Coco Star
Encyclopedia
Sue Brice, better known by her stage name Coco Star (or simply Coco) is an English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

. She is currently signed to Universal Music and EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...

. Coco Star
Coco Star
Sue Brice, better known by her stage name Coco Star is an English singer-songwriter. She is currently signed to Universal Music and EMI...

 has collaborated with artists such as Craig David
Craig David
Craig Ashley David is an English singer and songwriter. He has released five studio albums: Born to Do It, Slicker Than Your Average, The Story Goes..., Trust Me, Signed Sealed Delivered and a Greatest Hits album...

, Artful Dodger (UK band) and Fragma
Fragma
Fragma, also known as the Fragma Project, are a German dance project, originally comprising three producers. Their most successful collaboration to date is "Toca's Miracle", which has sold over 500,000 copies and debuted #1 in the UK....

 for the #1 hit Toca's Miracle
Toca's Miracle
"Toca's Miracle" is a dance music single by German Eurohouse producers Fragma. It peaked at #1 in the UK charts in April 2000. The song was created by mixing the vocals of Sue Brice's "I Need a Miracle" to the instrumental track of Fragma's "Toca Me".-Original 2000 version:The original version of...

.

Toca's Miracle

Her most notable work to date is as the vocalist of "I Need a Miracle," released by Greenlight Recordings in 1996 and on EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...

/Positiva in 1997. This track is also known worldwide under the guise of the mashup
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...

 "Toca's Miracle
Toca's Miracle
"Toca's Miracle" is a dance music single by German Eurohouse producers Fragma. It peaked at #1 in the UK charts in April 2000. The song was created by mixing the vocals of Sue Brice's "I Need a Miracle" to the instrumental track of Fragma's "Toca Me".-Original 2000 version:The original version of...

" which was a Number 1 hit in 14 countries worldwide in 2000. Toca's Miracle
Toca's Miracle
"Toca's Miracle" is a dance music single by German Eurohouse producers Fragma. It peaked at #1 in the UK charts in April 2000. The song was created by mixing the vocals of Sue Brice's "I Need a Miracle" to the instrumental track of Fragma's "Toca Me".-Original 2000 version:The original version of...

 is the result of splicing tracks (see Mashup (music)
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...

) from two separate entities, namely Fragma
Fragma
Fragma, also known as the Fragma Project, are a German dance project, originally comprising three producers. Their most successful collaboration to date is "Toca's Miracle", which has sold over 500,000 copies and debuted #1 in the UK....

 (the German based Electronic producer Trio) and their Hit "Toca Me"; and "I need a Miracle" which was initially written for solo artist Coco, by Universal Music Publishing writers Victor Imbres and Rob Davis (musician) in 1994. Coco has never been part of the Fragma Group, and remains to this day a Solo artist with a wide array of Songs ranging from Dance, 2-step Garage
2-step garage
2-step garage, or simply 2-step, is a typically English style of modern electronic dance music, and a relatively popular subgenre of UK garage.A transcription of this article is available as a PDF file.-Characteristics:...

 to out and out Gospel.

Coco appeared live on Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...

 on 4 occasions, including the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...

 special during 2000 and 2001 to perform Toca's Miracle
Toca's Miracle
"Toca's Miracle" is a dance music single by German Eurohouse producers Fragma. It peaked at #1 in the UK charts in April 2000. The song was created by mixing the vocals of Sue Brice's "I Need a Miracle" to the instrumental track of Fragma's "Toca Me".-Original 2000 version:The original version of...

 as well as on CD:UK
CD:UK
CD:UK was a British music television programme. Originally run in conjunction with SMTV Live, the programme was first aired on ITV on 29 August 1998 to rival the BBC's Live & Kicking and was the replacement for The Chart Show, which had been airing on the network for nine and a half years.In...

, T4 (Channel 4)
T4 (Channel 4)
T4 is a scheduling slot on Channel 4 from about 09:00 until 14:00 on Saturdays and 17:00 on Sundays. It also airs on weekdays in the school holidays. The slot has a separate station identification on screen graphic from Channel 4 and E4. The logo of T4 is noticeably the top right segment of the...

 and the Pepsi Chart Show. Further live performances of Toca's Miracle
Toca's Miracle
"Toca's Miracle" is a dance music single by German Eurohouse producers Fragma. It peaked at #1 in the UK charts in April 2000. The song was created by mixing the vocals of Sue Brice's "I Need a Miracle" to the instrumental track of Fragma's "Toca Me".-Original 2000 version:The original version of...

 and Coco's other works were given on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

 and Prince Charles Party in the Park.

