Charlotte Church

Charlotte Maria Church (born Charlotte Maria Reed on 21 February 1986) is a Welsh soprano singer-songwriter, actress, and television presenter from Cardiff. She initially came to prominence as a child classical singer before making a transition into pop music in 2005. Over her career, she has sold more than ten million records worldwide, hosted her own television program, and engaged in political activism and charitable work.

Church was born in Llandaff, Cardiff, to Maria and computer engineer Stephen Reed. Her parents separated when she was two, and she was raised Roman Catholic by her mother, who married James Church in 1992; James adopted Charlotte in 1999. She attended The Cathedral School, Llandaff, before receiving a vocal scholarship to Howell's School Llandaff in 1998, leaving school in 2002 at age 16. Her musical breakthrough occurred at age 11 when she sang Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Pie Jesu" over the telephone on the television show This Morning, followed by an appearance on ITV's Big, Big Talent Show.

After signing with Sony Music through manager Jonathan Shalit, Church released her debut album, Voice of an Angel, in 1998. The classical crossover collection made her the youngest artist with a No. 1 album on the British classical crossover charts. She followed this with her self-titled second album in 1999, the Christmas album Dream a Dream in 2000, and Enchantment in 2001. In 2001, she contributed vocal passages to the soundtrack of Ron Howard's film A Beautiful Mind. She concluded her classical career in 2002 with the release of the compilation album Prelude and her participation in the Royal Christmas tour.

In 2003, Church provided vocals for Jurgen Vries's trance track "The Opera Song (Brave New World)" under the initials CMC. She formally launched her pop career with her 2005 album Tissues and Issues, which spawned UK hit singles including "Crazy Chick" and "Call My Name". After parting ways with Sony, she released her sixth studio album, Back to Scratch, in 2010. Church subsequently released four independent EPs—ONE (2012), TWO (2013), THREE (2013), and Four (2014)—and promoted her music with performances across North America.

Church expanded into television as the host of Channel 4's comedy chat show The Charlotte Church Show starting in 2006, winning a British Comedy Award for Best Female Comedy Newcomer. Her acting and television credits include roles and appearances in Touched by an Angel, Have I Got News for You, The Catherine Tate Show, Under Milk Wood, The Masked Singer, and The Celebrity Traitors. She has also published two autobiographies, Voice of an Angel (My Life So Far) in 2000 and Keep Smiling in 2007, and authored opinion pieces for The Guardian.

Alongside her public career, Church has participated in advocacy and political campaigns. In 2013, she delivered the John Peel Lecture on BBC 6 Music, critiquing sexism within the music industry. She joined the campaign group Hacked Off following her appearance at the Leveson Inquiry, supported anti-austerity demonstrations, and expressed political support for Jeremy Corbyn, Plaid Cymru, and Welsh independence. Her charitable endeavors include serving as Patron of The Topsy Foundation UK and launching campaigns for the Children's Hospital for Wales.