Biography
British soul singer Diane Charlemagne stood among the era’s most distinctive voices after rave culture faded, lending her soaring, ethereal delivery to countless anthems and most memorably to Goldie’s landmark crossover single “Inner City Life.” She entered the world in Manchester in 1964 and first gained notice in the mid-’80s when she joined the funk and dance outfit 52nd Street, contributing to their Factory single “Can’t Afford” in 1984 and to both albums the group issued through 10 Records/Virgin. Once that band split in 1988 she formed Cool Down Zone alongside former 52nd Street member Tony Bowry; the project issued only one album, New Direction, in 1990 before folding.
Early in the following decade she added guest vocals to club tracks by 4hero and Eskimos & Egypt and took part in Howie B’s brief Nomad Soul venture, yet her profile on the mainstream charts rose sharply once she joined Euro-dance act Urban Cookie Collective, which scored two U.K. Top Five hits in 1993 with “The Key the Secret” and “Feels Like Heaven.” The same year she appeared on Goldie’s “Angel,” originally credited to Metalheads, infusing the emerging jungle and drum’n’bass scene with a soulful edge that broadened its appeal. “Inner City Life” followed in 1994, climbing into the U.K. Top 40 and paving the way for Goldie’s debut album Timeless, widely praised as one of 1995’s standout releases and a defining statement of the genre. She also supplied vocals for Goldie’s expansive 1998 double album Saturnz Return and for its leaner single-disc successor Ring of Saturn.
Beyond those partnerships she worked with other respected dance-music figures, occasionally under the alias D’Empress, among them house stalwarts Satoshi Tomiie and Joey Negro, and she joined Moby onstage for several dates on his Play tour in the early 2000s. Around 2005 her voice again found favor with drum’n’bass producers, leading to appearances on recordings by Calibre, High Contrast, Netsky, Cyantific and numerous others. Charlemagne lost her battle with cancer on October 28, 2015, at the age of 51, just weeks before her planned solo single “It’s in Your Eyes” was due for release.
Early in the following decade she added guest vocals to club tracks by 4hero and Eskimos & Egypt and took part in Howie B’s brief Nomad Soul venture, yet her profile on the mainstream charts rose sharply once she joined Euro-dance act Urban Cookie Collective, which scored two U.K. Top Five hits in 1993 with “The Key the Secret” and “Feels Like Heaven.” The same year she appeared on Goldie’s “Angel,” originally credited to Metalheads, infusing the emerging jungle and drum’n’bass scene with a soulful edge that broadened its appeal. “Inner City Life” followed in 1994, climbing into the U.K. Top 40 and paving the way for Goldie’s debut album Timeless, widely praised as one of 1995’s standout releases and a defining statement of the genre. She also supplied vocals for Goldie’s expansive 1998 double album Saturnz Return and for its leaner single-disc successor Ring of Saturn.
Beyond those partnerships she worked with other respected dance-music figures, occasionally under the alias D’Empress, among them house stalwarts Satoshi Tomiie and Joey Negro, and she joined Moby onstage for several dates on his Play tour in the early 2000s. Around 2005 her voice again found favor with drum’n’bass producers, leading to appearances on recordings by Calibre, High Contrast, Netsky, Cyantific and numerous others. Charlemagne lost her battle with cancer on October 28, 2015, at the age of 51, just weeks before her planned solo single “It’s in Your Eyes” was due for release.
Albums
Take Me Back
2022
Two Tone Fever - Get Back to Ska
2020
It's in Your Eyes
2015
It's in Your Eyes (Remixed)
2015
We Got Pride (Remixes Part Two)
2012
We Got Pride (Remixes Part One)
2012
Singles
