Sannie Charlotte Carlson | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Sannie Charlotte Carlson in October 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Sannie Charlotte Carlson[1] |
| Also known as |
|
| Born | 11 April 1970[2] Skælskør, Denmark[1] |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1993–present |
| Website | whigfield |
Whigfield is an Italian dance act fronted by Danish singer, former model, songwriter, and record producer Sannie Charlotte Carlson (born 11 April 1970), known by her various stage names, including Whigfield, Sannie, or simply Naan.[3][4][5][6][7] She is best known for her 1993 single "Saturday Night", which became an international hit the following year.
Based in Italy at the time, Carlson collaborated with Italian producer Larry Pignagnoli, and "Saturday Night" entered the top five in Italy.[1][8] The single "Another Day" also peaked at number three in Italy.[9] Additionally, the single "Sexy Eyes" charted in various markets, along with "Another Day" and "Think of You", both of which entered the top ten in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, and her native Denmark.[10][11][12][13]
She competed in the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2018 with the song "Boys on Girls" but did not qualify for the superfinal.[14]
Like Milli Vanilli and Corona (band), Carlson was accused of not singing her songs. The accusations stemmed partly from the fact that she lip-synched all her live performances and partly from the fact that she had a brighter voice and a different accent on the recorded tracks than in real life. The deeper voice is noticeable on Carlson's new recording of "Saturday Night", used for her more recent live performances. In addition, Ally & Jo, one of the producers' other projects, featured vocals similar to Whigfield's, but with different faces on the CD cover.
British Annerley Gordon, better known as Ann Lee (singer), who would be the real singer, had previously lent her voice to a number of Italian productions, was also among Whigfield's songwriters, and has throughout Carlson's career been associated with the same production company as her. The fact that Ann Lee had a connection to the Corona project, which did exactly what Whigfield was accused of, backed up the claims, which gained additional traction over the years, due to the striking similarities between Ann Lee's voice in live performances and Whigfield's sound.[15][16]
On 22 March 2019, Off Limits, Whigfield's label for almost twenty years, posted on Facebook, "Annerley Gordon, better known as Ann Lee, is one of the most well-known dance characters in the 90s. She wrote together with Ivana Spagna "Try Me Out" and "I Don't Wanna Be a Star" for Corona and participated as a voice and author in numerous dance projects such as Whigfield, J.K., Charme and many others."
The claims were casually confirmed in 2021 on YouTube channel MDT Radio by Mauro Farina, an Italian record producer, who was asked by a Spanish journalist if Ann Lee, with whom he had collaborated multiple times, was the voice behind other songs such as "I Drove All Nite" by Bandido. He responded, "Yes, yes, my dear friend Annerley Gordon, who also did Whigfield. She lent her voice for Whigfield, and it was a worldwide success."
Farina further stated, "Factory Team concentrated on and registered many talents; our production was continuous, and we needed to discover new artists. We met new singers and studio session vocalists, and Annerley was always excellent in the studio. We brought her in to support performers that were weak as singers, and Annerley contributed her voice."
Afterwards, Gordon updated her profile on Instagram, introducing herself as "the vocalist and songwriter behind hundreds of dance and eurobeat songs, including Ann Lee and Whigfield."
- ^ a b c Billboard: Italian Acts (page-74). 1 July 1995. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
{{cite book}}:|magazine=ignored (help) - ^ "AllMusic (Whigfield)". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
- ^ "Billboard: Italian Acts". Billboard. 1 July 1995. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ "Billboard: Italy's Music Industry Is Rising Above Political and Economical Uncertainty". Billboard. 1 July 1995. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Billboard: For Italo Dance Pop "Business Isn't Great, It's Huge"". Billboard. 26 June 2004. Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2020.
- ^ "Sannie Carlson (official website)". Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music. Virgin. ISBN 9780753504277. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- ^ Billboard: Hits of the World (page-58). 29 October 1994. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
{{cite book}}:|magazine=ignored (help) - ^ Billboard: Hits of the World (page-38). 14 January 1995. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
{{cite book}}:|magazine=ignored (help) - ^ "Official Chart Company: Whigfield". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- ^ "Hitparade.ch: Whigfield (Another Day)". Hitparade.ch. Archived from the original on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- ^ Billboard: Hits of the World (page-61). 14 January 1995. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
{{cite book}}:|magazine=ignored (help) - ^ "Whigfield". Official Charts.
{{cite web}}: Text "Official Charts Company" ignored (help); Text "full Official Chart History" ignored (help) - ^ "Denmark: DR reveals the ten Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2017 hopefuls" (in Danish). DR. 22 January 2018. Archived from the original on 29 January 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2018.
- ^ "Ann Lee a sorpresa canta al Divina di Grassobbio" [Ann Lee sings by surprise at Divina di Grassobbio] (in Italian). 21 November 2022. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
- ^ "Le sue hit hanno fatto ballare l'Europa, poi è scomparsa: troppe le bugie" [Her hits made Europe dance, then she disappeared: too many lies] (in Italian). 6 July 2022. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.