Javine Dionne Hylton (born
27 December 1981, London
), often
known simply as Javine, is an English singer.
She is
most notable for representing the UK
at Eurovision Song Contest 2005;
beating competition favourite, model
Katie Price, for the ticket to Kiev
.
Hylton has had a number of
Top 20 single hits in the
UK, Javine's song "
You've Got a
Friend" was the
theme music to
Garfield: The Movie in
2004.
Early life
Hylton was
born to a white mother and black father and grew up in Ladbroke Grove
, London.
For a
spell of two years, Hylton played Nala in a production of
The Lion King in London's
West
End
. In a potentially risky move, she opted to
channel this experience of live singing into an audition for
ITV's
Popstars: The Rivals, a
reality television talent show in which young hopefuls sought to be
picked for a place in a new manufactured group.
Her gamble paid off as she was one of the last six contenders for a
place in the girl-group, but she missed out on a spot in what later
became the chart-topping group
Girls
Aloud, and instead embarked on a
solo singing career.
Recording career
In the summer of 2003, Hylton released her debut single "
Real Things", which featured a
sample of
M.O.P.'s
hit "Ante Up". The single charted in the
UK Singles Chart at Number 4, and remains
her biggest hit to date. Three further Top 20 hits from her debut
album followed, "
Surrender " (which sampled the
Diana Ross hit "Surrender"), "
Best Of My Love" and a
cover of
Jade's
"
Don't Walk
Away", a
double A-side with a
cover of
Carole King's "
You've Got a Friend".
Hylton's debut album,
Surrender, was released after
her third single in the summer of 2004. In spite of securing a
songwriting partnership with
Eg White, and
record producers Stargate, along with the singles
performing relatively well, her debut album only just managed to
get into the
UK Albums Chart and as
a result she was dropped by her
record
label in late 2004.
Hylton featured on
Richard X's 2003 album
Richard X
Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1. Her
collaboration with him, "You Used To", was due to be released as a
single, but it was cancelled.
In late
2003 she became an opening act for U.S.
rapper Nelly on the UK leg of
his international tour.
Television
On 5 March 2005, Hylton won
Eurovision: Making Your Mind
Up, the UK heat of the
Eurovision Song Contest 2005,
singing "
Touch My Fire", co-written by
her. The other contestants were the 1996 UK entrant
Gina G,
Andy Scott-Lee,
the group Tricolore, and Katie Price. During the performance, tape
used to hold her dress in place came loose, causing a '
wardrobe malfunction'.
Hylton went on to
represent the UK in the final in Kiev, reportedly
suffering from a throat infection. With pre-final odds of
33/1, she finished with 18 points, in 22nd place, ahead of France
and Germany. When "
Touch My Fire" was
released as a single, it became her fifth consecutive Top 20 hit,
reaching Number 18 in the UK Singles Chart.
Hylton has also appeared in Series 4 of the
Channel 4 programme
The Games in 2006, which she
went on to win.
In a Christmas edition of
Never Mind The Buzzcocks with
Simon Amstell, the show was dedicated to the birthdays of both
Jesus and Javine on account of her birthday being two days after
Christmas. Hylton has been fair game for Buzzcocks jokes after
comments made by Jamelia on the show. In 2007 she took part in
BBC Three's
Celebrity Scissorhands. In 2008
she was the first celebrity eliminated in
The Underdog Show. In 2009 she made
an uncredited guest appearance on the television show
Skins.
Personal life
In March 2006 Hylton pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol
and was banned from driving for 18 months.
The same year, she
began an affair with fellow The Games contestant and
West
End stage star MC
Harvey, the then husband of singer Alesha Dixon. This led to a
well-publicised feud between Hylton and UK R&B singer
Jamelia, with Jamelia defending Alesha, referring to
Hylton as 'a
slag' on TV programme
Never Mind the Buzzcocks.
On 23
February 2008 Hylton gave birth to MC Harvey's daughter named Angel
Harvey Hylton in St George's Hospital, Tooting
, South London
. On 5 August 2008, MC Harvey threatened to
kill Hylton with a knife after they had an argument, after MC
Harvey stayed out all night with friends.
In September 2009, Hylton split with MC Harvey after discovering
that he had been unfaithful to her. Hylton told
The News of the World he was "a
serial womaniser with a big problem. He cheated on Alesha with a
lot of women. I did her a big favour by taking him off her hands -
and after three horrible years, boy do I regret it."
Discography
Albums
| Year |
Title |
Chart positions |
Sales and certifications |
| UK |
JP |
| 2004 |
Surrender
|
73 |
18 |
- JP Sales: 100,000+
- RIAJ certification:
Gold
|
|
Singles
References
- http://www.ilikemusic.com/music_news/-496
- Never Mind the Buzzcocks, season 19
finale.
- Javine Dumps Cheating Lover
- MC Harvey cheated on Alesha Dixon 7 times says
Javine Hylton
External links
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