Toca's Miracle 2008

Coco Star
Coco Star
Sue Brice, better known by her stage name Coco Star is an English singer-songwriter. She is currently signed to Universal Music and EMI...

's vocals can also be heard on the 2008 remix of "Toca's Miracle" remixed by talented brother's Marko and Dirk Duderstadt. Again it uses the vocal parts from Coco
Coco
Coco, CoCo, Co-Co or similar can mean:*Co-Co locomotives, a code for a locomotive wheel arrangement with two six-wheeled bogies with all axles powered, with a separate motor per axle*Co-Co , a British pop group...

's signed release of "I need a Miracle". The 2008 Remix was released by EMI/Positiva on the 7th April 2008, although the original 2000 release topped the charts in several countries exactly eight years previously, the remix climbed to #2 in Australia and #16 in the UK. The original is acknowledged as one of the top 5 biggest dance anthems ever.

Both poor Credit (creative arts)
Credit (creative arts)
In general, the term credit in the artistic or intellectual sense refers to an acknowledgement of those who contributed to a work, whether through ideas or in a more direct sense.-Credit in the arts:...

 and Lip-synching issues were discussed by press in Central Europe in 2010 when official singer Coco Star
Coco Star
Sue Brice, better known by her stage name Coco Star is an English singer-songwriter. She is currently signed to Universal Music and EMI...

 announced on National TV that a passing off
Passing off
Passing off is a common law tort which can be used to enforce unregistered trademark rights. The tort of passing off protects the goodwill of a trader from a misrepresentation that causes damage to goodwill....

 act was appearing Worldwide claiming to be the singer of the Hit, either Lip-synching or performing live over Coco's copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...

 protected vocals, a scenario compared with the Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli
Milli Vanilli was a pop/dance music project formed by Frank Farian in Germany in 1988, visually fronted by Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. The group's debut album achieved international success and earned them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist on Feb. 21, 1990. Milli Vanilli became one of the most...

 story, although it relates to only one song Toca's Miracle
Toca's Miracle
"Toca's Miracle" is a dance music single by German Eurohouse producers Fragma. It peaked at #1 in the UK charts in April 2000. The song was created by mixing the vocals of Sue Brice's "I Need a Miracle" to the instrumental track of Fragma's "Toca Me".-Original 2000 version:The original version of...

, effectively a remix of "I need a Miracle" written for Coco Star
Coco Star
Sue Brice, better known by her stage name Coco Star is an English singer-songwriter. She is currently signed to Universal Music and EMI...

 in 1994. The offending passing off
Passing off
Passing off is a common law tort which can be used to enforce unregistered trademark rights. The tort of passing off protects the goodwill of a trader from a misrepresentation that causes damage to goodwill....

 artist appears on the cover of the Australian release of Toca's Miracle
Toca's Miracle
"Toca's Miracle" is a dance music single by German Eurohouse producers Fragma. It peaked at #1 in the UK charts in April 2000. The song was created by mixing the vocals of Sue Brice's "I Need a Miracle" to the instrumental track of Fragma's "Toca Me".-Original 2000 version:The original version of...

 2008 adding to further confusion.

Early life

Coco Star was born in Welwyn Garden City
Welwyn Garden City
-Economy:Ever since its inception as garden city, Welwyn Garden City has attracted a strong commercial base with several designated employment areas. Among the companies trading in the town are:*Air Link Systems*Baxter*British Lead Mills*Carl Zeiss...

, Hertfordshire. Her parents were both musical artists and singers although not professionally. She was musically active before the age of just 5 with hopes of having a No.1 hit record
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...

, which she later achieved. Coco can play the Cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...

 and all the Recorder
Recorder
The recorder is a woodwind musical instrument of the family known as fipple flutes or internal duct flutes—whistle-like instruments which include the tin whistle. The recorder is end-blown and the mouth of the instrument is constricted by a wooden plug, known as a block or fipple...

 family, and some piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

.

At the age of just 12, Coco was writing and performing her own songs and had recorded her first track at the age of 15.

