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Victoria Caroline Beckham (born Victoria Caroline
Adams on April 17, 1974 and also used the stage name Victoria Adams-Wood) is an
English singer best known as a member of the Spice Girls and for her marriage to
footballer David Beckham. Victoria is a pop singer, songwriter and fashion
designer. Known also as "Posh Spice", a nickname given to her by the BBC's Top
of the Pops magazine.
****
Background information
Birth name Victoria Caroline Adams
Also known as Posh Spice
Born April 17, 1974 (age 32)
Origin Goff's Oak, Hertfordshire, England
Genre(s) Pop
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, Fashion designer
Years active 1994–present
Label(s) Virgin Records 1994–2002(Girl Band)
19 Entertainment (2003–present)
Telstar Records (2002-2004, a sub-licence deal from
19 Entertainment)
Associated
acts Spice Girls
****
Biography
Victoria Beckham was born in Princess Alexandra
Hospital, Harlow in Essex to Anthony William Adams, an electronics engineer, and
his wife, the former Jacqueline Doreen Cannon. She was brought up in Goff's Oak,
Hertfordshire where she lived with her family in a detached house owned by her
parents, the owners of an electrical wholesale business. She is the eldest of
three children. Prior to joining the Spice Girls, Victoria trained as a dancer
and had a number of modelling and dancing jobs. Before answering the
advertisement that led to her becoming a Spice Girl, Victoria was the lead
singer of an unsigned band named Persuasion[citation needed]. Even though she
admits having sung off-key in the audition for Touch (later renamed the Spice
Girls), claiming the song was in the wrong key for her but 'she can really
sing', she was chosen anyway.
Victoria Adams married the ex-Manchester United and
current Real Madrid footballer and former England captain David Beckham, on July
4, 1999, with whom she has three sons: Brooklyn Joseph (born March 4, 1999),
Romeo (born September 1, 2002), and Cruz David (born February 20, 2005).
Music
career
Virgin
Records
Despite being one of the most famous celebrities in
Britain, and having all her music reach the UK top ten (the only solo Spice to
do so), Victoria Beckham's career as a solo artist is largely considered to have
been a commercial failure. She was the last of the Spice Girls to launch a solo
career, allegedly due to her reluctance to 'go it alone'[citation needed].
In August 2000, Victoria released her first single
outside of the Spice Girls: Out Of Your Mind, a collaboration with the Garage
act the Truesteppers and Dane Bowers. The week of release coincided with the
release of Groovejet (If This Ain't Love) by Spiller ft. Sophie Ellis-Bextor,
resulting in a chart battle dubbed 'Posh vs. Posher' by the tabloids [1].
Following a huge publicity campaign, Out Of Your Mind was outsold by 20,000
copies and debuted at number two with first week sales of 180,584 copies (a
figure that would have usually guaranteed a #1 position)[2].
Victoria was given a solo recording contract by her
group label Virgin Records. Her true début single as a solo artist, Not Such An
Innocent Girl, was released in September 2001. Again, she faced competition in
another hugely hyped chart battle, this time with Kylie Minogue's single Can't
Get You Out Of My Head. Victoria was unlikely to beat Kylie, but she gave the
project huge promotion and the record had an expensive and futuristic video. In
the week of release, the tabloid newspaper The Sun ran a daily progess chart
covering the chart battle, but they gave up half way through the week when it
was clear the battle was a one horse race. A potential factor attributable to
Victoria's weaker sales could be the due to the media furore she created after
wearing a fake lip ring during a live performance in Birmingham[3], an event
that also saw her getting booed and pelted with fruit by a hostile public. She
was widely criticised by many groups, including the British Dental Association,
for setting a bad example that her younger fans may wish to emulate. It has
since been argued that this 'stunt' and the ensuing media backlash was the
beginning of the end of Victoria's music career[citation needed].
Released a fortnight after Not Such An Innocent
Girl, Victoria's eponymously titled debut album reached number 10 in the UK
album chart. The album featured the much talked about Every Part Of Me, a song
co-written by Victoria and dedicated to her son, Brooklyn, who features at the
start. Brooklyn's 'part' allegedly being an off-chance recording which took
place during a recording session break.
The second and final single to be released from the
album was A Mind Of Its Own. This track was much slower and a more mature effort
by Victoria, for which she received some critical praise. Despite this, the
single stalled at number 6 in the UK and sold 66,000 copies [4]. Following this
lacklustre chart performance, rumours started spreading that Beckham was soon to
be dropped by her label. These were refuted at the time [5].
A third single, I Wish, was promoted but never
materialised. The single version was a remix featuring Robbie Craig, and was
performed on TV on Friday Night's All Wright. Many hoped this single would
revitalise the album's fortunes, but following the announcement of Victoria's
second pregnancy it was shelved, and Victoria was dropped by Virgin Records [6].
