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Rozalla

Rozalla - Chats with Nige March 2024

Rozalla

Rozalla Miller (born 18 March 1964) is a well-known performer in the genre of electronic music.

She was originally from Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), but at the age of 18, she moved to Zimbabwe, her father's birthplace, with her parents.

Her most famous songs are her three hit singles from 1991/92: "Faith (In the Power of Love)", "Are You Ready to Fly", and "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)", which have been remixed and re-released multiple times. In December 2016, Billboard magazine recognized her as the 98th most successful dance artist of all time.

Career in Music

At a young age, Rozalla started performing in clubs and events in her home country, Zambia. She also appeared on a kids' TV program when she was just 13 years old. Later, she moved to Zimbabwe as a teenager and sang for various R&B bands.

Rozalla then embarked on her own music career and achieved five number-one hits on the country's chart. In 1988, she relocated to London with her manager, Chris Sergeant, and collaborated with the production duo, Band of Gypsies, which consisted of Nigel Swanston and Tim Cox.

In 1990, Rozalla's initial release in the UK, "Born to Luv Ya", gained popularity in clubs. Her career took off when her dance anthem, "Everybody's Free (To Feel Good)", reached number 6 on the UK Singles Chart in 1991.

The song quickly became a top 10 hit in various European countries and made it to the Billboard Top 40 the following year, marking her biggest success to date. It was later included on her first album, Everybody's Free, which peaked at number 20 on the UK Albums Chart and achieved a silver certification.

The album also produced two more notable hits with "Faith (In the Power of Love)" and "Are You Ready to Fly", reaching number 11 and 14 on the UK Singles Chart respectively. The ballad "Love Breakdown" also charted, although not as high as the previous singles.

During the year 1992, Rozalla joined forces with Michael Jackson and performed as the opening act for all of his shows during the European leg of his Dangerous Tour, including the UK.

She achieved four top 40 hits in the UK in 1994/95, one of which was her cover of "I Love Music", which was also the theme song for the movie Carlito's Way. Her album Look No Further included more influences from R&B and soul compared to her previous album.

In 1996, a revised version of "Everybody's Free" made it to the 30th spot on the UK Singles Chart. Rozalla's album "Coming Home" in 1998 marked her reunion with the Band of Gypsies and also produced a popular club hit in the US with the lead single "Don't Go Lose It Baby", which was produced by the production team known as Metro.

Rozalla joined forces with Plastic Boy in 2003, and their single "Live Another Life" entered the lower regions of the UK Singles Chart. In 2009, she released a jazz and soul album titled "Brand New Version" under her recording guise, now including her surname Miller.

As a way to promote the album, she opened for Billy Ocean on his UK tour. A remix of her hit song "Everybody's Free" by Global Deejays reached number 7 in Australia in 2009, following its use as the theme song for the TV show "So You Think You Can Dance".

Rozalla made a comeback to the top 10 of the Billboard Club Dance charts in 2015 after a hiatus of 21 years with her song "If You Say It Again". She then released the single "Shadows of the Moon".

Rozalla made a comeback to the dance-pop genre of her previous successful songs in February 2024 with the release of Turn On the Light under Energise Records.

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