Yazz (born Yasmin Evans; 19 May 1960)[1] is a British pop singer, who remains perhaps best known for her 1988 UK number one single "The Only Way Is Up". Some of her records are credited to Yazz and the Plastic Population.
Yazz | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 May 1960 Shepherd's Bush, London, United Kingdom |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels | |
Career
editYazz was born in Shepherd's Bush, London, to a Jamaican father and a British mother. She attended Holland Park School, where she excelled at sports, including the 400 metres. She was also a member of the England under-19 volleyball team. Following a spell as a catwalk model, she scored a number of club hits after recording with the group the Biz in 1983. Her first commercial success came in early 1988, when she sang on Coldcut's "Doctorin' the House".[2] She soon launched a solo career on Big Life records, a label set up by her husband Jazz Summers, releasing her debut solo single, "The Only Way Is Up", in the summer of 1988. It went on to spend five weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart,[3] eventually becoming the second-biggest-selling UK single of the year. Her follow-up "Stand Up for Your Love Rights" was another big hit (UK number 2),[3] while her debut album Wanted (UK number 3)[3] was certified double platinum in the UK in September 1989[4] for sales exceeding 600,000.[5]
She had a fourth UK top-10 single in 1989 with "Fine Time",[3] but has since recorded only sporadically. A second Big Life album, titled Revolution of Love,[6] was scheduled for release in 1990 following the single "Treat Me Good" (peaking at number 20 in the UK).[3] The album was shelved, however, when Yazz parted ways with the label.
Yazz signed with Polydor Records, and an album titled One True Woman was scheduled for release in May 1992[7] following the release of the title track, but was also cancelled. She returned to the Top 40 in 1993, performing with Aswad on the hit "How Long".[3] Her second album, One on One was finally released in 1994, including some of the tracks recorded for the One True Woman album.
She continued to release singles throughout the 1990s, including a cover version of The Jackson 5's "Never Can Say Goodbye". In 1997, she released The Natural Life, an album of cover versions, after signing with East West Records. The album was released in Japan, Australia and some parts of Europe, but not in the UK.
During this period, Yazz began to reevaluate her career choices: she wanted to give up a lifestyle that included her failed marriage to Summers (their union had resulted in a daughter, Rio, born in April 1990),[7] and her dependency on alcohol. After she had researched various religions, a friend who used to be her hairstylist suggested she try visiting her church. Soon, she decided to "turn her life over to Christ".[8][better source needed]
Her 2008 album Running Back to You, distributed in the UK by ICC Records, charted her spiritual journey and her new-found Christian faith. Yazz is now based in Spain,[9] and is an active member of the Calahonda Baptist Church. She returned to Britain occasionally to promote this album, performing songs from it live interspersed with several anecdotes pertaining to her faith.[citation needed]
In August 2009, Yazz performed with a full band on stage for the first time in several years at a church in Southampton. In October 2010, she performed again with a band at Cathedral House in Huddersfield, home of the Huddersfield Christian Fellowship.[citation needed]
A three-CD remastered deluxe edition of the Wanted album, containing Yazz's 1990 single "Treat Me Good", B-sides and remixes, was released on Cherry Red Records on 25 November 2016.[10]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Year | Album | Peak chart positions | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [3] |
AUS [11] |
GER [12] |
NED [13] |
NZ [14] |
SWE [15] |
SWI [16] | ||
| 1988 | Wanted | 3 | 43 | 35 | 80 | 27 | 8 | 19 |
| 1989 | The Wanted Remixes | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1994 | One on One | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 1997 | The Natural Life | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2001 | At Her Very Best and All the Greatest Hits | 166 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2008 | Running Back to You | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2011 | This Is Love | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [3] |
AUS [11] |
AUT [17] |
BEL (FL) [18] |
FRA [19] |
GER [12] |
IRE [20] |
NED [13] |
NOR [21] |
NZ [14] |
SWE [15] |
SWI [16] |
US [22] |
US Dance [23] | |||
| 1988 | "Doctorin' the House" (Coldcut featuring Yazz & The Plastic Population) | 6 | 45 | — | 40 | — | 11 | 16 | 20 | — | 33 | — | 4 | — | 3 | What's That Noise? (by Coldcut) |
| "The Only Way Is Up" (as Yazz & The Plastic Population) | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 96 | 2 | Wanted | |
| "Stand Up for Your Love Rights" | 2 | 22 | 29 | 4 | 19 | 10 | 1 | 6 | — | 8 | 12 | 7 | — | 5 | ||
| 1989 | "Fine Time" | 9 | 60 | — | 28 | 31 | 32 | 4 | 42 | — | 18 | — | 25 | — | — | |
| "Where Has All the Love Gone" | 16 | 83 | — | — | — | 40 | 30 | 86 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1990 | "Yazz' Megamix" (France only) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Singles only |
| "Treat Me Good" | 20 | 100 | — | — | — | 55 | — | 48 | — | — | — | 28 | — | 7 | ||
| 1992 | "One True Woman" | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | – | |
| 1993 | "How Long" (with Aswad) | 31 | — | — | — | — | 52 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | One on One |
| 1994 | "Have Mercy" | 42 | — | — | — | — | 86 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime" | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1996 | "Good Thing Going" | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | The Natural Life |
| 1997 | "Never Can Say Goodbye" | 61 | 240 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 1998 | "Abandon Me" | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Single only |
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ Heathcote, Charlotte (23 May 2010). "Yazz at 50: The only way is uplifting God | UK | News | Daily Express". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 613. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ a b c d e f g h UK chart peaks:
- Top 100 peaks, other than specified: "Official Charts > Yazz". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 February 2016. N.B.: This site combines The 'Wanted' Remixes' chart data with that for the Wanted album.
