Tulisa

Tula Paulinea "Tulisa" Contostavlos[4] (Greek: Τούλα Παυλίνα 'Τουλίσα' Κοντόσταυλου; born 13 July 1988)[1] is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, and actress. As a part of the R&B/hip hop group N-Dubz with her cousin Dappy and friend Fazer, they gained two platinum-certified albums, two gold-certified albums, five MOBO awards, a Brit Award nomination, thirteen top 40 singles, six silver-certified singles, and three Urban Music Awards.

For other uses, see Tulisa (disambiguation).

Tulisa
Tulisa in July 2014
Born
Tula Paulinea Contostavlos

(1988-07-13) 13 July 1988[1]
Camden Town, London, England
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • rapper
  • actress
  • television personality
RelativesDappy (cousin)
Musical career
Genres
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2000–present
Labels
Formerly ofN-Dubz

From 2011 to 2012, Tulisa was a judge on the television singing competition The X Factor UK. In 2012, she released her debut solo single "Young", which peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart. "Live It Up" and "Sight of You" were also hits, reaching the top 20 in the UK. In 2012, Tulisa released her debut studio album, The Female Boss. As an actress, she has starred in the British horror film Demons Never Die and the comedy film Big Fat Gypsy Gangster, both in 2011.

Early life

Tula Paulinea Contostavlos was born on 13 July 1988[1] in Camden Town, London. Her Irish mother, Anne Byrne, was born in Churchtown, Dublin. Anne and her three sisters went on to form the 1980s big band and swing band Jeep.[5][6] Tulisa's father, Plato Contostavlos, is Greek Cypriot and at one time was keyboardist with Mungo Jerry.[7] Plato's brother, Byron Contostavlos, was bassist with Mungo Jerry and later became manager of N-Dubz.[8]

When Tulisa was five, her mother, who has bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder, was sectioned under the Mental Health Act.[9] The 2010 BBC programme, Tulisa: My Mum and Me, described Tulisa's life looking after her mother before joining N-Dubz.[10] At age 14, with support from her uncle, Byron Contostavlos, she enrolled at Quintin Kynaston School[9] in St John's Wood but later attended Haverstock Secondary School where she did not sit her GCSE examinations.[9]

Career

2000–2011: Career beginnings with N-Dubz
Tulisa during a concert with N-Dubz at Glastonbury Festival in June 2010

Dappy and Fazer, who had already started rapping together, decided they wanted a female voice in the group, which was called the Lickle Rinsers Crew at the time, and so invited Tulisa to be part of the group. They started performing together as a group around Camden from young ages. Performing as the Lickle Rinsers Crew, they released the singles "Bad Man Riddim" and "Life Is Getting Sicker by the Day", which became hits on pirate radio stations.[11] After Lickle Rinsers Crew, they then became NW1, after the area they hail from, making their first music video in 2005 for the track "Everyday Of My Life", which received airplay on Channel U, recording more demos as NW1 such as "Don't Feel Like Moving", "Girl On Road" and "Livin Broke". Their first single to be released was "You Better Not Waste My Time", which was available for download only until their 2006 self-released single, "I Swear", which gained them their first mainstream notice. In 2007, the group appeared on the UK charts with "Feva Las Vegas" (also self-released), peaking at number 57.[12]

Tulisa with fellow N-Dubz member Dappy in 2012

On 6 August 2008, it was announced that the group had left Polydor Records and had signed to All Around the World records. The press release stated that the label would be releasing "Ouch" as the group's first single on the label in September 2008.[13] The group's first album, Uncle B, was released on 17 November 2008. "Strong Again" was touted as the third single to be released from Uncle B and charted for five weeks in the UK Singles Chart, peaking highest at number 24.[14] Due to the success of their debut album, the group embarked on their first headlining tour, Uncle B tour. The tour was supported by Stevie Hoang and Tinchy Stryder with whom N-Dubz collaborated on his number one single "Number 1". During one performance, Tulisa fainted on stage.[2][15]

The lead single from the group's second album titled "I Need You" was released on 9 November 2009 and charted at number five in the UK. The album, Against All Odds, was released on 16 November 2009,[16] and charted at number six in the UK Album Chart. It went platinum within approximately two months of release. The second single, "Playing with Fire", features R&B/pop musician, Mr Hudson, and reached number 15 in the UK charts on album downloads alone. In 2010, N-Dubz toured their album, Against All Odds, starting on 31 March and finishing on 20 April.

