Zeeteah Massiah

Zeeteah Massiah
Born Zeitia Silveta Massiah
Saint John, Barbados
Residence London, England
Occupation Singer
Years active 1980 – present
Website zeeteah.com

Musical career

Genres Blues, Jazz, Reggae, Dance
Instruments Vocals
Labels
Associated acts

Zeeteah Silveta Massiah is a Barbadian-born British singer. She has recorded and toured with Michael Jackson, Tom Jones, Phil Collins, Sting, Leo Sayer, Robbie Williams and Michael Bolton.[1] She is best known in the United States as the lead vocalist on the 1993 Arizona US No. 1 Billboard Dance Chart track Slide On The Rhythm.[2]

Massiah was born in Saint John, Barbados and grew up in London.[1] In 2001 she moved to Germany, and in 2012 returned to England where she now lives with her husband Paul Caplin, with whom she writes and records music. She has released two albums since her return to London, both produced by Caplin.

Biography

Born in Barbados, Zeeteah moved to London with her parents when she was five years old. Her first name was originally spelled Zeitia.[3] As a teenager she recorded a cover of The Jackson 5’s We Got A Good Thing Going in a reggae style for Trojan Records.[3] She went on to record two more reggae tracks for the label.

In 1984 Massiah appeared for nine months as "Chiffon" in the hit musical Little Shop of Horrors in London.[3]

She has been an additional vocalist for artists including Barry Manilow and Boy George, and toured with Michael Bolton, Climie Fisher and Paul Weller.[1] In 1988 she sang with Kim Wilde on the European leg of Michael Jackson’s BAD tour, and in 1994/95 toured the world with Tom Jones. She has also toured extensively with Eikichi Yazawa[4] and Johnny Hallyday,[5] among the most successful rock stars in Japan and France respectively.

In 1993 Massiah was the lead vocalist on the Arizona track Slide On The Rhythm, later remixed by C&C Music Factory, which was a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Dance Chart in the US.[6] She went on to record I Specialise In Love with Arizona, which was a UK chart hit.[7]

On the back of her success with Arizona, Massiah signed a deal with Virgin Records and released two singles: Sexual Prime, which was a UK club hit, and This Is The Place, which charted on the UK Single Sales Charts.[7] In 1996 she was a UK finalist in the Eurovision Song Contest with A Little Love.

In 2001, Massiah moved to Cologne, Germany, where she worked with a wide range of musicians, and recorded the single Lovely Deep. During this time she spent nine months as featured singer in the hit show Fantissima, and three months touring Japan with Eikichi Yazawa.[4]

In 2012 she returned to London to pursue her growing interest in jazz and blues with her husband Paul Caplin. She performs regularly in London with her band, The Disciples, playing songs composed by Caplin as well as her own interpretations of jazz and blues classics. She has released two albums since her return to London: Live in London (2013), a live album of jazz standards, and Juice (2014), a studio album of new music written and produced by Caplin.[8]

Discography

Singles

Albums

Lead Vocals

Guest Vocals

Singles

Albums

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Discogs biography of Zeeteah Massiah
  2. ↑ Billboard article on Arizona
  3. 1 2 3 Jazz Services Biography of Zeeteah Massiah
  4. 1 2 Eikichi Yazawa tour details
  5. ↑ Johnny Hallyday tour details
  6. ↑ List of number-one dance singles of 1993 (U.S.)
  7. 1 2 Roberts, David. Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums. Guinness World Records Ltd 17th edition (2004), p. 356. ISBN 0-85112-199-3
  8. ↑ Discogs credits for Juice
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