer Tim Sherwood, Louise Redknapp published a magazine called Icon, aimed solely at professional sports stars and celebrities. They later sold the magazine to another publisher.

Redknapp has been seen as the face of a number of advertising campaigns: the "Safe And White" campaign for Boots, Flora's "Omega 3" products, Boots and BT. She became brand ambassador for the new Orbit gum in 2007[15] Complete detox guide to teeth and mouth and a model for Avon.

In autumn 2007, Redknapp was unveiled as the new face of Triumph lingerie for 2007, 2008 and 2009. In November 2008, the Redknapp family were also unveiled as the Nintendo Wii Family for their Christmas 2008 advertising campaign, followed by The Louise Redknapp Nintendo Wii Fit Campaign in March 2009. In 2010, Louise and husband Jamie fronted a new campaign by Thomas Cook promoting their holidays on TV and throughout the media.

In 2009, Louise filmed a follow up documentary The Truth about Super Skinny Pregnancies displaying the pressures on women to stay in shape during and after their pregnancies.

In September 2009, Redknapp presented The Farmer Wants a Wife for Five, a relaunch of a series which originally appeared on ITV in 2001.[16] In 2009 Louise was also announced as the face of online fashion retailer Fashion Union.

In January 2010, Louise took over from Amanda Hamilton as the full-time presenter of the BBC Sunday morning programme Something for the Weekend.[17] However she was not asked to join her co-presenters when the show moved to Channel 4 in March 2012.

She was a judge on the UK version of So You Think You Can Dance, broadcast on BBC One.[18]

In the July 2004 edition of FHM magazine, Louise was named the "Sexiest Woman of the Decade".[19][20]

In 2011, Louise Redknapp made her acting debut alongside Ray Winstone as Diana Smith in the feature film The Hot Potato.

Louise has a cosmetic range Wild About Beauty, which she launched with make-up artist Kim Jacob.[21]

On 15 August 2016, Louise was announced as a contestant for the fourteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing.[22] She reached the 2016 finals with professional dancer Kevin Clifton,[23] but BBC sports presenter Ore Oduba won.[24]

In April 2018, Louise made her radio debut, guest-presenting two evening shows on Heart, on Sunday 8 April and Sunday 15 April.[25]

On 23 October 2018, Louise recorded herself narrating Roald Dahl's The Enormous Crocodile for an audio cassette release, creating memorable voices for every animal character apart from Trunky the Elephant, who is voiced by Micheal Rosen.

Personal life

Redknapp was voted "Sexiest Woman in the World" by the readers of SKY Magazine in 1997.[26]

She married football player Jamie Redknapp at a ceremony in Bermuda on 29 June 1998.[27][28]

After a diagnosis of back pain from endometriosis, and treatment by laser surgery, Redknapp gave birth to a boy named Charles William "Charley" Redknapp on 27 July 2004 at London's Portland Hospital. Charley was named after Redknapp's grandfather, who had died on the day that she found out that she was pregnant.[29] She gave birth to her second son in 2008. Redknapp stated that he was named Beau as a tribute to Jamie's father, the football manager Harry Redknapp, because Harry was born in Bow.[30]

Following several months of media speculation about their marriage, Louise Redknapp confirmed during an appearance on ITV's This Morning in September 2017 that she had separated from her husband.[31] A family court in central London granted the couple a decree nisi for divorce after 19 years of marriage on 29 December 2017.[32]

Charitable activities

In 2003, Redknapp's single "Pandora's Kiss"/"Don't Give Up", was released to raise money for Breast Cancer Care's "Tickled Pink" campaign.[33] She also participated in a celebrity edition of The Apprentice in 2008, to raise money for charity.[34] (Over £400,000 was raised.) Redknapp organised a charity sale of celebrity designer clothes at the London department store Selfridges for the charity Mothers4Children in November 2009.[35]

Discography

Studio albums
Year Title Chart positions Certifications
UK
[36][37]
1996 Naked 7
1997 Woman in Me 5
  • BPI: Platinum
2000 Elbow Beach 12
  • BPI: Silver
2020 Heavy Love 11

Compilation albums
Year Title Chart positions Certifications
UK
[37]
2001 Changing Faces – The Best of Louise 9
  • BPI: Gold
2002 Finest Moments —