After much speculation, it was confirmed that US label Def Jam signed the group. The first release was N-Dubz's third studio album, Love.Live.Life. It was released in the UK on 29 November 2010. The group began recording the album following the success of Against All Odds.[17] "We Dance On" was released on 20 May 2010, as the album's lead single. It peaked at number five in the UK. The song was also included on the soundtrack to the film Streetdance 3D. "Best Behaviour" was released on 17 October 2010 as the second single from the album. It peaked at number 10 in both the UK and Scotland and became a top 40 hit in Ireland. "Girls" was released as the album's third single on 12 December 2010. It reached number 19 in the UK.[18]

N-Dubz parted ways with record label Def Jam in August 2011 due to creative differences.[19] The band performed their final gig together in September, with Dappy releasing his solo single "No Regrets" soon after.[20]

2011–2012: Solo success and The X Factor

In 2011, Tulisa replaced Cheryl Cole as a judge for the eighth series of The X Factor.[21][22] Tulisa mentored the Groups category, which included 4-piece girlband Little Mix (formerly known as Rhythmix). Despite three of her four acts being eliminated in the first five weeks of the show, Little Mix went on to become the most successful girl group in X Factor history, avoiding the final showdown every week and eventually becoming the first ever band to win the competition.[23] Tulisa returned for the ninth series in 2012.[24] Tulisa mentored the "Girls", a category made up of female contestants aged 16–27, which included Lucy Spraggan and Ella Henderson. Contrary to her previous success in 2011, in this series, Tulisa became the first judge to lose all her acts in the live shows, although Henderson achieved a record deal and successful music career after leaving the competition.[25] Tulisa did not join the tenth series of the show in 2013 and was replaced by original judge, Sharon Osbourne.[26] The singer briefly returned to The X Factor for its eleventh series as Louis Walsh's guest judge during the judges' houses stage in Bermuda.[27] She also appeared on the first night of the final temporarily filling in for Mel B who was ill.[28]

Tulisa at V Festival in 2012

In March 2012, a six-minute sex tape of Tulisa and her former boyfriend Justin Edwards emerged on the internet.[29] Tulisa was granted an injunction that legally blocks the distribution of the tape.[30][31] In the aftermath she recorded a video response on her YouTube account,[32][33] stating that she was both heartbroken and devastated by Edwards' release of the video.[29][34] In July, she settled with Edwards but continued to pursue action against Edwards' former manager Chris Herbert, who had his job as a consultant on The X Factor suspended.[35]

Tulisa released her solo album, The Female Boss, on 3 December 2012, for which she began working on earlier that year. She described the album as having "a track for every mood," with songs meant for parties, big ballads and "UK urban music."[36] The first single released from the album was "Young", released in April and accompanied by a promotional video filmed in Miami. The song charted at number five on the Irish Singles Chart and number one in the UK. September saw the release of the second single "Live It Up".[37] The song debuted at number 11 in the UK.[38] Around this time, Tulisa released an autobiography titled Honest: My Story So Far. Tulisa's third solo single "Sight of You" was released together with the album to mostly negative reviews and charted lower than expected at number 18.[39] The album itself received negative reviews and charted at number 35.[40] In January 2013, Tulisa stated that the album campaign had finished and that no further singles would be released.[41]

Released in November 2012 Britney Spears and will.i.am's single "Scream & Shout" was originally co-written by Tulisa with Jean Baptiste and recorded under the title "I Don't Give a Fuck". The track was intended for Tulisa's debut album.[42] However, the producer of the track, Lazy Jay, did not want Tulisa to have the song and gave it to will.i.am, who re-wrote the song with Spears in mind.[43] The song became a hit, peaking at number one in the UK and number three in the US. Despite Tulisa's vocals still being heard on "Scream & Shout", she was not credited with co-writing the song upon its release, which prevented her from collecting any royalties.[42] Tulisa filed a lawsuit against will.i.am and won in 2018, entitling her to 10% of publishing rights.[42]

2013–present: Other projects and hiatus

Tulisa began working on a second album in 2013, and continued to record throughout 2014[44][45][46] The single, "Living Without You", was initially planned for release in December 2014,[47] but was eventually released in January the next year. The single peaked at number 44 in the UK. That single was followed two years later by "Sweet Like Chocolate", which featured rapper Akelle.