- The 'Wanted' Remixes: Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony (2004). The Complete Book of the British Charts (3rd ed.). London: Music Sales Limited. p. 1213. ISBN 1-84449-058-0.
- Top 200 peaks between November 1994 and December 2010: "Chart Log UK". Dipl.-Bibl.(FH) Tobias Zywietz. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
- "Doctorin' the House": "Official Charts > Coldcut". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 February 2016.
- ^ "BPI Certified Awards > Search Results > Yazz". Imgur. Archived from the original on 14 October 2015. Retrieved 14 October 2015.
- ^ "The Top of the Pops Chart > January 8–14, 1989". Record Mirror. Archived from the original on 5 October 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2015.
- ^ "Yazz 'Treat Me Good' (US promotional poster)". Imgur. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- ^ a b "Yazz ♥ One True Woman (liner notes from the 'One True Woman' UK promotional CD single)". Imgur. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- ^ "Life and Music of 80s Pop sensation: Yazz". YouTube. 23 January 2012.
- ^ "Yazz at 50: The only way is uplifting God". Northern and Shell Media Publications. 23 May 2010. Archived from the original on 14 October 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ^ "New Releases > Wanted: 3CD Deluxe Digipak Edition – Yazz". Cherry Red Records. Retrieved 7 October 2016.
- ^ a b Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
- Top 50 peaks other than "Doctorin' the House": "australian-charts.com > Yazz in Australian Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- "Doctorin' the House": "australian-charts.com > Coldcut in Australian Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- Top 100 peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 307.
- "Treat Me Good": "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 02 Sep 1990 (61–100) (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 34)". ARIA, via Imgur.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018. N.B.: The HP column displays the highest peak reached.
- All solo ARIA chart peaks to 20 September 2017: "Response from ARIA re: Yazz chart history, received 20 September 2017". Imgur.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018. N.B.: The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
- ^ a b German chart peaks:
- All except "Doctorin' the House": "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Suchen nach: Yazz" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- "Doctorin' the House": "Offizielle Deutsche Charts > Suchen nach: Coldcut" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ a b Dutch chart peaks:
- All except "Doctorin' the House": "dutchcharts.nl > Yazz in Dutch Charts" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- "Doctorin' the House": "dutchcharts.nl > Coldcut in Dutch Charts" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ a b New Zealand chart peaks:
- All except "Doctorin' the House": "charts.nz > Yazz in New Zealand Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- "Doctorin' the House": "charts.nz > Coldcut in New Zealand Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ a b "swedishcharts.com > Yazz in Swedish Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ a b Swiss chart peaks:
- All except "Doctorin' the House": "hitparade.ch > Yazz in der Schweizer Hitparade" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- "Doctorin' the House": "hitparade.ch > Coldcut in der Schweizer Hitparade" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ "austriancharts.at > Yazz in der Österreichischen Hitparade" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ Flemish chart peaks:
- all except "Doctorin' the House": "Ultratop > Yazz in Ultratop Vlaanderen" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- "Doctorin' the House": "Ultratop > Coldcut in Ultratop Vlaanderen" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ "lescharts.com > Yazz dans les Charts Français" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ Irish singles chart peaks:
- All except "Doctorin' the House": "The Irish Charts – All there is to know > Search results for Yazz (from irishcharts.ie)". Fireball Media, via Imgur.com. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
- "Doctorin' the House": "The Irish Charts – All there is to know > Search results for Coldcut (from irishcharts.ie)". Fireball Media, via Imgur.com. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
- ^ "norwegiancharts.com > Yazz in Norwegian Charts". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ "Billboard > Yazz > Chart History > Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
- ^ "Billboard > Yazz > Chart History > Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