The
Telstar / 19 Management era
To the surprise of the music industry, Telstar
Records signed Victoria in 2002 in a deal made with Simon Fuller's 19
Management. She spent much of 2002 recording a 'pop-influenced' album, but
Victoria herself shelved it after not being happy with the results [7]. Instead
of pop, Victoria wanted to record tracks with a more RnB and hip hop influence,
and to accomplish this she began working with urban producer Damon Dash. These
plans reportedly worried Telstar and Simon Fuller, but they compromised with
Victoria, allowing her to release a Dash produced track (This Groove) along-side
one of her earlier pop tracks (Let Your Head Go) from the shelved album.
The resulting double A-side single Let Your Head Go
/ This Groove was released in the UK in late December 2003, following heavy
promotion and many TV appearances across the Christmas period. The single
charted at #3, although critics were fast to point out this was not much of an
accomplishment due to singles receiving their lowest sales of the year the week
after Christmas. This Groove sparked some media interest due to the song being
about phone sex. This double A-side remains Victoria's last single release to
date.
As another compromise, Telstar allowed Victoria to
release some of her urban tracks on The Réal Beckhams DVD. This 2003 documentary
was released in January 2004, and bonus material included the videos for Let
Your Head Go and This Groove, as well as four previously unreleased tracks:
Resentment, That Dude, Me And You This Time and Valentine. Resentment has since
been covered by Beyonce Knowles and released on her solo album 'B'Day' (2006).
Outside of the UK, Damon Dash had plans for
Victoria in the United States, including a potential release of Let Your Head Go
/ This Groove under the name of Posh Spice Victoria Beckham. The release was
proposed for sometime between March to May 2004, but never occurred. ([8]). A
Dash produced track It's That Simple featuring M.O.P. was promoed to vinyl, and
received a premiere on BBC urban music radio station 1Xtra. This only generated
further criticism, with the feeling being that Victoria was a far from
convincing urban act[9]. Around this time, a 90 second snippet of a track called
Come Together was released to the media, which was notable for sampling the
Beatles' song Come Together. A full version never leaked.
With the UK media describing her music career a
failure, and combined with a rumored fall out between Dash and Fuller, remaining
plans for Victoria's music career were cancelled [10]. To try and salvage her
music career, Victoria again began work on pop-styled tracks in 2004. It is
known that she recorded a track written for her by Cathy Dennis entitled My Love
Is For Real (not to be confused with the Paula Abdul song of the same name).
With the collapse of Telstar Records, the pressure to stay with her family
caused by the Rebecca Loos scandal, and the announcement of Victoria's third
pregnancy, this song has never been heard, except for a leaked remix by Armand
van Helden.
Unreleased music
A previously unknown track, Back To Life, leaked
online in 2005 after someone found it in a small record store. Although
uncertain, it is believed this track dates from early recording sessions for the
Victoria Beckham album.
In spring 2006, hope for new tracks was raised when
an auction for a CD of 25 unreleased songs from the Telstar / 19 Management era
appeared on eBay. It eventually sold for £390, although the buyer never leaked
the songs onto the internet after being warned by lawyers representing the
copyright owner of the material[citation needed].
Despite this, on 5 September 2006, eleven of
Victoria's unreleased songs from the shelved Telstar pop-style album leaked
online in various music and fan forums. Victoria is reportedly 'furious' that an
album she deemed unfit for release has been heard [11].
List of
unreleased music:
Let Your Head Go (Album Version)
Open Your Eyes
Be With You
Full Stop
Flow
The Hustler
25 Minutes
Me Without You
Should've Known Better
I'd Give It All Away
Bittersweet
Can't Get Enough (Of You DJ)
Shake It
Back To You
Every Little Thing
My Love Is For Real
Future
in music
On February 26, 2006, Beckham stated in an
interview with the Sunday Mirror: "I'm never going to sing again, unless it was
a chance to do something with the Spice Girls. I don't really miss the shows we
did together. I miss the girls more. I see Geri a lot — I love her, she's
amazing. I speak to the others from time to time. I love them too and miss
them."
Beckham also declared that, for the moment, she and
her former Spice colleagues are enjoying their solo careers in various fields.
She says: "We're all still doing our own thing. But that's the great thing about
the position we're in now — when we decide we want to do more stuff, we can.
There's no pressure and, at the end of the day, our fans have been so supportive
— and so loyal — that hopefully, when we do come back they'll still be there."
