Charisma Chandler

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Charisma Chandler

Chandler at the 71st Cannes Film Festival, May 2018
Born Charisma Ann Tweedy
(1987-06-30) 30 June 1987 (age 37)
Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom
Residence Los Angeles, California, United States
Nationality British
Other names Charisma Percy
Citizenship
  • British
  • American
Occupation
  • Dancer
  • model
  • philanthropist
  • recording artist
  • songwriter
  • television personality
Years active 2008–present
Net worth £40 million
Height 5 ft 3 in (1.6 m)
Television The MN Factor
Spouse(s) Marlon Percy (m. 2013)
Children 1
Relatives
Awards See below
Musical career
Origin UKNation
Genres
  • Dance
  • pop
  • R&B
Instrument(s) Vocals
Years active 2009–present
Labels Music Nation Label Group
Formerly of Absolute

Charisma Ann Chandler (née Tweedy; born 30 June 1987) is an English singer, dancer, and television personality who is known by the mononym Charisma in the context of her recording promotions. She rose to fame in late 2008 when she was introduced as one-fifth of UK based quintet Absolute. The group's line-up remained the same throughout their history and during that time the group achieved a string of twenty consecutive top ten singles in the United Kingdom (including four number one singles) and six platinum albums (two of which went to number one) and earned five Brit Award nominations from 2005 to 2010. In early 2013, the group announced their decision to split in order to "pursue other ventures outside of the group".

Chandler embarked on a solo career and released her first solo studio album En Vogue (2013). The album became a commercial success and spawned three successful singles including the lead single from the album, "Rhythm Junkie", which debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the best selling single of the year. 2014 saw the release of Chandler's second studio album These Little Moments, which produced three singles, the first being "Sweet Surrenderer" which also debuted at number one.

Chandler has become a recognised and photographed style icon; referred to as a fashionista by the press. She has been photographed for the covers of British Vogue, Elle and Harper's Bazaar, while becoming the new face of cosmetic company L'Oréal. Chandler has been married to American entertainer Marlon Percy since 2013; the pair began dating in 2011, and were engaged in 2012. Chandler became a judge on the hit television series The MN Factor becoming the winning judge twice out of the three series she judged. In 2015, Chandler was fired from her judging position for "undisclosed reasons known to her" and was replaced by British singer Jazmine Henderson, who was originally hired to host the competition series.

Early life

Chandler was born in Newcastle upon Tyne and grew up on council estates in the neighbouring districts of Walker and Heaton. She is the fourth of five children of June Carrigan, and the first of her two children with Gerald Tweedy following the collapse of her marriage to the father of her three other children. Carrigan and Tweedy were together for more than a decade but never married each other; they separated when Chandler was eleven years old.

Interested in dancing from an early age, she began sequence dancing at the age of four, before joining The Royal Ballet's summer school at the age of nine. She won recognition in several modeling competitions, including the titles of Boots Group's "bonniest baby", Mothercare's Happy Faces Portrait competition, "Best Looking Girl of Newcastle", The Evening Chronicle's "Little Miss and Mister", and "Most Attractive Girl" at the MetroCentre. She attended Walker Comprehensive School in Newcastle between September 1998 and July 2003, and left at 16 with few qualifications.

Career

2008–2013: Absolute

Absolute attending the 1st MusicNation Awards in July 2013.

Chandler joined Natasha Coyle, Samantha Harding, Naima Roberts and Kayla Walsh to form a new girl group Absolute; the were established as the first-ever all-female group in MusicNation history. After forming, the quintet signed to Absolute Records, for which they were named after.

The group's debut single "Damage Control" peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the group's first-ever number one single release. The group released their debut album Damage Control in January 2009, which entered the charts at number two and was certified five-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) in February 2011, after spending 53 consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart and a total of 101 weeks on the chart. Their singles "Magnetic Attraction", "Working Girls", "All Fired Up, "Disappear", "Marie Antoinette", "Teenage Love Affair", "If This Is Love" and "After Shock" have charted at number one. Two of their albums have reached the top of the UK Albums Chart: 2012's Danger Zone and 2013's We Love Pop, both of which entered the chart at number one, with over one million copies of the former being sold. They also achieved six certified albums and have been nominated for five MusicNation Awards, winning three overall awards during the first annual event in 2013.

The group's musical style is pop, but throughout their career they had experimented with electropop and dance-pop. Absolute's collaborations with David James and then- production team Pyromaniacs earned the group critical acclaim, due to an innovative approach to mainstream pop music. In 2013, the group announced their decision to split, in order to follow other career endeavors.

2013–2015: The MN Factor, En Vogue and These Little Moments

Chandler attending the Cannes Film Festival in May 2014.

In November 2012, TV Guide broke news that Chandler had joined the judging panel of The MN Factor alongside future brother-in-law Brody Chandler, music producer Picasso and American pop singer Nicole Jordan. During the series' first cycle, Chandler made it into the finale with finalist Justice Jones; other team members included Blair Meyers and Wildflower. Chandler came in as runner-up judge to Brody Chandler and his winning act Ana Simpson. Chandler returned for the second cycle and emerged as the winning mentor with her act Rose Thorne taking the winning title.

