She was born in Georgia and, marked by the political context of her country, was destined to become a historian. "Then music came along and swept everything away. It became my obsession", explains jazz and blueswoman Katie Melua with a smile. And when you hear her voice with its fine purity and raw emotion, you think that yes, the singer could not have chosen another career without missing the world.
With her jazz, where pop, folk and sometimes even traditional music influences resound, she charms with ease and depth, always on a tenuous and sensitive thread. And when asked if she likes the romantic side of herself, she assumes it perfectly, saying that she does not "fall into a dripping romanticism" nor does she reduce herself to this sole facet of her personality. Because the artist refuses to be categorised in a single box by the critics. She is a romantic, but not only that, and with her powerful voice, she also knows how to roar when necessary.
With a flamboyant mane and a guitar slung over her shoulder, you have to see her deliver a feel good performance on stage to believe it. It is there that the prodigy singer feels at ease, in front of thousands of people who always give her an incredible feeling. And every one of her concerts is a best-of, a lesson in delicate arpeggios and an overflow of sweetness.
Piece by piece, Nine Million Bicycles or Belfast, her best-known songs, always sit alongside covers that she makes her own with disconcerting ease. Like Wonderful Life by Black or Fields of Gold by Sting. And for good reason: "There are songs that I feel so close to that I feel like I wrote them myself", admits Katie Melua. And when you have a talent like hers, it's no wonder that everything you touch turns to gold.
Katie Melua made her musical debut at the age of 15. In 2000, she took part in the Stars Up Their Noses competition on British television and won with flying colours. Europe discovered this little prodigy who, even though she was not yet of age, had more emotion in her voice than many of her idols. In 2003, she released her first album, Call Off the Search, and it was a huge success. Six times platinum, it sold over 3.6 million copies worldwide. The rest of the album was obviously a success, with the artist's warm and deep voice bewitching the crowds as it passed by. Piece by Piece in 2005, Pictures in 2007, the singer's career seems unstoppable.
In 2010, however, Katie Melua was forced to take a rest and to go to the hospital. Overworked and disconnected, the singer will admit years later that the pressure she was under at such a young age did not only have positive effects on her life. But with her strength of character, she emerged from her ordeal with her head held high. In 2013, she reconnected with her roots and released Ketevan, her first name in Georgian, which reached the top six in the UK charts. A coup for the singer who, in addition to performing her single, I Will Be There at Queen Elizabeth II's coronation gala, joins the small group of female artists who have managed to reach the UK top 10 with six consecutive albums. She now sits alongside Madonna and Kate Bush!
After Album No. 8 in 2020 and Aerial Objects in 2022, Katie Melua seems to have grown again in her latest album. Love & Money is a kind of jazzy liberation for the artist who says she has made peace with herself, especially through the writing of the single Golden Record, which still speaks aptly of the changes in the music scene and "being a woman in this industry". Of course, an international tour follows the release of this new nugget and Katie Melua returns to her beloved Olympia for the occasion.