[12]
A spokesperson for Beckham has said she could
return to music in the future. "She's focusing on her fashion activity at the
moment and should she wish to do music at a later date then obviously that's
something we can consider. She has a flexible career with which she can do
whatever she wants to" the spokeswoman said. [13]
Personal life
Media
coverage
In 2004, her happily married image suffered when a
string of women claimed to the tabloid press to have had affairs with David,
including Rebecca Loos. All were dismissed as "ludicrous", "absurd" and
"unsubstantiated" by David Beckham, and the Beckhams showed a publicly united
front against the allegations. However, Loos maintained that she had not
fabricated the allegations, and since the Beckhams took no legal action to
disprove them, they have continued to mar the image of the Beckhams as the UK's
"golden couple". The British press and public, however, eventually lost interest
in the story, and the Beckhams have appeared to continue life as normal. During
the 2006 World Cup Victoria was seen by the press as the leading "WAG" (as the
wives and girlfriends of the England team came to be dubbed). In September 2006,
amid speculation that Victoria was pregnant with the couple's fourth child, she
dispelled the rumors by revealing that she is currently using the Pill, though
in the same interview she also mentioned her hope that when the time is right
she will have a daughter.[1]
In 2003 Victoria denied rumors of breast
enhancement on British TV insisting, "I'm completely natural, except for my
fingernails and I have a bit of help with my hair and a bit of St. Tropez going
on." A year later she told British chat show host Michael Parkinson, "I haven't
had a boob job." This was widely believed to be proven as a lie in 2005 when a
court document relating to a libel case she and her husband filed revealed she
did have her breasts enhanced. The file, obtained by Britain's The People
newspaper, says "That the Second Claimant (Victoria Beckham) had in fact
undergone breast enhancement surgery and had lied about it on the 'Tabloid
Tales' television program."
Victoria Beckham has had a well-publicized feud
with supermodel Naomi Campbell, which began when she publicly branded Campbell
as "a massive cow" and a "bitch" in 2000. The feud reportedly began when Naomi
asked Victoria, "Why do they call you Posh?" This was apparently responded with,
"Why do they call you beautiful?" However, any bad blood (tabloid-induced or
otherwise) between them seems to have subsided and the women have appeared to be
friends, Naomi having introduced Jacie to Damon Dash.
Weight
Following the birth of her first child, Victoria's
weight loss became a topic of much discussion in the British tabloid press. She
agreed to appear in adverts for a potato crisp brand but there were claims that
she would not actually eat the crisps. She claimed that she never had an eating
disorder though she says former band member Geri Halliwell did get her
dangerously addicted to dieting. She has said that her dramatic weight loss was
due to polycystic ovary syndrome, a condition that more usually causes
hirsutism, central obesity and occasionally masculinization. However, in her
autobiography, she finally revealed her struggles with anorexia.
Fashion career
In 2004 Victoria designed a fashion line for Rock
and Republic called 'VB Rocks,' consisting mainly of jeans for the high end of
the market (retailing at approximately $300 in the U.S.). The line was
successful and Victoria has contributed further lines, including children's and
men's wear, for the Spring/Autumn of 2006. She has also worked on a range of
women's clothes including shirts and skirts. The clothing features a logo of a
crown with the letters VB.
In July 2006 Victoria released a highly successful
line of sunglasses (which she had been seen wearing at the World Cup games). In
September 2006 Victoria along with her husband David will release 'Intimately
Beckham' a his and her fragrance line.
In August 2006 former Spice Girls manager Simon
Fuller announced that he was developing a TV fashion show for Victoria [14].
In September 2006, Beckham stopped working with
Rock and Republic to launch her own jeans label following the success of her VB
denim range for Rock and Republic. The new line of Victoria's jeans collection
is called DVB.[15]
Victoria has started her own website [16] that
features a blog, videomessages and news about her upcoming fashion projects.
Books
Victoria Beckham has written an autobiography,
entitled Learning to Fly [17] (the title was taken from a line in a song from
the musical Fame, which Victoria adored as a child). The book was the 3rd best
selling non-fiction title of 2001 (total UK sales stand at more than 500,000
copies), and has been translated into several languages.
Victoria is widely believed to have told a Spanish
journalist in 2005 that "I've never read a book in my life". Although often used
to criticise and ridicule Victoria, this 'quote' was actually a mistranslation
from the original Spanish in which the interview was printed - she actually
stated she never had time to finish reading a book because she was always
running around after her children.
Her second book, a non-fiction fashion book titled
That Extra Half an Inch: Hair, Heels and Everything In Between [18], was
published on 30 Oct 2006. It was co-written by Hadley Freeman, deputy fashion
editor of the Guardian and a contributing editor of Vogue. On the Sunday Times
Book Charts the Book stand at No.2
Discography
Albums
2001 Victoria Beckham #10 UK
Singles
2000 "Out of Your Mind" (with Truesteppers and Dane
Bowers) - #2 UK, #27 Australia
2001 "Not Such An Innocent Girl" - #6 UK , #36
Australia, #15 Spain
2002 "A Mind of Its Own" - #6 UK
2003 "This Groove / Let Your Head Go" - #3 UK , #17
Ireland
Other
releases
Songs available on 'The Réal Beckhams' DVD #95 UK
[19]:
Resentment (versions of which were later released
by both Jazmine Sullivan and Beyoncé Knowles)
Me and You This Time
Valentine
That Dude
****
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Date Article Copied:
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