Singles
Year Title Chart positions Album
UK[37] SCO AUS
[38]		 IRL FRA NLD
1995 "Light of My Life" 8 11 — 18 — —
Naked
1996 "In Walked Love" 17 22 — 47 — —
"Naked" 5 7 70 11 — —
"Undivided Love" 5 7 — 13 — —
"One Kiss from Heaven" 9 13 — 28 — —
1997 "Arms Around the World" 4 9 — 11 — 95
Woman in Me
"Let's Go Round Again" 10 8 — 14 30 70
1998 "All That Matters" 11 13 — 33 — —
2000 "2 Faced" 3 4 — 13 — —
Elbow Beach
"Beautiful Inside" 13 17 — 44 — —
2001 "Stuck in the Middle with You" 4 3 — 19 — —
Changing Faces – The Best Of...
2003 "Pandora's Kiss/Don't Give Up" 5 5 — 12 — —
Non-album Single
2019 "Stretch" [39] — — — — — —
Heavy Love
"Small Talk" [40] — — — — — —
"Lead Me On" [41] — — — — — —
"Breaking Back Together" — — — — — —
"Not the Same" [42] — — — — — —
"Hammer" [43] — — — — — —
2020 "Hurt" — — — — — —

Other tracks
  • 1995 "Real Love" ("Light of My Life" B-side)
  • 1996 "All of You" ("In Walked Love" B-side)
  • 1996 "Do Me Right" ("Naked" B-side)
  • 1996 "Keep the Lovin' In" ("Naked" B-side)
  • 1996 "How in the World" ("Undivided Love" B-side)
  • 1996 "Better Next Time" ("Undivided Love" B-side)
  • 1997 "Don't Be Shy" ("Arms Around the World" B-side/Woman in Me album track)
  • 1997 "Intimate" ("Arms Around the World" B-side)
  • 1997 "Just When I Thought" ("Let's Go Round Again" B-side)
  • 1997 "How You Make Me Feel" ("Let's Go Round Again" B-side)
  • 1997 "Distraction" (Japanese Woman in Me album bonus track)
  • 1998 "Woman in Me (Live)" ("All That Matters" B-side)
  • 1998 "When Will My Heart Beat Again (Live)" ("All That Matters" B-side)
  • 1998 "If I Can't Have You" (A Tribute to the Bee Gees album track)
  • 2000 "Say Yes" ("2 Faced" B-side)
  • 2000 "Lost" ("2 Faced" B-side/Elbow Beach album track)
  • 2000 "Clear Water" ("Beautiful Inside" B-side)
  • 2000 "Better Back Off" ("Beautiful Inside" B-side)
  • 2003 "Don't Give Up" ("Pandora's Kiss" B-side)

Awards and nominations
Award Year Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
NME Awards 1998 Best Solo Artist Herself Nominated [44]
Most Desirable Person Won
1999 The Pop Personality You Would Most Like To Be Marooned On A Desert Island With Won
Smash Hits Poll Winners Party 1996 Best Female Singer Won [45]
Best Album Naked Nominated
Best Album Cover Nominated
2000 Most Fanciable Female Herself Nominated [46]
Best Dressed Female Nominated

