Corinne Bailey Rae

Fans: 542,830

- Bio

Corinne Bailey Rae was born and raised in Leeds, the oldest of three daughters to a West Indian father and a Yorkshire mother. At school, she studied classical violin to a high standard, but any ambitions to take this to a higher level were quickly scotched when the afore-mentioned Zeppelin adoration took hold. By the time she turned 15, Corinne was also obsessing over female-led, indie noiseniks like Veruca Salt and L7, and wanted to start her own band. And so she did. Its name was Helen. Helen? "I know, I know," she says in defence. "What can I say? We were 15 years old, and thought that Helen was a cheeky, indie kind of thing to do. It seemed clever at the time." She smiles. "Admittedly, it seems less so now." Uninspiring name notwithstanding, Helen began attracting considerable local attention. Good enough to elicit an offer of a deal from the home to all manner of guitar abusers, Roadrunner Records, all was going well until the bassist fell pregnant, and the band fragmented. "Disappointed? I was gutted," Corinne says now. "I had no idea what to do next." And so she went off to Leeds University where she studied English literature and spent evenings working as a modern-day hatcheck girl in a local jazz club. Every now and then she was allowed to sing with the band, and from those evenings new ideas began to form. By now, Corinne was writing songs that she wanted to perform solo, and was moving away from all things indie into more soulful territory. By the time EMI signed her in the spring of last year, she had 10 years of experience tucked neatly under her belt, knew exactly what she wanted and just how to get it. "I am a fan of jazz, but not the muso kind," she says. "I hate all the noodling, which is why I love classic songs: because they are so pure and succinct. That's what I tried to do with my own songs. They are short and sweet, to the point. I like the idea of leaving people wanting more, not less, you know?" And so, inspired as much by Bjand Massive Attack as, say, Jill Scott, she went into the studio and came up with her debut album. It is in Corinne's own words, "a little bit of everything: it's chilled out, acoustic, kooky, atmospheric and soulful. I'd also be tempted to say it comes from a very organic place, but that would sound pretentious, so I won't."

Twitter Updates

Some fantastic photos of Corinne from Monday night's show @ Hiro in NYC. Thanks Joseph Bayot. http://bit.ly/77lSbQ
03:09 AM December 09

Latest bulletin 10.29.09

Corinne Bailey Rae announces intimate NY & LA album preview shows

Corinne will be coming to the US for a series of select, very intimate shows which will be an exclusive preview of her new album THE SEA

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POPPMusic.net
Dec 09, 06:43 AM

Greetings: Please Play Brick City, Newark, NJ, USA By: POPPMusic.net, USA @ http://www.ilike.com/artist/POPPMusic.net @ http://www.myspace.com/poppmusic_net @ http://www.poppmusic.net ____________________________________
POPPMusic.net
Dec 09, 06:41 AM

Greetings: Please Play the Motor City, Detroit, MI, USA By: POPPMusic.net, USA @ http://www.ilike.com/artist/POPPMusic.net @ http://www.myspace.com/poppmusic_net @ http://www.poppmusic.net ____________________________________
Dec 02, 09:23 AM

Come show your love and spread that smooth, soultry neo soul vibe in the Queen city!
Dec 01, 05:15 AM

Corrine- The depth and breadth of your talent cannot be articulated, thank you for sharing all of your gifts with "us"--I will be a lifelong fan--my favorite songs--are "Call Me When You Get This & Just Like a Star"--please visit the Washington, DC area! The best of the best (creme de la creme)--YOU!! Smiles-Alana
Benjamin W
Nov 28, 02:52 PM

Hello Corinne, Metropolitan Detroit has lots of smaller venues comparable in size to the places you are performing at in the USA before your new album launch. Please come. I'm sure your nearby fans in Windsor, Ontario would find it more convenient to come here than go all the way to someplace like Toronto. I'm a huge fan. I look forward to seeing you live soon. And I can't wait to get your new album. Crushingly, Benjamin
Nov 23, 04:45 AM

Just like an angel of the page...
Nov 23, 04:39 AM

Dear Corinne, Listening to your music, your voice, makes my head go quiet and my heart still.. The purity of your sound speaks to me and gives me peaceful comfort on rocky circumstances. Love the way you use your instrument so freely, let the songline drop far and pick it back up, with such ease, i love it. Respect, Phai Foster Johannis
Jen M
Nov 22, 03:25 PM

Corinne Bailey Rae fans - have you checked out Nneka?! Her music is fresh and she's talented beyond words. Here's a video for her song, The Uncomfortable Truth, off her upcoming album --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBbF0gwt8tU