2003 is shaping up to be a very big year for 21 year old Javine. Since her controversial exit from the hit show “Popstars: The Rivals” last December, the last eight months has seen her sign a solo record deal, write and record her first album and hit the UK Top 5 with her debut single “Real Things”.
Born on the 27th December 1981, Javine Hylton grew up with her mother and sister in West London’s Ladbroke Grove. As a youngster, she loved to listen to her mother’s collection of soul and reggae albums and at the tender age of 10 Javine was offered an Arts Scholarship, where she concentrated primarily on dance, from ballet to contemporary. A gifted student, she completed her GCSEs a year early at the age of 15 and left school to attend the London Studio Centre, again gaining a scholarship for her Performing Arts course.
With her model good looks, Javine found work while at college as an extra in various pop videos for acts including The Honeyz, Tom Jones, Damage and The Cardigans. At home she listened to Aretha Franklin, Salt ‘n’ Pepper, Bobby Brown, Mary J Blige and Nenah Cherry.
Javine excelled in her courses and while still at college, at the age of 18, she auditioned for and won the coveted role of ‘Nala’ in the West End production of ‘The Lion King’. For the next two years, Javine studied in the day and spent her nights on stage playing Narla to critical acclaim.
After two years playing ‘Narla’, which had given her invaluable experience and discipline, Javine felt it was time to move on. The role had also brought her to the attention of both up and coming and established record producers and she started writing and recording and focussed on gaining a foothold in the growing R&B and pop scene.
With this in mind, in 2002 Javine attended an audition that would change her life. ITV1 were holding nationwide auditions for a second series of their hugely successful reality talent show “Popstars”. The new series, called “Popstars: The Rivals”, aimed to find 10 talented individuals from around the UK in order to create rival boy and girl bands.
Having missed the initial auditions in London, Javine decided to travel to Glasgow to try out for a place on the show. After wowing the judges, Pete Waterman, Geri Halliwell and Louis Walsh with her amazing vocal ability and individual style, Javine quickly made it through the early stages of the competition to reach the final 10 girls. Each of these contestants would then appear live every week on ITV1, with only five girls destined to make the band.
Javine proved to be hugely popular with viewers throughout the show’s run and made it to the final six girl singers. However, in a nail-biting final and to the amazement of the nation, Javine was not selected to be in the group that was to go on to become “Girls Aloud”. Although devastated, Javine sang for the public one last time, performing a thunderous version of Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman”.
However, Javine’s story does not end here. Talent has a habit of being noticed and “Popstars: The Rivals” proved to be simply the beginning. With rumours of vote fixing being printed in the media, record labels were quick to approach her, offering solo deals. Within days of the final show, a number of offers from some of the UK’s biggest labels were on the table. Javine took the Christmas period to assess her options and then in February 2003 she signed to Innocent Records, home of the massively successful acts Blue and Atomic Kitten.
This July saw the release of Javine’s debut single, ‘Real Things’, a perfect slice of hook laden r&b, with an accompanying video shot on the streets of LA. ‘Real Things’ proved to be a massive success, crashing straight in at No.4 on the UK chart and becoming a major airplay hit in the process.
The following month saw Javine feature on Richard X’s highly anticipated album ‘X Factor Volume 1’ with a critically acclaimed cover of the Thelma Houston classic ‘You Used To’.
Javine has spent the last eight months writing and recording her debut album, due for release this November. The album features Javine’s own sassy style of r&b, fusing both urban and pop sounds to create a set list that will please fans of both genres.
With a second single ‘Surrender’ preceding the release of the album of the same name early in 2004, the next few months are going to be a very busy time for this very talented young lady.
Source: http://www.officialjavine.com/