Recording artist Thea Austin returns to Faces on Fourth Street to celebrate Pride Weekend wih a special live performance Saturday, June 24 @ 3 AM (Sunday morning).
From Josephine Baker to Sade, Lisa Stansfield to Annie Lennox, international divas have always captured the ears and hearts of listeners around the world, including those in America. Thea Austin is no exception. As the lead singer of the mega-group Snap, Thea took the world by storm and made a major impact on the US market, something Thea welcomed. While she was being hailed as a new international diva, in actuality she is a full-fledged American from the heartland of Pennsylvania. So what's a nice hometown girl doing in such an international spotlight?
Born in Pittsburgh, Thea has been fronting bands and honing her vocal skills since she was in her early teens. Several years ago, her want for vocal success brought her to Los Angeles, looking for a recording contract. Also a talented writer, Thea's love of music led her to a position as a staff writer at a major music industry magazine, The R & B Report. She then got a taste of the business of promotion and hype, as well as insight into the workings of major labels and the shaping of new artists. Her contacts continued to grow.
That drive led her out of the country to Japan, growing as a vocalist and experiencing new cultures. Upon returning to the US she immediately began work on a solo project. An accomplished lyricist, she penned songs with several successful producers. Her travels led her to Penny Ford, the former lead singer of Snap, who sensed Thea's talent and introduced her to the Snap organization. Thea was immediately whisked to Germany to begin work on Snap's album "The Madman's Return" with rapper Turbo B. She not only sang, but co-wrote many of the cuts. Once the album was complete and the first single released, a video was shot and a European tour planned.
As the lead singer of Snap, Thea was on top of the world. “The Madman’s Return” was released in March, 1992 and the first single, "Colour of Love," soared into the top ten across Europe, further demonstrating that Snap was a force to be reckoned with. Thea began playing venues from Italy to Germany, Turkey to the Red Sea. Suddenly, she was catapulted to international stardom. The second single "Rhythm Is a Dancer" was even more successful, taking a firm grasp on the number one position on numerous Billboard charts, including the Eurochart, Hits of the UK and charts in Germany, Italy and countless other nations, while the video landed at number one on MTV Europe and in CNN’s top twenty. Thea’s unmistakable vocals and writing on “Rhythm Is a Dancer” would go on to make it one of the most memorable dance tracks of the 90’s. "I have been very blessed to have such success with Snap across the globe. I cannot count how many lessons I have learned and how much total experience this has been.”
In October of 1992, Thea and Snap had the distinct honor and privilege of opening for the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson, at his concert in Bucharest, Rumania during his Dangerous tour. The performance was broadcast live on radio and shown on television in 61 countries. In addition, Michael Jackson in Concert in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour was later broadcast on HBO.
That success has not been difficult for her to achieve. Her strong, sultry voice coupled with her beauty, has made her a natural. Her personal music is message driven, as she tries to combine the best of today's sounds with lyrics that speak simple truths. Thea is always working to expand her horizons. Not only a vocalist, she is an accomplished lyricist and producer, evidenced by her writing, co-writing, and producing numerous tracks for her first solo project "Cutoff" with the German producers T. Copperfield and T. Noise. The first single, “Don’t Stop” and follow-up, "Move," were released in 1994 and had success in the European top 40 charts. In 1996, Coconut Records released “Magic Touch,” “Vibe,” and "Let Go,” three singles by Cymurai featuring Thea with remixes by ATB.
Thea has also worked with many notable members of the international music community, including Chris Cox & Barry Harris (Thunderpuss); DJ Irene; Mark Pomeroy & Brian Tappert (Soulsearcher); Full Intention, DJ Dealer & Craig C (The Pound Boys); Paul Chambers (550 Rekords); Pete Amato; and Karel to name but a few. In 1998, Thea had an unforgettable time singing background vocals on Engelbert Humperdinck's "The Dance Album" with fellow dance diva Abigail.
Other tracks that have benefited from the voice of Thea include Turbo B's "I'm Not Dead," Heart Attack's single "Eye of the Tiger," Desire’s “When I Loose Control,” and "You Won't Know What Hit Cha" with BFL. In 1998 Thea worked with the renowned team of Barry Harris and Chris Cox (aka Thunderpuss), on the single "I Just Wanna Be Your Everything" which made it on to Billboard Magazine’s Dance & Club Play chart.
1999 found Thea as the voice behind Soulsearcher's massive international hit "I Can't Get Enough" which still gets more than its fair share of radio play. In 2000, Thea and Soulsearcher scored again with the number 13 UK hit "Do It to Me Again,” which Thea co-wrote with producer Mark Pomeroy. Perhaps one of the most memorable events in Thea’s career was performing with Soulsearcher at Prince Charles’ Prince’s Trust’s “Party in the Park” in London in 1999. Packing Hyde Park for the benefit were more than 120,000 people who came to see performances from some of pop music’s biggest stars, including Ricky Martin, Mary J. Blige, Geri Halliwell, and Duane Harden.
In 2001, Thea collaborated with Pusaka, the team of Chris Cox and DJ Irene, to record "You're the Worst Thing for Me (I'm Addicted)." Written by Thea, Chris Cox and DJ Irene, it was heralded as THE anthem for the summer of 2001 and rushed out as a remix single by Tommy Boy Records. It zoomed to the top of the Billboard dance charts and hit number one. The track garnered major radio play and has been featured on the hit TV shows "Queer As Folk" & "Sex in the City." The hit song can also be heard being played throughout the hit independent film, PUNKS, starring Vanessa Williams, written and directed by Patrik-Ian Polk and produced by Tracey Edmonds and her husband Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds.
Without taking much of a break from globetrotting in support of Pusaka's "You're The Worst Thing For Me," Thea Austin has found the time to create three brand new songs for the beginning of 2002. "First Class Freak," co-written by Thea and master remixer Chris Cox will be released on the eagerly anticipated compilation CD "Barry Harris and Chris Cox Present Thunderpuss" from Tommy Boy. "Funky Music" was written by Thea and co-produced with DJ Dealer and Craig C, better known as the Pound Boys. "Funky Music" will be released on the Pound Boys own label, Look At You Records. The track will also be presented for the first time publicly at the Winter Music Conference in Miami Beach. "Looking at the Space," a social and political pop song written by Ingo will be released by EMI-Germany in the spring. Plans are in motion for a video shoot in Los Angeles and a tour in support of the track. Says Thea, "When you got a lot of desire you will find a way to get what you want!" Desire is not something that Thea is short on.
Thea Austin fits many categories: sultry diva, powerful vocalist, producer, lyricist, stunning beauty, international performer. Yet her music defies categorization and crosses all world boundaries. She has established a foothold in the global music community and has used it as a foundation for a brilliant and successful solo career.
Thanks to Karel, DJ Karine Sanche and the Eurodance Encyclopaedia, www.eurokdj.com.
