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Nicola "Nicki" Sharon French (born 26 September 1964〔() 〕) is an English singer and actress. She is best known for her 1995 dance cover version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart", which reached the US and UK Top 5, and for representing the United Kingdom in the 2000 Eurovision Song Contest in Stockholm. ==Career== French was born in Carlisle, Cumbria, England.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Nicki French : Homepage )〕 She provided backing vocals on Rose-Marie's 1992 album, ''Emotional Exposure''. Generally, French had been a session singer for many years before she covered "Total Eclipse of the Heart", a song originally made famous by Bonnie Tyler.〔 French's single was first released in 1994 in the United Kingdom. When it was re-released in 1995, the song reached number 5 during a three-month chart run in the UK Singles Chart, selling over 250,000 (UK) copies in the process and earning a silver sales award.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=British Phonographic Industry searchable certification database )〕 This was followed by an even more successful chart run in the United States, where the track reached number 2, spending six months on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and gained Gold certification from the RIAA.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Recording Industry Association of America's searchable certification database )〕 The single also reached number 1 in a number of countries – Japan, Canada, Spain and Brazil – as well as charting in Australia, Germany, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. French sold in excess of 5 million copies.〔 Her second single "For All We Know", a cover version of The Carpenters' song, only reached number 42 in the UK Singles Chart, hindered by poor distribution and a barcode error. The track was due to be released in the US but due to a dispute between record companies only made it as far as a promo release in America. Her debut album, ''Secrets'', charted in Japan, Brazil, Israel, Canada, Australia and the United States (selling 50.000 copies during its first week on sale〔). Further singles from the album included "Is There Anybody Out There?", "Did You Ever Really Love Me?" (the latter of which reached number 55 in the UK)〔 and "Never in a Million Years" (which was released in Denmark and Sweden only). "Did You Ever Really Love Me?" was also released Stateside. Various other songs were added to formats around the world, including renditions of "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" and "Stop! In the Name of Love". French was her record label's biggest artist but due to them achieving limited success with their other acts they went into liquidation. French was then signed by Logic Records UK (part of the Sony/BMG group), during which time she released "Te Amo" in various countries. In Brazil it reached number 4 becoming French's fifth consecutive Top 10 in the airplay charts. It was stocked by HMV in the United Kingdom in the summer of 1997 but failed to reach the UK Singles Chart. Another single from this album was due for release, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry", but it only ever made it to demo. In 1998, she released her second album, entitled "French Revolution" and had success in Japan and Taiwan but was eventually dropped by her record label after management reconstructing. In 2000, she entered the Eurovision Song Contest with "Don't Play That Song Again",〔 the song being selected by the British public ahead of seven other finalists on radio and TV. She was then signed up by RCA and the track entered at number 34 in the UK chart. French finished the contest in 16th place, at the time the lowest placing for any UK act. French signed to Jim Steinman's Ravenous Records label for a short period in 2000, during which time she recorded "Lovers Again" and "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" neither of which were ever commercially released. She later went on to record three tracks with the writer of her Eurovision hit, John Springate. These were dance and reggae covers of previous Eurovision entries, French herself chose not to release them but still occasionally performs her versions at Eurovision events. In 2003, French was one of nine contestants on a special Eurovision edition of BBC Television's ''The Weakest Link''. Joining Sonia, Lyn Paul, James Fox, Katie Boyle, Bobby Gee, Jessica Garlick, Katrina Leskanich and Jemini on the show hosted by Anne Robinson, French won the event and was declared 'The Strongest Link' raising £13,000 for Cancer Research, having lost her father to cancer in 1997. In fact, French had been a last minute substitute for original guest, Gina G, who had to drop out of the show when she went into labour. She still has a strong relationship with Eurovision and its fans, and is booked each year to co-host the London Eurovision Party with Paddy O’Connell. In 2003 she was the only British artist to feature in an ABC Television special in LA; ‘The Disco Ball – a 30-Year Celebration’, filmed at the Shrine Auditorium, also starring among others - Gloria Gaynor, Whoopi Goldberg, KC & the Sunshine Band, Chic, Irene Cara, and Usher. French continues to tour the United Kingdom and Europe, performing her hits as well as new material. She released two singles, "I Surrender" in 2004 and "Calling Out My Name" in 2005. "I Surrender" charted on the EuroNRG Top 40 chart〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Euro Dance Hits : Homepage )〕 in February 2005. However, her later release, billed as 'Diva DJs Vs Nicki French', "Total Eclipse of the Heart 2006" did not appear in the UK Singles Chart.〔 French has retained her large gay following,〔 and has headlined some of the biggest Pride shows in recent years including EuroPride, Stockholm Pride and the world's biggest Pride event Australia's Mardi Gras.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Official site – Mardi Gras )〕 In 2007 French was invited back to Brazil, one of her most successful territories, to perform a show for the radio station Energia 97FM. The tickets sold out quickly, and another show was booked for the preceding evening. Since then, French has been invited back to Brazil regularly to perform shows. In 2009 a special edition of French's second album French Revolution became available. The CD contained seventeen tracks and included all three of her most recent singles along with a previously unreleased version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart". The same year, she released "No Smoke".() which did not enter the UK charts. French regularly worked on tracks with Energise Records, and was always their main artist. She often provided backing vocals for their other artists, as well as lead & backing on her own. In early 2015 Energise released a four-CD album of songs they had recorded with French over the previous years, ‘One Step Further’, which is their biggest-selling album to date. In 2014, exactly 20 years after the success of ‘Total Eclipse of the Heart’, Mike Stock and French have started working together again, recording new tracks for his label Modal Production Group (MPG Ltd). The first release from the studio is the anthemic dance number, ‘This Love’: according to Stock himself ‘the song’s message is a celebration of love and commitment’. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Nicki French」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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