In March 2013, details emerged concerning a potential solo album recording deal for Chandler following her success as a judge on MN Factor. MTV News quoted on its reports that Music Nation Label Group had "approached a slew of producers" to work on Chandler's solo debut. That August, plans for Chandler's solo career were confirmed when it was announced she'd release her debut album and single under the professional mononym of Charisma. Her debut album, En Vogue was released on 4 November 2013. The first single from the album, "Rhythm Junkie", was written by DJ Carter, Kwest Kwon and Maxwell Watson, with the latter producing the track. At the time of its premiere, Chandler described the track as “a power pop record that is more styled in a R&B way", before continuing: "[F]rom the moment I heard it, I knew it was perfect and the kind of song I wanted to record. I just felt so connected and in love with the kind of sound it had." Following a performance on the MN Factor results show, the song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Chandler's first-ever solo number one. The album's two subsequent singles, "First Is A Kiss" and "Forbidden Love", peaked at number eight and number one, respectively, with the latter earning Chandler her second solo number one.

In the early months of 2014, Chandler re-entered the recording studio and began working on her new album. She told Digital Spy that she was the process was both "exciting and scary", and that she hoped to have the material release by the end of that year. The album was largely produced by Maxxhitz and features guest vocals from Simone Benson, Brody Chandler and Jones. Chandler's second solo album, titled These Little Moments, was released on 20 October 2014. The album debuted at number one in the UK and was certified platinum by its fifth week on the UK Albums Chart. The album's first single, "Sweet Surrenderer", was released on 6 October 2014, and became her third number one hit in the UK, spending a staggering six consecutive weeks a-top the chart, earning over 800,000 copies . "Out From Under" was released as the album's second single on 5 January 2015, and debuted at a peak of number four. The album's third single, "Turn Up the Music", was released on 16 March 2015, and charted at a peak of number nine.

Chandler also returned to her judging position for the third cycle of the MN Factor. It become the second consecutive cycle where she acted as the winning mentor, with her act, Pierre Van Heusen, taking the title. Chandler also served as mentor to acts Ebony Reese and Mateo Soza. In 2015, Chandler was poised to return for the series' fourth cycle, however, following the Los Angeles auditions, Chandler was dismissed from her position, for undisclosed reasons. She was replaced by then-host Jazmine Henderson. Following her dismissal, Chandler filed a lawsuit against the series' production company, CBS Television Studios, for $14.9 million dollars, which her lawyers claimed she is due, based on contracts signed; the case was settled in 2017.

2016–present: Come and Get It, Absolute reunion, Animalistic and The MN Factor return

Chandler attending the Cannes Film Festival in May 2015.

Chandler's third studio album, Come and Get It, was released on 6 June 2016. It debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, selling 67,431 copies in its first week on sale, becoming her third consecutive album to debut at the top spot on the chart. The lead single "One Love," became her third number one single on the UK Singles Chart. "Hello," the second single from the album, was released on 2 September 2012, and peaked at number two. Two subsequent singles were also released in support of the album — "Je Ne Sais Quoi" and "Venetian Blinds" — both of which debuted at number four and number five, respectively. To promote Come and Get It, Charisma embarked on her first solo concert tour, One Love Tour. The tour ran for a total of 11 show dates: two in Ireland, one in Scotland and eight in England.

At the 2016 MusicNation Awards, Absolute reunited for a surprise open to the award ceremony. The following day, the group released "Ready, Set, Go" as the first single from their greatest hits, Forever. In February 2017, the group embarked on Forever Live!, which concluded in March 2013. Following the conclusion of the tour, the group announced their official disbandment.

Artistry

Public image

Personal life

In May 2011, Chandler was first linked American singer Marlon Percy, with reports of the pair being spotted together on several dates. That December, Daily Mail reported that Chandler had eloped with Alexsander Chase; Chandler's camp later denied the wedding, with Chandler calling-out the publication. She later filed suit against the online publication, citing "libel" and "defamation of character"; the outcome of the lawsuit was never disclosed publicly, however, Daily Mail recanted their story, and issued an apology to Chandler. In June 2012, reports claimed that Chandler and Percy were engaged, and in January 2013, the couple announced their engagement over the holiday season. On 20 September 2013, Chandler married Percy at their private home in Los Angeles, California.

In July 2014, Daily Star published a report of Chandler collapsing at a photoshoot and was immediately hospitalised. It was later announced that Chandler had contracted a "vicious gastroenteritis bug", later confirmed to be the deadly disease, malaria. As days passed, daily reports were put out, detailing Chandler's deteriorating state. By August, Chandler was transferred to a rehab clinic, to rehabilitate herself following her health scare. In an interview with Piers Morgan, Chandler discussed her scare, stating: "I was just so weak and sick. I was just thinking, if it's going to happen, please just hurry up. I was more sick and tired than nervous; I was just over being so ill. I mean, me skin was so sore. I would put me moisturizer on, and me skin hurt to the touch. And I knew I wasn't hungover, since I'm not a big drinker and hadn't been drinking. I knew it wasn't that." Chandler also disclosed she had suffered a miscarriage, as a result of the disease, at six weeks.

Other ventures

Philanthropy

Discography

Tours

Awards and nominations

List of career awards and nominations
Year Association Award Result
2014 MusicNation Awards Best Mainstream Female Soloist Won
Best New Artist Nominated
Best Overall Act Nominated
2015 American Music Awards Favorite International Artist Won
MusicNation Awards Album of the Year (These Little Moments) Nominated
Best Mainstream Female Soloist Nominated
2016 American Music Awards Favorite International Artist Nominated
MusicNation Awards Female Artist of the Year Nominated
Best Overall Act Nominated
Video Music Awards International Choice Nominated

See also