Gabrielle

Famed for the eye patch that adorns her right eye, Gabrielle enjoyed a meteoric rise to pop stardom in the 1990s with several well-timed records that captured the public's imagination. Office worker by day, by night she launched her career singing in London nightclubs. In search of a record deal, Gabrielle recorded a demo of later hit Dreams, that sampled Tracy Chapman's hit Fast Car. After being picked up by Go! Beat records, the single was re-recorded and became the highest UK chart entry for a debut female act when it hit the top spot. The artist quickly became established as a leading soul singer in the UK, with her debut album Find Your Way proving a worldwide hit. Her second album, 1996's Gabrielle featured a duet with band-of-the-moment East 17 on If You Ever, which reached Number 2 in the UK. Subsequent years coincided with a difficult time for the singer, after the father of her son was sent to prison for murder, but she returned with her third album in 2000, Rise. Notably, Bob Dylan agreed to the sampling of his Knockin' On Heaven's Door on the album's lead track, which hit Number 1 in the UK charts in February 2000. Releasing her fourth studio album Play To Win in 2004, she continues to write and perform in concert.