References
  1. "On the farm with Louise Redknapp". Western Mail. 20 September 2009. Archived from the original on 8 April 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  2. "Louise Redknapp: Jamie and I are happy – but I still check his text messages". Daily Mirror: Trinity Mirror. 11 December 2010. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  3. Rich Pelley (21 March 2020). "Louise Redknapp: 'I'm the shabbiest mum on the school run'". The Guardian.
  4. Dodd, Celia (26 January 2008). "How Louise Redknapp beat endometriosis and became a mum". The Times. London. Retrieved 26 January 2008.
  5. "Spotlight on... Louise Redknapp". Western Mail. 21 March 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  6. "Louise on the World Wide Web". Louise.brigatti.co.uk. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  7. Fletcher, Alex (19 February 2013). "Eternal not interested in 'Big Reunion'". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 2 March 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  8. Madden, Chris (5 August 2013). "Louise Redknapp to reunite with Eternal on ITV according to The Sun". Surrey Mirror. Archived from the original on 4 November 2014. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  9. "Louise Redknapp 'Wouldn't Be Upset' If Eternal Did 'The Big Reunion' Without Her". The Huffington Post UK. 24 May 2013. Archived from the original on 4 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  10. "Louise – just the girl next door". The Straits Times. 30 November 1997. p. 24. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  11. "Louise Redknapp Signs Publishing Deal with Warner/Chappell Music". Warner/Chappell Music. 1 February 2018. Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  12. "Louise tries size zero tolerance first-hand". Sunday Mercury: Trinity Mirror. 4 March 2007. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  13. "It's no big deal being size zero". Evening Times. 7 March 2007. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  14. "The dangers of being 'size zero'". Healthcare Today. 12 March 2007. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  15. "By Gum.. It's Louise". Daily Mirror. UK. 4 January 2007. Archived from the original on 16 October 2007. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  16. Mackenzie, Malcolm (16 September 2009). "Wednesday's TV: The Farmer Wants a Wife, Five, 9pm". The London Paper. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2009.
  17. "Louise Redknapp is new face of Something for the Weekend". BBC Press Office. BBC. 10 December 2009. Archived from the original on 27 December 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  18. "Louise Redknapp to be judge on BBC So You Think You Can Dance". The Daily Telegraph. 2 January 2010. Archived from the original on 15 March 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  19. "Louise Redknapp – Likeable WAG – Girls We Love". FHM. Archived from the original on 2 February 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
  20. "So You Think You Can Dance – Louise Redknapp". BBC. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  21. Graafland, Amber (3 June 2013). "Louise Redknapp: I still cringe over terrible Eternal outfits". Daily Mirror: Trinity Mirror. Archived from the original on 8 June 2013. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
  22. "Louise Redknapp joins Strictly Come Dancing line-up". BBC News. 15 August 2016. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
  23. "Strictly 2016 final: Danny Mac, Louise Redknapp, Ore Oduba – what you need to know". BBC News. 17 December 2016. Archived from the original on 16 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  24. "Strictly Come Dancing final: Ore Oduba wins glitterball trophy". BBC News. 18 December 2016. Archived from the original on 17 December 2016. Retrieved 18 December 2016.
  25. "Lousie Redknapp lined up for two Heart shows". Radio Times. 6 April 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  26. "I'm not sexiest woman alive; SHY: Pop star Louise blushes over pin-up poll". Daily Record. UK. 21 June 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  27. "Dana cancels over TV threat". BBC News. 29 June 1998. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  28. "Singer Louise and footballer Jamie wed". BBC News. 30 June 1998. Archived from the original on 18 June 2003. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  29. "Louise Redknapp biography". louiseredknapp.net. 2010. Archived from the original on 20 October 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  30. "Jamie & Louise Redknapp name son Beau Henry". Fametastic. 14 November 2008. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  31. "Louise Redknapp Confirms Split From Husband Jamie As She Breaks Her Silence". 29 September 2017. Archived from the original on 8 October 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  32. "Louise and Jamie Redknapp granted divorce". BBC News. 29 December 2017. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2017.
  33. Whitehead, Jennifer (29 September 2003). "Louise song's resemblance to Asda jingle no coincidence". Brand Republic. Archived from the original on 10 November 2009. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  34. "Louise Redknapp to appear in Sport Relief Does The Apprentice for charity", Charities Aid Foundation, 28 February 2008. Retrieved 29 February 2008.
  35. "Stars' clothes in Selfridges sale". BBC News. 15 November 2009. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
  36. "Louise | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  37. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 330. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  38. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  39. "Louise announces her new album Heavy Love and lead track Stretch: first listen preview". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  40. "Small Talk". Google Play. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  41. "Lead Me On". Google Play. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  42. "Not the Same". Google Play. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
  43. "Hammer". Google Play. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  44. "Rocklist.net...NME Lists readers Pop Poll Results..." Rocklistmusic.co.uk.
  45. "Articles On Smash Hits". Michaelmouse1967.wixsite.com. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  46. Kane, Michael (4 February 2019). "Page 9 - Smash Hits - Issue 575 - 13th December - 26th Dec…". Flickr.com. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
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