Coco attended The University of West England, Bristol where she achieved a BA Hons degree in Fashion and Textiles. Prior to this she had completed an art foundation course and a national diploma in art and design.

Musical career

During her time at The University of West England (not to be confused with The University of Bristol) she met up with Jody Wisternoff
Jody Wisternoff
Jody Wisternoff is best known as one half of the Bristol progressive house duo Way Out West and as a producer of dance music spanning early 90s hardcore to electro house....

, Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...

 and Tricky
Tricky
Tricky is an English musician and actor. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style. Culturally, Tricky encourages an intertwining of societies, particularly in his musical fusion of rock and hip hop, high art and pop...

 and began to further enhance her live performances and song writing skills, landing underground hits with "One By One" and "Always on my Mind"

In 1994, Coco Star was signed by Universal MCA music publishing as part of a development deal where she worked alondside Paul Connolly (music publisher)
Paul Connolly (music publisher)
Paul Connolly is the President of Europe and UK, Universal Music Publishing Group.-Career:Paul Connolly joined the company, then known as MCA Music in 1988 rising to become its A&R Director in 1991 and Managing Director in 1994...

 on live showcases. Coco was coached by Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...

's vocal coach and had dance tuiton at Pineapple Dance Studios
Pineapple Dance Studios
Pineapple Dance Studios is a dance studio complex based in the Covent Garden area of central London, England. It was founded by the English model and businesswoman Debbie Moore in 1979. The studio is used for castings and rehearsals by dance companies, record labels, television networks, film...

, as well as meeting Rob Davis (musician) regularly to work on music he wrote, and "I Need a Miracle" was just one of a few projects Coco worked on between 1994 and 1997. The Ad libitum
Ad libitum
Ad libitum is Latin for "at one's pleasure"; it is often shortened to "ad lib" or "ad-lib"...

 parts and sections of the melody line in "I Need a Miracle" and Toca's Miracle
Toca's Miracle
"Toca's Miracle" is a dance music single by German Eurohouse producers Fragma. It peaked at #1 in the UK charts in April 2000. The song was created by mixing the vocals of Sue Brice's "I Need a Miracle" to the instrumental track of Fragma's "Toca Me".-Original 2000 version:The original version of...

 including harmonies are exclusively the creation of Coco, who gave the song its iconic stamp.

By 1997, Coco had entered the main UK charts with "I Need a Miracle" at #31 following its debut live performance at Pacha
Pacha
Pacha is a nightclub franchise with headquarters in Ibiza, Spain. The first Pacha club was opened in Sitges outside Barcelona in 1967. The Ibiza club, located in Ibiza Town, is the best known venue today. During 2009 Pacha acquired El Divino, near the marina of Ibiza la Nueva, which will be...

, Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...

. It later went on to be the feature of a Bootleg by UK DJ Vimto with huge success. Originally called "Fragma Vs Coco", the Mashup (music)
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...

 of the two records "Toca Me" by Fragma; and Coco - "I need a Miracle" resulted in the name Toca's Miracle
Toca's Miracle
"Toca's Miracle" is a dance music single by German Eurohouse producers Fragma. It peaked at #1 in the UK charts in April 2000. The song was created by mixing the vocals of Sue Brice's "I Need a Miracle" to the instrumental track of Fragma's "Toca Me".-Original 2000 version:The original version of...

. By the time of its official release in April 2000, the energy surrounding it was such that it went straight in at #1 in the UK, selling in excess of 500,000 copies.

Coco Star is an accomplished songwriter, also signed to Universal Music Publishing for her works, including "It Ain't Enough" which features on the Artful Dodgers album "It's All About the Stragglers
It's All About the Stragglers
It's All About the Stragglers is the only album to be released by Artful Dodger. It was released on November 20, 2000. The album contains 9 different vocalists such as Craig David and former All Saints band member Melanie Blatt.-Track listing:...

", this version features Coco's Vocals. 'It Ain't Enough' was a top 20 hit for the Artful Dodger in 2001 but featured vocalist MZ MAY.

Coco also wrote the track 'Driftaway' which was covered by Kele Le Roc
Kele Le Roc
Kele Le Roc is a British pop, UK garage and R&B singer.-Career:Le Roc began singing at the age of three, and she attended Langdon Comprehensive School in East Ham. She first found widespread acclaim in 1995 with the underground hit "Let Me Know"...

.

