BRITISH MUSIC ACT/PRODUCTION
Beverley Knight
Since Winning the EMMA Award
Beverley Knight is a British singer, songwriter, actor, and radio personality who went on to release multiple albums, including 2002’s Who I Am, 2004’s Affirmation. 2007’s Music City Soul, 2009’s 100%, 2011’s Soul UK, 2016’s Soulsville and 2023’s The Fifth Chapter. In 2006, Beverley starred in the BBC’s TV singing contest, “Just the Two of Us”, which ran until 2007. Beverley also hosted BBC Radio 2’s “Beverley’s Gospel Nights”, which ran until 2009 and explored the origins and impact of gospel music. Beverley is an ambassador for many charities, including Christian Aid, and has travelled to areas around the world affected by disease and poverty to help raise awareness. She actively campaigns for anti-AIDS organisations such as the Stop AIDS Campaign and The Terrence Higgins Trust.
Beverley made her first foray into musical theatre in September 2013, as Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard. In 2022 and 2024, she starred in the titular role of Deloris Van Cartier in the London and West End stage productions of Sister Act: The Musical. Beverley has been nominated for two Laurence Olivier Awards for Best Actress in a Musical in 2015 and 2022 for her performances in Memphis The Musical and The Drifters Girl, and won Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for her role in Sylvia as Emmeline Pankhurst in 2023. In 2006, Beverley was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in recognition of her contribution to British music. With an incredible voice and impressive career resumé, Beverley Knight is considered to be one of Britain’s greatest soul singers.
Background (Before 1999)
Born Beverley Ann Smith to Jamaican parents, Beverley grew up in Wolverhampton and sang at her local church as a child. Beverley’s musical education continued at home, where she was often exposed to gospel music. Secular music was largely frowned upon due to her parents’ religious beliefs, but artists such as Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin played a big part in Knight’s childhood. Beverley began writing her songs at 13, took songwriting and performing seriously when she was 17, and performed her songs on stage in local clubs in her hometown. At 19, she performed on the demo songs of songwriter Westley Jones, who was signed to Dome Publishing in London.
In 1994, Beverley signed a record deal with Dome Records, a small, independent label. Shortly after her signing, she wrote and recorded her first album, “The B-Funk”, which was released in 1995. In 1997, Beverley left Dome Records and signed a four-album deal with Parlophone. Her second album, “Prodigal Sista”, was released in August 1998. It sold 150,000 copies in Britain and became certified Gold in 1999.
