Vanessa Amorosi was born in Melbourne, Australia (08:08:81), to parents who were both professional singer/dancers working in the Australasian theatre restaurant cabaret circuit. This was an enormous influence on Vanessa who was continually surrounded by music and wonderful voices. Before she could even speak she would sing along with her mother, father, uncles, aunties and grandparents.

When Vanessa was 4 she and her younger sisters would go to Tap, Jazz and Classical ballet classes which were being run by her uncle. She took to dance like a duck to water and it was obvious to everyone that Vanessa had great things in store for her.

At the age of 12 Vanessa started to perform in shopping centres and local council concerts under the supervision of her family and teachers. By the age of 14 she had landed herself a part time job in a Russian restaurant as the main act. Jack Strom one of the producers of Hey Hey It's Saturday saw Vanessa performing at the restaurant and invited his business partner Mark Holden to come along to see her.

Source: http://www.click2music.co.nz/artists/vanessa_amorosi.asp

At only 18 Vanessa Amorosi is one of Australia's hottest new young talents. She's signed with Transistor Records and she's very quickly skyrocketed up the charts with not one but two self-penned hit singles – "Have a Look" (which achieved Gold record status) and "Absolutely Everybody" (which has achieved Platinum record status)!!

Vanessa started singing at shopping centres at age 12 and she's never had any formal training.When this young woman belts out a song (she writes all of her own material) it can literally make the hair stand up on the back of your neck! Everyone's got their eye on Vanessa as she's mega-talented with a capital M & T! Both of her parents are singers (cabaret entertainers) and so show business is most definitely in her blood. Vanessa is also an animal rights activist. I recently rang her and got the low-down on her thoughts on vegetarianism, battery hens and educating children! Vanessa is a really lovely girl, very unaffected and modest.

Source: http://www.animal-lib.org.au/interviews/vanessa/

Nineteen-year-old Vanessa Amorosi is one of the most successful pop artists in Australia. Now, following her international release through Universal Music, she is destined for worldwide success. Here's the story so far….

Vanessa Amorosi was born in Melbourne on the 8th of August 1981 to parents who were professional singer/dancers working in the Australasian theatre restaurant and cabaret circuit.

When Vanessa was just 4, along with her younger sisters, she would go to Tap, Jazz and Classical Ballet classes, which were being run by her uncle. She took to dance like a duck to water and it was obvious to everyone that Vanessa had a promising future. At the age of 12 Vanessa started to perform in shopping centers and local council concerts under the supervision of her family.

At the age of 14, Vanessa began volunteer work, helping disadvantaged children. The impact of making friends with children that had a terminal illness was to have a lasting effect on Vanessa who continues to work for the betterment and welfare of children through her involvement in Kids Help-Line and as a patron of the Variety Club.

Vanessa also enjoyed a short period training with the army, but fortunately for the entertainment industry and her fans, was soon back in the civilian world continuing to sing. One venue, in which she regularly performed, was a Russian restaurant. It was here, in 1997, that Jack Strom heard Vanessa sing. She was only 15½ years old at the time.

Jack had worked with and observed many of the world's greatest performers during his long television production career but as he says, he got "goosebumps" on first hearing Vanessa's amazing voice. Jack brought Mark Holden, along to hear the young girl in the Russian restaurant. Mark had himself achieved considerable success as a singer and songwriter / producer and was equally impressed after hearing a special and unique voice coming from one so young.

In 1998, at just 16, Vanessa signed to Mark and Jack's management company, MarJac productions. This resulted in Vanessa being signed to an Australian production company, CBK Productions, and independent record label, Transistor Music for distribution in Australia and New Zealand. The way in which to best showcase this unique voice soon became obvious when Mark and Jack discovered to their pleasant surprise, that Vanessa was also an extremely talented songwriter. Thus began the rapid rise to success of this extraordinary young lady.

Vanessa's debut single HAVE A LOOK (produced by Steve Mac (Boyzone, Five, Westlife), was released in July 1999. It achieved Gold status in just 7 weeks and was a huge hit across the country - certainly an impressive start to a new recording career.

ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY was the second single to be released (November 1999) and also instantly became a huge success, going Gold in just 3 weeks. This incredibly infectious track had everything going for it. It wasn't just a good song with wonderfully positive lyrics, it was a fabulous pop record, that made you just want to get up and dance. This track achieved Double Platinum sales in Australia and, is now the longest charting single by an Australian female artist - ever.

