Alesha Dixon

Alesha Dixon
Dixon in 2013
Born
Alesha Anjanette Dixon

(1978-10-07) 7 October 1978 (age 46)
Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England
EducationChancellor's School
Occupations
  • Singer
  • rapper
  • songwriter
  • dancer
  • television personality
  • author
Television
Spouses
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 2005; div. 2006)​
  • Azuka Ononye
    ​
    (m. 2017)​
Children2
Musical career
Genres
InstrumentVocals
Years active1999–present
Labels
Formerly of
Websitealeshadixon.com

Alesha Anjanette Dixon (born 7 October 1978)[3] is an English singer, rapper, dancer, television personality, and author. She rose to prominence in the early 2000s as a member of the R&B group Mis-Teeq, who had seven UK top 10 hits, two top 10 double platinum albums, and sold over 12 million records worldwide. After Mis-Teeq disbanded in 2005, Dixon signed with Polydor Records to release her debut solo studio album, Fired Up (2006); due to insufficient commercial reception from its lead singles, "Lipstick" and "Knockdown", she was dropped from Polydor.[4]

In 2007, Dixon won the fifth series of the BBC One dancing competition show Strictly Come Dancing. Her television exposure led to a successful musical comeback, which included her signing to Asylum Records.[5] In 2008, she released her second studio album, The Alesha Show, which was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and produced the successful singles "The Boy Does Nothing" and "Breathe Slow", the latter of which became her highest charting single and earned her a Brit Award nomination.

In 2009, Dixon became a judge on Strictly Come Dancing, and the following year, she released her third studio album, The Entertainer.[6][7] In 2012, shortly after judging on the ninth series of Strictly Come Dancing, Dixon quit to become a judge on the ITV talent competition show Britain's Got Talent.[8] Her fourth studio album, Do It for Love, was released in 2015. In 2020, Dixon was a judge on America's Got Talent: The Champions, and in 2021, she was a judge on Walk the Line. In 2022, she judged on the tenth season of Australia's Got Talent.

As a television presenter, Dixon has hosted Alesha's Street Dance Stars (2010), Your Face Sounds Familiar (2013), Text Santa (2014–2015), Dance Dance Dance (2017), The Greatest Dancer (2019–2020), Comic Relief (2019–2022), and the Eurovision Song Contest 2023. She has also written children's books, including the best-selling novel series Lightning Girl.[9][10][11]

  1. ^ Ashton, Michael (29 November 2010). "Alesha Dixon - The Entertainer". MusicOMH. Archived from the original on 24 June 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  2. ^ Ed Nimmervoll. Mis-Teeq at AllMusic. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  3. ^ "MTV – Alesha Dixon". MTV. Archived from the original on 15 October 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  4. ^ "Alesha discusses records label axe". Digital Spy. 24 July 2008. Archived from the original on 7 October 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2009.
  5. ^ Amelia Donovan (13 July 2009). "The Rise and Rise of Alesha". MSN. Archived from the original on 16 July 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2009.
  6. ^ "Alesha Dixon joins Strictly team". BBC. 9 July 2009. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  7. ^ Stephen Brook (21 September 2009). "Alesha Dixon's debut as Strictly judge draws more than 250 complaints". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2009.
  8. ^ "Alesha Dixon leaves Strictly for Britain's Got Talent". BBC News. 2 January 2012. Archived from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  9. ^ Sutton, Megan (2 July 2020). "Alesha Dixon on how her daughters have inspired her to write books". Good Housekeeping. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Scholastic signs two more from Alesha Dixon | The Bookseller". www.thebookseller.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  11. ^ "Alesha Dixon teams up with Katy Birchall for young teen series". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.