Des'ree

Desirée Annette Weekes is a British pop and soul recording artist and songwriter, who rose to prominence during the 1990s. Known for her distinctive contralto voice and uplifting lyrics, Des'ree's biggest hits include the singles "Feel So High", "You Gotta Be", and "Life", as well as the ballad "Kissing You", which featured on the soundtrack of the 1996 film Romeo + Juliet. She was named Best British Female at the 1999 Brit Awards. Her other accolades include an Ivor Novello Award, a World Music Award, and four BMI Awards.

Early life Des'ree was born in Croydon, South London, on 30 November 1968. Her mother is from Guyana and her father is from Barbados. She was introduced to reggae, calypso, and jazz music by her parents. In 1993, Des'ree collaborated with Terence Trent D'Arby on the song "Delicate", which hit the UK top 20. Next, she performed for Pope John Paul II at the Vatican City's inaugural concert of secular music, which aired on Italian television in December 1993; the event, Concerto di Natale, has been held with different artists every Christmas in the years since. Her many live performances of the song include a 1995 episode of Saturday Night Live and the closing ceremony of the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Des'ree's second album, I Ain't Movin', was released in May 1994, selling in excess of 2.5 million copies worldwide and earning positive reviews, with the Chicago Tribune commending its lyrical content and Des'ree's "beautiful, dusky voice". The record's success led to a tour with Seal, which took place across North America between November 1994 and July 1995. performing said track, "Kissing You", as Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes' characters meet for the first time. "Kissing You" was roundly praised by critics, and went on to receive a Satellite Award nomination for Best Original Song. The album from which the single was taken, Supernatural, was released in June 1998 to positive reviews, with American music critic J. D. Considine calling it "exquisitely listenable". Supernatural was successful across Europe, hitting the top 5 in Italy and the Netherlands, and peaking at number 16 in the UK. It was less successful in the United States, reaching number 185 on the Billboard 200.

On 16 February 1999, Des'ree was named Best British Female Solo Artist at the Brit Awards. and collaborated with Ladysmith Black Mambazo on their cover of "Ain't No Sunshine", which peaked at number 42 in the UK. She subsequently put her music career on hold to focus on her private life. Next, she performed a sung sonnet from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice on the compilation album When Love Speaks. Her fourth album, Dream Soldier, was released in March 2003, with lead single "It's Okay" reaching number 69 in the UK. Dream Soldier was not a commercial or critical success, which led to her parting ways with Sony, In 2011, she sang a lullaby on the sleep therapy CD, Sleep Talk Lullaby.

Des'ree's first album in sixteen years, A Love Story, was released by her own label, Stargazer Records, on 11 October 2019. She had begun work on the album in 2014, but took an extended break to care for her mother. MusicOMHs Nick Smith awarded it four stars out of five, noting the "subtle beauty and emotional power" of Des'ree's voice, and calling the album "a solid and engaging return".

Other work "Silent Hero", written by Des'ree and Prince Sampson, featured in Spike Lee's 1995 film Clockers; "Feel So High" (Des'ree, Michael Graves) featured in the 1996 film Set It Off; "Crazy Maze" (Des'ree, Peter Lord Moreland, Vernon Jeffrey Smith) featured in the 1997 film Nothing to Lose; and "You Gotta Be" (Des'ree, Ashley Ingram) featured in both The Next Karate Kid (1994) and The Object of My Affection (1998), as well as the opening sequence number of the 2021 film Cinderella starring Camila Cabello.

Lawsuits In 1997, Des'ree's hit "Feel So High" was interpolated into the Janet Jackson song "Got 'til It's Gone" (from Jackson's album The Velvet Rope), without due credit being given to Des'ree as a contributor. Subsequent releases containing the track would list Des'ree as one of its writers, following a successful lawsuit against Jackson.

In 2007, Des'ree filed a lawsuit against Beyoncé, claiming that the singer's cover of her song "Kissing You"—retitled "Still in Love (Kissing You)" and featured on the album B'Day—was released without permission. The case was later dismissed, but not before editions of the album featuring the song were pulled from sale. In 2002, she took courses in photography and ceramics at the Camberwell College of Arts.

Accolades Billboard Music Awards Year Work Category ResultRef. 1995 "You Gotta Be" Adult Contemporary Single of the Year

BMI London Awards Year Work Category ResultRef. 2002 "You Gotta Be" 3 Million Award 2007 4 Million Award 2015 5 Million Award

BMI Pop Awards Year Work Category ResultRef. 1996 "You Gotta Be" Song of the Year

Brit Awards Year Work Category ResultRef. 1995 British Female Solo Artist 1999 "Life" British Single of the Year

Cash Box Year-End Awards

Ivor Novello Awards Year Work Category ResultRef. 1995 "You Gotta Be" Best Contemporary Song

Year Work Category ResultRef. 1999 "Life" Catchy Tune of 1998

Satellite Awards Year Work Category ResultRef. 1997 "Kissing You" Best Original Song

World Music Awards Year Work Category ResultRef. 1999 World's Best-Selling British Artist

Discography

Albums

Studio albums Year Album details Peak chart positions Certifications UK AUS US 1992Mind Adventures Released: 17 February 1992 Label: Sony Formats: CD, cassette, MD, digital download 26 39 53 57 — —UK: Silver AUS: Gold Released: 29 June 1998 Label: Sony Formats: CD, MD, cassette, digital download 16 27 17 4 41 185UK: Gold FRA: Gold JAP: Platinum Released: 31 March 2003 Label: Sony Formats: CD, cassette, digital download — — — — — —2019A Love Story Released: 11 October 2019 Label: Stargazer Records Formats: Digital download — — — — — — "—" denotes releases that were not released in that country or did not chart.

Compilation albums Title Album details Mystic MixesReleased: 4 August 1999 Label: Sony Format: CD Endangered Species Released: 23 October 2000 Label: Sony Formats: CD, digital download

Singles + List of singles released, showing selected chart positions and certifications Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album UK GER IRE ITA NLD SPA US "Feel So High"1 1991 13 28 15 20 — 25 — 67 Mind Adventures "Mind Adventures" 1992 43 89 94 — — — — — "Why Should I Love You" 44 102 — — — — — — "You Gotta Be" 1994 14 9 79 — 15 47 — 5 UK: Gold NZ: Gold Romeo + Juliet "Life" 1998 8 8 8 3 1 1 3 —UK: Gold AUS: Platinum Supernatural "What's Your Sign?" 19 167 65 — — 70 1 — "You Gotta Be" (remix)3 1999 10 — 76 — — 77 1 — "It's Okay" 2003 69 96 — — 59 — — — Dream Soldier "Why?" — — — — — — — — "—" denotes releases that were not released in that country or did not chart.