In 2016, Tulisa signed with an agent in an attempt to begin a career as a film actress,[48] and as of 2018 she is committed to star as Sista C in the upcoming feature film Diva.[49] She had earlier acted with roles such as the role of Laurissa, a cocaine addict who is in R&B group, in the television series Dubplate Drama (2007–09), Shaniqua in the straight-to-DVD British comedy, Big Fat Gypsy Gangster (2011), and Amber in the British slasher film Demons Never Die (2011).[50]

In April 2019, Tulisa released her first single in three years, "Daddy", after signing to Xploded Records, which was founded by the co-founders of All Around the World.[51] Another single, "Sippin'" was released two months later. In the same year, Tulisa performed at various gigs, including Manchester Pride.[52]

In May 2022, it was announced that Tulisa would be reuniting with her N-Dubz band-mates with new music and a tour. The ‘Back To The Future’ tour sold out in three minutes. In 2023, the group announced a new album and summer tour at open air arenas and parks across the UK and Ireland.[52]

In the media

During her career, she has appeared on the cover of numerous lifestyle and fashion magazines such as UK's Glamour,[53] Cosmopolitan,[54] Company, Fabulous, FHM, Notebook, Stella and The Times magazine. Her first fragrance, "The Female Boss" was launched in October 2011, saying: "I want The Female Boss to be a big brand. Next I want to launch a clothing line."[55] In October 2012, she launched a fashion line with Bank Fashion called "TFB by Tulisa."[56]

Tulisa was named the "Ultimate TV Personality" at Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women Of The Year Awards on 30 October 2012.[57]

Personal life

Despite being baptised in her father's Greek Orthodox faith, Tulisa later became a practising Roman Catholic.[58][59]

On 4 June 2013, Tulisa was arrested by police on suspicion of supplying class A drugs[60] and bailed to a date in July 2013. Two residential properties had been searched as part of the investigation.[60] She was formally charged on 9 December with "being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs" and appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on 19 December where she denied being involved with the supply of 13.9 grams of cocaine. She was granted unconditional bail and then appeared at Southwark Crown Court on 9 January 2014.[61] The trial date was set for 14 July 2014.[62] The case was dismissed as the judge believed prosecution witness and undercover journalist Mazher Mahmood had lied to the court.[63] Mahmood was later sent to prison for 15 months.[64][65] In July 2014, her documentary Tulisa: The Price of Fame premiered on BBC Three to a moderate success, attracting 615,000 viewers (3.8% of the audience within its time slot).[66] In April 2015, Justice Nicholas Kearns, President of the Irish High Court, described her as having been "cruelly deceived in a shabby sting operation", but dismissed her attempt to sue the Irish Sun for defamation.[67]

Following the collapse of her drug trial, The Guardian's Suzanne Moore discussed her reputation, and wrote that "Tulisa is famously a working class girl made good, though of course made good is never what she is allowed to be".[68] In Moore's opinion, "Tulisa has been branded by the media as a chav and therefore almost anything can be said about her".[68]

On 9 March 2020, Contostavlos revealed she suffered from Bell's palsy.[69]

Discography
Main article: Tulisa discography
See also: N-Dubz discography

Filmography

Television
Year Title Role Notes
2007–2009 Dubplate Drama Laurissa Series 2–3
2010 Tulisa: My Mum & Me Herself Documentary
2010–2011 Being... N-Dubz Documentary
2010–2012 Alan Carr: Chatty Man Guest

3 episodes

2010–2016 Celebrity Juice 10 episodes
2011 Before They Were Dubz Documentary
Wall of Fame Guest Panellist 1 episode
2011–2012, 2014 The X Factor Judge
2012 Britain's Got Talent Performer 1 episode
The Talent Show Story Herself
2012–2020 Loose Women Guest

5 episodes

2013–2015 Sweat the Small Stuff 5 episodes
2014 Tulisa: The Price of Fame Documentary
2016 Hoff The Record Cameo appearance
Off Their Rockers Guest Prankster Series 4, episode 6
2018 Don't Hate the Playaz Herself 1 episode

