Sonique

Though initially focused on gymnastics, diving, and track, the British singer and DJ Sonique rose to become an internationally celebrated presence in dance music. Immersed from an early age in classic soul and disco, she started performing vocally as a youngster and issued her debut single, “Let Me Hold You,” on Cooltempo Records before reaching adulthood. She later joined forces with DJ Mark Moore in the dance-pop duo S’Express, co-writing and providing lead vocals for tracks such as “Nothing to Lose” and “Find ’Em, Fool ’Em, Forget ’Em,” both of which charted in the U.K. and appeared on the group’s 1990 album Intercourse.

Her deepening engagement with Britain’s club circuit sparked an interest in DJing, prompting three years of dedicated training before she first performed publicly. That preparation paid off quickly: after her club debut she built audiences across Europe, Hong Kong, and the United States, lent vocals to recordings by Josh Wink, Kendo, Gusto, and Helicopter, and featured on compilations including 1997’s Introspective of House, Third Dimension and 1998’s British Anthems Summertime. Particularly fervent support emerged in Tampa when a local DJ began playing an import copy of her single “It Feels So Good” in 1999, generating radio exposure and attracting major-label attention. In early 2000 she issued both the single and her debut album, Hear My Cry, through her own imprint Serious along with Caffeine Records, Republic/Universal, and Farmclub.com. A guest spot on the Farmclub.com television show propelled “It Feels So Good” onto Billboard’s Hot 100, Top 40 mainstream, and rhythmic Top 40 charts, confirming Sonique’s reach as a versatile, cross-format talent.