Donna Lewis

Biography

Donna Lewis is a Welsh singer from Cardiff, Wales. She is best known for the 1996 pop hit single "I Love You Always Forever×I Love You Always Forever7 May 1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1I Love You Always Forever (radio edit)3:222I Love You Always Forever (Philly mix)4:403I Love You Always Forever (Sylk 130 remix)9:00". Lewis teamed up with Richard Marx on the 1997 adult contemporary hit "At the Beginning" for the Anastasia soundtrack. In 1997, Lewis was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Female Artist.
After releasing her second studio album, Blue Planet×Blue Planet25 July 1998 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Will Love Grow4:352I Could Be the One3:463Love Him4:164Blue Planet4:505Beauty & Wonder3:176Heaven Sent You7:267Harvest Moon4:198Falling4:179Lay Me Down4:0810Unforgiven2:4511Take Me Home7:18 (1998), Lewis left Atlantic Records and independently released albums Be Still×Be Still2002 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Ireland3:452Pink Dress3:293Nowhere to Run4:274Hands3:275Sixth Sense4:396Blutides3:527After the Fire3:318Fearless2:529Moonbeam4:2310Be Still2:29 (2002) and In the Pink×In the Pink1 April 2008 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Ireland4:342Pink Dress4:073Shout3:284Shut the Sun Out3:455Kick Inside4:296You to Me3:397Obsession3:358Don't Ever5:1791000 Miles3:5810You (reprise)0:5011Sandcastles4:01 (2008). Her album Brand New Day×Brand New Day15 March 2015 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Sleep3:512Bring Me the Disco King5:553Crazy5:084Waters of March3:035Brand New Day3:306Everybodys Talkin’ at Me3:227Helpless5:038Amie4:569I Love You Always Forever5:2310Walk on By4:3011My Mom6:33 was produced by David Torn and featured Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson and Dave King.

Biography

There are conflicting accounts online regarding Lewis' birth date. According to her biography on the AllMusic and All About Jazz websites, written by employees of Rovi, and her BBC page, she was born on 6 August 1973.
An article in People from November 1996 presents a different timeline of these events. It states that Lewis's graduation from the Royal Welsh College took place in 1979 and that she played in piano bars throughout Britain and Europe for a period of five years, so like many people in the public eye, there may have been attempts to make her age appear younger than she really is. In November 1996, she had been married for ten years to her road manager and "[gave] her age as in her 30s". This information, if correct, would imply that she was born between 1957 and 1966. This is roughly consistent with a statement Lewis made in an interview in 2015: "When I was in the pop world [...], I wasn't a 19 year old—I was 30 or something like that." The context suggests that this refers to the time when she got her Atlantic record deal. The biography on Lewis's own website does not date events prior to 1996. An article in Entertainment Weekly from September 1996 states that Lewis "won't reveal her age—she and her husband/manager, Martin Harris, have been married for nine years, so 'you know I'm not 21'". According to Companies House records for 'Donna Lewis Limited', of which both Donna Lewis ('Singer Songwriter') and her husband Martin Harris ('Business Manager') were directors, she was born in August 1959.
Lewis began playing the piano at the age of six. Her father, an amateur jazz pianist and guitarist lent encouragement, and at 14, she began composing original songs. Her formal training was at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, where she majored in classical composition for piano and flute. Lewis then taught music for a year in Sussex before moving to Birmingham to sing in a bar band. During that time she set up a home studio and began recording demos. She became a popular live attraction and circa 1993 began sending her demos to record labels. Atlantic Records signed her in 1994.
In 1996, Atlantic Records released Lewis's first single, "I Love You Always Forever×I Love You Always Forever7 May 1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1I Love You Always Forever (radio edit)3:222I Love You Always Forever (Philly mix)4:403I Love You Always Forever (Sylk 130 remix)9:00", a love song which was a hit on VH1. It was also successful on U.S. radio, staying at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine consecutive weeks, and spending 13 consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the airplay chart. It exceeded one million "spins" on radio, to claim its place in music industry history as the most-played single up to that point. The single reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart in 1996, and spent 14 weeks in the chart. It helped her debut album, Now in a Minute×Now in a Minute7 May 1996 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Without Love3:422Mother4:353I Love You Always Forever4:004Nothing Ever Changes4:285Simone4:286Love and Affection3:567Agenais4:138Fools Paradise4:039Lights of Life4:5210Silent World2:5611I Love You Always Forever (Philly remix)4:40, to No. 31 in the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, and No. 52 in the UK Albums Chart. It was certified platinum in the U.S.
Lewis recorded "At the Beginning" with Richard Marx for the 1997 film Anastasia. Her second LP, Blue Planet×Blue Planet25 July 1998 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Will Love Grow4:352I Could Be the One3:463Love Him4:164Blue Planet4:505Beauty & Wonder3:176Heaven Sent You7:267Harvest Moon4:198Falling4:179Lay Me Down4:0810Unforgiven2:4511Take Me Home7:18 (1998), won critical acclaim, but it was largely overlooked by the public. Although it produced a minor hit in continental Europe and Asia, "I Could Be the One×I Could Be the One1998 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1I Could Be the One3:492Scream4:053No Return2:55", and a U.S. No. 1 dance single, "Love Him", Lewis parted ways with Atlantic Records and independently produced her third LP, Be Still×Be Still2002 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Ireland3:452Pink Dress3:293Nowhere to Run4:274Hands3:275Sixth Sense4:396Blutides3:527After the Fire3:318Fearless2:529Moonbeam4:2310Be Still2:29 (2002), which featured her on an almost entirely acoustic set. During the early 2000s, Lewis was featured as a guest vocalist on several trance music/house music recordings. Her fourth LP, In the Pink×In the Pink1 April 2008 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Ireland4:342Pink Dress4:073Shout3:284Shut the Sun Out3:455Kick Inside4:296You to Me3:397Obsession3:358Don't Ever5:1791000 Miles3:5810You (reprise)0:5011Sandcastles4:01, was released in 2008; its first single was "Shout," which was included in the soundtrack to the Marian Quinn film 32A. Lewis also sang lead vocals for her side project, Chute, which released their debut EP in April 2010. In March 2015, she released Brand New Day, her first full-length LP in nearly a decade.

Personal life

Lewis is married to Martin Harris, who is also her business manager. She resides in Boiceville, New York and has one son.

Collaborations

The Seduction of Claude Debussy – Art of Noise [guest vocalist] (2000)
Take Me Over – Dino Lenny [guest vocalist] (2001)
When the Rain Comes Down – [guest vocalist] (2001)
Dancing Angel – Ryan Farish [guest vocalist] (2010)
Chute (EP) – [lead singer] (2010)
"Running Up That Hill×Running Up That Hill2020 · Other · RemixSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Up That Hill (Lomea Unravel Mix)3:112Up That Hill (Lomea Engulf Mix)3:32" – David Baron [vocals] (2019)
"Distance" - Michael Whalen [vocals] (2022)