Vanessa's first year as a professional entertainer, which included highlights such as a performance at the NRL Grand Final to an audience 150 million television viewers worldwide, climaxed with performances at the Sydney Opera House and at Darling Harbour on New Year's Eve 1999, ushering in the new Millennium.

In April 2000, Vanessa's debut album, THE POWER was released and entered the Australian charts with Gold sales at No.1 position and achieved Platinum status just 3 weeks later, confirming her position as one of the most incredibly successful artists in Australian history. This extraordinary album reflects Vanessa's versatility as a vocalist and songwriter with a selection of R&B, Pop/Dance and Pop ballad tracks and has already reached Quadruple Platinum sales in Australia where it was also the 4th top selling album for the year.

With THE POWER sitting at the top of the album charts and ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY still refusing to leave the singles charts, Vanessa's third single SHINE was released. This powerful and inspiring ballad jumped straight into the charts at no. 4 position, went Gold in just 2 weeks, and Platinum just one month later.

Only one year after the release of her first single in Australia, Vanessa launched her international career through Universal Music International (UK) and by all indications; it set to repeat her incredible achievements on a worldwide scale.

ABSOLUTELY EVERYBODY, named "record of the week" by the UK Music Industry magazine "Tip Sheet" has already been released throughout the UK, South East Asia and Europe. It debuted at number 7 in the U.K. and reached number 2 in Ireland and Belgium, no 3 in Austria, no. 5 in Germany, no 6 in Czech Republic and no 8 in Switzerland and Luxumburg, to mention just a few. Vanessa's records will also be released in the USA later this year.

Vanessa's debut album THE POWER is currently being released internationally, (it has already gone gold in Germany) as is her single "Shine". This single was the most played song on Australian radio in 2000.

Of course it isn't only in the charts that Vanessa has made an incredible impression. Her homegrown success culminated in an invitation for her to open the Sydney 2000 Olympics, performing "Heroes Live Forever" to nearly 4 billion viewers.

Not only was Vanessa invited to perform at the Opening Ceremony, but she also took part in the Closing Ceremony where she sang 'Absolutely Everybody'. In addition, Vanessa performed 'The Power' and 'Shine' at the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games, which was broadcast in 80 countries. Very special honours indeed, especially for one so young.

Vanessa feels a great deal of pride in being able to express herself through music, which is her greatest love. She really enjoys performing with her band and especially enjoyed the opportunity to support Savage Garden on their recent National Tour of Australia. Recently Vanessa set up her own recording studio at home where she loves playing around with ideas for her songs.

Vanessa has also won some impressive awards during the past 12 months including the "Young Entertainer Of The Year" award from the Variety Club of Australia. She also received a special award from the Governor General of Australia, Sir William Deane, in recognition of her patronage of 'Kids Help-line' and in appreciation of her being a positive and inspiring role model for Australian youth.

Vanessa was awarded "Best New Australian Artist On Commercial Radio" by the Federation of Australian Radio Broadcasters and recently was named "Young Victorian Of The Year" by the National Australia Day Council, having previously won the "Career Achievement Award".

Although it sounds like an overnight success story, Vanessa's feet are planted firmly on the ground….She will always make time for her beloved pets. Vanessa is a keen animal-lover and has the ambition of owning her own farm where her animals, including her horses, bird, frog, cats, dogs, fish, camel and of course her rat, will join the many new additions along the way.

As mentioned earlier, Vanessa also takes an active interest in the welfare of children. One of her dreams is to establish a farm where disadvantaged kids will be able to visit and interact with the many animals she intends to keep.

Now, at just 19 years of age, Vanessa has become the most successful female solo pop artist in Australia and one of the most sought-after internationally. She has already performed in South East Asia, Europe, Japan and the UK and has a concert scheduled for China mid May.

It's been a short, yet fast ride to the top for Vanessa, with the performances at the Olympics sure to become major highlights in her professional career, even though they happened only 14 months after it began. Being "absolutely everybody's" favorite new singing sensation, who knows what successes are still around the corner?

Source: http://www.vanessaamorosi.com/p_bio.htm

As submitted by wdawes