Kiki Dee

Kiki Dee
Dee in 2013.
Dee in 2013.
Background information
Birth namePauline Matthews
Born (1947-03-06) 6 March 1947 (age 77)
Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Genres
OccupationMusician
InstrumentVocals
Years active1960–present
Labels
Websitewww.kikiandcarmelo.com

Pauline Matthews (born 6 March 1947),[1] better known by her stage name Kiki Dee, is an English pop singer. Known for her blue-eyed soul vocals, she was the first female singer from the UK to sign with Motown's Tamla Records.[2][3][4]

Dee is best known for the hit singles "Amoureuse" (1973), "I've Got the Music in Me" (1974) and "Don't Go Breaking My Heart",[5] her 1976 duet with Elton John, which reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her 1981 single "Star" became the theme song for the talent show Opportunity Knocks when it was revived by the BBC in 1987.[6] In 1993, she performed another duet with John for his Duets album, a cover version of Cole Porter's "True Love",[5] which reached number 2 in the UK. During her career, she has released 40 singles, three EPs and 12 albums.

  1. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. pp. 663/4. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  2. ^ Paphides, Pete (28 January 2011). "There's more to Kiki Dee than Don't Go Breaking My Heart". The Guardian (UK). Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference express was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference British Hit Singles & Albums - 16th Edition was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Ruhlmann, William (6 March 1947). "Kiki Dee – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  6. ^ "When Will I Be Famous?". BBC. Retrieved 26 January 2022.