Charlotte Church was born on Charlotte Maria Reed on February 21, 1986 is a Welsh singer and television presenter who rose to international fame in childhood as a popular classical singer with a precociously mature dramatic operatic voice, in particular in its tonal qualities. Since 2000, she has branched out into pop music.
As of 2007, she has sold over 10 million albums worldwide, although her first three classical albums account for the majority of her sales. Church was born in Llandaf, a district of Cardiff, Wales. She was raised a Roman Catholic by her mother, Maria, who was separated from Church's biological father.
Church was legally adopted by her mother's second husband, James Church. She had her first taste of stardom when she performed "Ghostbusters" at a holiday camp in Caernarfon at the age of 3, and it was rumored that she had to be dragged from the stage when she refused to leave (she denied that part in her autobiography).
Her big break came at the age of 11 when she sang "Pie Jesu" on the television show Talking Telephone Numbers in 1997, closely followed by her performance on ITV's Big, Big Talent Show in 1998. This led to concerts at Cardiff Arms Park, Royal Albert Hall and the opening spot for Shirley Bassey in Antwerp. |