Film
Year Title Role
2011 Demons Never Die Amber
Big Fat Gypsy Gangster Shaniqua

References
  1. "Tulisa". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2016.
  2. "Pop singer tested for swine flu". BBC News. 2 May 2009. Archived from the original on 5 May 2009. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  3. "Tulisa Set List on O2 Academy, Brixton on 12 Nov 2012 at London". BBC. 12 November 2012. Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 23 August 2020.
  4. Jonze, Tim (13 August 2011). "Tulisa Contostavlos: The new factor in the X Factor | Tim Jonze". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2017.
  5. Vondrau, Melanie. The Truth About Tulisa Contostavlos: Her Childhood & Early Years: Kindle Edition. BookBaby. ISBN 9781483501079.
  6. "From 1940s' jazz to Donal Lunny: singer's musical Irish family had that 'X factor'". Irish Independent. 29 September 2012. Archived from the original on 23 July 2019. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  7. "X Factor Tulisa's dad - I'm so proud of my girl...but she's not from the ghetto". Trinity Mirror. 5 June 2011. Archived from the original on 24 July 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  8. "Talking Shop:N Dubz". BBC. 19 October 2007. Archived from the original on 5 October 2010. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  9. "Three Programmes – Tulisa: My Mum and Me, 10 August 2010". BBC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  10. "Tulisa – My Mum & Me Review: I Need You". Channelhopping.onthebox.com. 10 August 2010. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2010.
  11. "Biography". Archived from the original on 2 February 2008., Channelu.tv. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  12. Feva Las Vegas Archived 21 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Acharts.us. Retrieved 17 November 2007.
  13. AATW Artist Profile – N-Dubz Archived 6 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Aatw.com (6 August 2008). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  14. Strong Again Archived 17 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Acharts.us. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  15. N-Dubz singer tested for swine flu – Archived 28 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. NME. (2 May 2009). Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  16. Album release date Archived 13 October 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Umtv.co.uk. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  17. "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 2 December 2010.
  18. Jury, Anna (21 November 2010). "N-Dubz's Tulisa Contostavlos: 'I'm a musician, if I wanted to take my clothes off, I would have been a stripper'". Daily Mirror. Archived from the original on 24 November 2010. Retrieved 1 December 2010.
  19. "N-Dubz no longer signed to US record label". RTÉ News. 13 August 2011. Archived from the original on 15 January 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  20. Dappy: 'We bullied our way in' Archived 20 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine The Guardian. 19–09–11. Retrieved 20–09–11
  21. Fletcher, Alex (30 May 2011). "Tulisa, Kelly Rowland confirmed for 'X Factor'". Digital Spy. London. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  22. "Judging panel announced!". The X Factor. itv.com. 30 May 2011. Archived from the original on 1 June 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
  23. "Misha B kicked off X Factor as Little Mix make history" Archived 8 December 2011 at the Wayback Machine 4 December 2011, Daily Mirror
  24. Daniels, Colin (19 May 2012). "Rod Stewart 'to guest judge The X Factor'". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 23 May 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2012.
  25. "'X Factor' star Ella Henderson signs Sony record deal". Digital Spy. 16 December 2012.
  26. "Sharon Osbourne X Factor Return Confirmed!". MTV. 22 May 2013. Archived from the original on 14 September 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  27. "Louis Walsh has basically just asked Tulisa to join him at The X Factor's judges' houses". Metro. UK. 4 August 2014. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  28. "Ben Haenow crowned winner of X Factor 2014". ITV News. Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 13 December 2014.
  29. "Tulisa's Sex Tape Confession: "It Is Me"". MTV. 22 March 2012. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  30. "Tulisa 'sex tape' removed after lawyers obtain injunction". The Daily Telegraph. London. 20 March 2012. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  31. Cochrane, Kira (19 April 2012). "Tulisa: 'I don't like getting emotional'". The Guardian. London. Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2016.
  32. Tulisa talks Archived 14 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine. YouTube. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  33. Jamieson, Natalie (23 March 2012). "Simon Cowell supports Tulisa in sex tape scandal". Newsbeat. BBC. Archived from the original on 29 May 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  34. "Tulisa sex tape: X factor judge 'heartbroken' by intimate video leaked online". The Daily Telegraph. London. 22 March 2012. Archived from the original on 22 March 2012. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  35. "Tulisa sex tape would be career suicide, says Herbert". BBC Newsbeat. 31 July 2012. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
  36. Tulisa Contostavlos Promises "Variety" On Debut Solo Album, Capital FM, archived from the original on 23 April 2012, retrieved 17 August 2012
