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It is not easy to capture on paper fully, the energy
transmitted by 19-year-old star - Jennifer Ellison. A truly
multi-talented performer, she seems to excel at anything she puts
her mind to and on June 16, she will release her hotly anticipated
debut single, 'Baby I Don't Care'.
To understand the phenomenon that is Jennifer Ellison, you
would need to take it right back to her childhood, when 17 years
ago the pretty young toddler perched upon the counter of a
Liverpool chip shop and declared her future plans for world
domination. "Hello!" she bellowed, "My name's
Jennifer Ellison and one day I'm going to be famous!" She was
2 years old at the time. Funnily enough, she was right.
As fate would have it, her future agent was stood in the queue.
She has been with her ever since. Jennifer throughout her
childhood was a dedicated student to the arts and performed in
various productions and sang in various concerts. She became a
classically trained ballet dancer, which later in her teens
secured her a place in the English National Ballet -which she had
to put on hold - because by then, her career had catapulted her
into a different direction - television.
Jennifer first wrote to the producers of Brookside when she was
9, asking if her home team's soap treasure would like to see her,
maybe to audition her for any parts they had coming up. Her mum
still keeps the polite rejection letter framed on the living room
wall. She knew too that it was only a matter of time before
Jennifer would be clasped to the nation's bosom. Since, at age
fourteen, she took the starring role of Emily Shadwick in the same
said soap and subsequently dominated the Brookside skyline with
her own inimitable charm. Emily's loves, losses, heartbreaks and
mischiefs with her erstwhile paramour, Tinhead captivated the
nation from the moment she entered. Her first contract lasted
precisely six episodes. But she stayed in the show for five years,
just enough time to secure her a full time post as Merseyside's
official sweetheart. However, she had decided that she wanted to
go back to her first loves - singing and dancing.
Which is where we meet her now in her new record company,
surrounded by a heap of fan mail. The Mersey TV press office used
to have two piles in their in-tray: Brookside fan mail and
Jennifer Ellison fan mail.
"I came out of the womb born to sing and dance. I know
people are always going to talk about someone who goes from a soap
into music, but I have to follow my heart. [Brookside's] Phil
Redmond told me not to do it. He said you never know how long
you'll get with a pop career but It's just something I have to
try."
Jennifer's single is a minxy cover of Transvision Vamp's 1989
pop rock classic 'Baby I Don't Care'. "I know that people
will probably criticise me for doing a cover but it's one of my
favourite songs and I've just found the whole process an amazing
experience. It's like I have settled into a whole new vibe and
because all the people around me are very supportive, it hasn't
been like a heavy pressure to me. I think I have been relaxed with
what I am doing."
She is already halfway through her debut album, scheduled for
release later this year. "I started singing when I was 3 and
I've been dancing for just as long. When I quit Brookside last
September I didn't have a record contract. I just had a dream.
This isn't a game for me. It's something that I know I can do and
make a success out of."
Jennifer's career to date has showed but a tiny glimpse of her
capabilities. No one can deny her talent. She can act. She can
dance. She looks great and oozes a unique star quality, which is
probably why she is so sought after by the paparazzi. However,
most importantly, as she enters the pop arena - she can sing. Her
vocal is as dazzling and as dynamic as the album she is making.
Brain Rawling has been enlisted to work with her and his credits
include Enrique Englesis, Cher and Celine Dion amongst others.
Showcasing the diversity of her vocal range, she takes centre
stage. Audiences will be wowed by the energy Jennifer gives off
with each live performance. And with the young Ms Ellison
genuinely excited about her forthcoming release, this really will
be one not to miss. Six years into the game and only at the tender
age of only 19 she is still only at the start of her true fame.
Watch this space.
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