Currently Coco is working on an EP of songs by songwriter/producer Peter Wright. "Take you there" is due for release in April 2011.

Coco has signed a deal with Russian superstar DJ Smash (Russian musician)
DJ Smash (Russian musician)
Andrey Leonidovich Shirman , better known by his stage name DJ Smash, is a Russian DJ who writes electronic music.- Biography :Shirman started his career at the age of 14 when he graduated from musical school while taking computer lessons...

, for a release of her self penned "Get over you". This future collaboration is part of the 2011 DJ Smash album "23" and features production by another Russian talent, DJ She.

Ahead of the Miami Winter music conference 2011, Coco Star
Coco Star
Sue Brice, better known by her stage name Coco Star is an English singer-songwriter. She is currently signed to Universal Music and EMI...

 featured at #12 in the official buzz chart with a revocal of "I Need a Miracle", in a fresh new collaborative work with MYNC and Australian House Music star Christian Luke form Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

. As with Toca's Miracle
Toca's Miracle
"Toca's Miracle" is a dance music single by German Eurohouse producers Fragma. It peaked at #1 in the UK charts in April 2000. The song was created by mixing the vocals of Sue Brice's "I Need a Miracle" to the instrumental track of Fragma's "Toca Me".-Original 2000 version:The original version of...

, the new release entitled "A Miracle in Melbourne" is a Mashup (music)
Mashup (music)
A mashup or bootleg is a song or composition created by blending two or more pre-recorded songs, usually by overlaying the vocal track of one song seamlessly over the instrumental track of another...

 of the iconic vocal from "I Need a Miracle" and the track "London to Melbourne" released in late 2010 by MYNC and Christian Luke on CR2 records, London .

Collaborations

Coco Star has collaborated with artists including; Sub Love (Way out West
Way Out West
Way Out West may refer to:* Way Out West , a world music influenced jazz group from Melbourne* Way Out West , a progressive house duo from the United Kingdom* Way Out West , starring Laurel and Hardy...

) 1993 (both writing and performing with Jody Wisternoff
Jody Wisternoff
Jody Wisternoff is best known as one half of the Bristol progressive house duo Way Out West and as a producer of dance music spanning early 90s hardcore to electro house....

), Tricky
Tricky
Tricky is an English musician and actor. As a producer and a musician, he is noted for a dark, rich and layered sound and a whispering sprechgesang lyrical style. Culturally, Tricky encourages an intertwining of societies, particularly in his musical fusion of rock and hip hop, high art and pop...

, Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...

 Victor Imbres (Deep Dish
Deep Dish
Deep Dish is a duo of DJs and house-music producers consisting of Iranian-American members Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia and Sharam Tayebi. Based in Washington, D.C., Shirazinia and Tayebi are well known for providing house or dance remixes of tracks of famous stars such as Madonna, Cher and Gabrielle,...

 Engineer) and Rob Davis (musician) (Kylie's songwriter) 1994-1997, Craig David and the Dreem Teem (Timmi Magic and DJ Spoony), Artful Dodger (UK band), Brian Harvey (East 17
East 17
East 17 are a pop boy band comprising Tony Mortimer, John Hendy and Terry Coldwell. Tony Mortimer is the group's frontman and primary songwriter. Formed in Walthamstow, London in 1991, the group have achieved eighteen Top 20 singles and four Top 10 albums, and were one of the UK's most popular boy...

), Fragma
Fragma
Fragma, also known as the Fragma Project, are a German dance project, originally comprising three producers. Their most successful collaboration to date is "Toca's Miracle", which has sold over 500,000 copies and debuted #1 in the UK....

 (remix of "I need a Miracle" 2000 & 2008) and DJ Photek.
In 2011, Coco Star
Coco Star
Sue Brice, better known by her stage name Coco Star is an English singer-songwriter. She is currently signed to Universal Music and EMI...

 teamed up with MYNC and Christian Luke for collaborative works involving "I Need a Miracle"

Coco Star is also associated with Andy Levy and Simon Bartholomew of the Brand New Heavies
Brand New Heavies
The Brand New Heavies are an acid jazz and funk group formed in 1985 in Ealing, a suburb of London, England.-Biography:The Brand New Heavies began in the 1980s as an instrumental acid jazz group called Brother International....

with whom she collaborated with during the production of some of her self written music.

External sources

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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