  37. "Tulisa debuts new single 'Live It Up' - listen". Digital Spy. 24 July 2012. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  38. Live It Up (feat. Tyga) [Remixes] - EP, iTunes Store, archived from the original on 24 August 2012, retrieved 16 August 2012
  39. Copsey, Robert (28 November 2012). "Tulisa: 'Sight Of You' - Single review". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 5 June 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  40. "iTunes Music - The Female Boss". iTunes. Archived from the original on 10 January 2013. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  41. "Tulisa Contostavlos: 'I want to concentrate on acting now'". Digital Spy. 24 January 2013. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  42. Welsh, Daniel (4 April 2018). "Tulisa Wins Legal Battle Over Will.i.am And Britney Spears' 'Scream And Shout'". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 8 April 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2018.
  43. Ridley, Marc (17 December 2012). "will.i.am admits 'Scream & Shout' was given to Tulisa first". Popjustice. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  44. Corner, Lewis (19 March 2013). "Tulisa to continue solo career: I want to take my sound back to basics". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 12 November 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  45. "Studio!!!!". Twitter. Archived from the original on 30 January 2015. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  46. "Back to business". Instagram. Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
  47. Tom Eames (20 October 2014). "Tulisa makes return to music: Listen to new single 'Living Without You'". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
  48. Rainbird, Ashleigh (12 February 2016). "Tulisa signs with top agents as she sets sights on Hollywood". mirror. Archived from the original on 25 October 2016. Retrieved 23 October 2016.
  49. Grater, Tom (4 November 2018). "N-Dubz singer Tulisa set for debut lead role in feature film 'Diva' (exclusive)". IMDb. Archived from the original on 22 July 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  50. "Tulisa". IMDb. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  51. "About Us -". Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  52. "N-Dubz - How To Get Tickets To Extra UK Dates". Manchester Evening News. 23 May 2022. p. 1. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  53. "Tulisa's GLAMOUR Cover". Glamour UK. 1 December 2011. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  54. "Cosmo Ultimate Women Awards - pictures". Digital Spy. 31 October 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  55. "Tulisa Contostavlos Launches The Female Boss Perfume". Capital. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  56. "Bank launches a 'Tulisa' fashion line". FashionUnited. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  57. "Tulisa Contostavlos Wins Big At Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women Of The Year Awards 2012". Capital. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  58. Bushfield, Antony (23 November 2014). "Tulisa: I'm more religious than people know". Premier Christian Radio. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  59. Gordon, Bryony (22 November 2014). "Tulisa: on her faith, the Fake Sheikh and those cosmetic fillers". Archived from the original on 9 November 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2018.
  60. "Tulisa Contostavlos Bailed After Drugs Arrest". Sky News. 5 June 2013. Archived from the original on 15 September 2013. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  61. "Tulisa Contostavlos charged with drugs offence". BBC News. 9 December 2013. Archived from the original on 10 April 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  62. "Tulisa Contostavlos appears in court on drugs charge". The Guardian. 9 January 2014. Archived from the original on 13 January 2014. Retrieved 14 January 2014.
  63. "Tulisa Contostavlos drugs trial collapses". BBC News. BBC. 21 July 2014. Archived from the original on 22 July 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  64. "'Fake Sheikh' Mazher Mahmood guilty over Tulisa case". BBC News. 5 October 2016. Archived from the original on 15 April 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2018.
  65. Davies, Caroline (5 October 2016). "'Fake Sheikh' Mazher Mahmood guilty of tampering with Tulisa trial evidence". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 November 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  66. "Tulisa: The Price of Fame - 615,000 viewers watch intimate documentary". Daily Mirror. 29 July 2014. Archived from the original on 11 August 2014. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
  67. "Tulisa loses High Court defamation bid against the Irish Sun". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 15 April 2015. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015. The High Court President, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns said Tulisa Contostavlos, had been "cruelly deceived in a shabby sting operation" and there was no doubt it had caused her grave upset. But he said he was astounded that a more rapid reaction to initiate legal proceedings did not take place. He said he was satisfied that there should be no extension of time for the case. It is understood the singer, who was not present in court, is now considering appealing the High Court decision.
  68. Moore, Suzanne (28 July 2014). "If Tulisa Contostavlos were middle class, she wouldn't face such scorn". The Guardian.
  69. Rosseinsky, Katie (9 March 2020). "Tulisa reveals she has Bell's Palsy as she discusses cruel trolling over her appearance". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 15 May 2020.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tulisa Contostavlos.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.