Billie Piper
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Billie Piper is a British pop singer famously known as the youngest female in the UK to debut at the top spot of the British charts. Now, she's known as an actress, portraying the role of Rose Tyler in the award-winning BBC series, Doctor Who.
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About
Born Billie Paul Piper on September 22, 1982 in Swindon, Wiltshire, England, UK to parents Mandy Kent and actor, Paul Piper. She studied at the Sixth Sense theatre company when she was 8 and a year later at Sylvia Young Theatre School. At a very young age, Billie knew that she wants to be a performer someday.
When she was spotted and chosen to be a spokesmodel for the UK music magazine, Smash Hits, Innocent Records (Virgin Records' subsidiary) managing director Hugh Goldsmith contacted her and signed her for a record deal.
At the age of 15, she released her first single, Because We Want To and it landed at number 1 of the UK charts, making her the youngest solo artist to debut at the top spot. Following its success was Girlfriend which, again, debuted at the top spot. She then released her debut double Platinum album, Honey To The B. A year after, she has successfully released a total of four top three singles that she was labelled as UK's Pop Princess.
After her successful debut, she took a two-year hiatus due to personal and health concerns. Billie Piper returned with a sexier and mature image in 2000. Day & Night became her first single which ranked at the top spot followed by Something Deep Inside after four months which reached the 4th spot in the UK chart. In October 2000, her sophomore effort was released. Walk of Life was not as successful as her debut album as it reached the 14th spot in the Album charts.
Now, Billie Piper continues to take the spot in the limelight but as an actress. She played a part in the BBC's longest running show Doctor Who as Rose Tyler and won numerous awards from that show. Though she quit the show in 2006, she started to focus on theatre acting. She's part of the touring production of the play Treats which started on February 28, 2007 and ended on May 26. Billie Piper also appeared in TV series such as Never Mind the Buzzcocks (1999),Young Entertainers (1999) and Music Chronicles (2000). Also made a cameo apperance at The Leading Man and Evita (both in 1996).
In her personal life, she has dated Five member, Ritchie Neville, married BBC Radio's DJ Chris Evans despite their 16 year age differences which later on became their reason for their divorce on spring 2005, lived with Amadu Sowe a law student for two years (2004 - 2006) and now actor Laurence Fox (the son of English actor, James Fox).
Awards & Certifications
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Brit Award | Best British Newcomer | Nominated |
| 1999 | Brit Award | Best British Female Solo Artist | Nominated |
| 2006 | South Bank Show Awards | Breakthrough Award for Rising British Talent | Won |
Chart Toppers
| Year | Title | UK | IRL | SE | SW | NZ | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Because We Want To | 1 | 9 | 8 | ~ | 23 | Honey To The B |
| 1999 | Girlfriend | 1 | 12 | 22 | ~ | 3 | Honey To The B |
| 1998 | I Know She Wants You | 3 | 21 | ~ | ~ | 4 | Honey To The B |
| 1999 | Honey to the Bee | 3 | 25 | ~ | ~ | 5 | Honey To The B |
| 1999 | Thank ABBA for the Music | 4 | 5 | 17 | ~ | 6 | Thank ABBA for the Music ** |
| 2000 | Day & Night | 1 | 13 | 52 | 62 | 6 | Walk of Life |
| 2000 | Something Deep Inside | 4 | ~ | ~ | 97 | 18 | Walk of Life' |
| 2007 | Honey To The Bee | 17 | ~ | ~ | ~ | ~ | Honey To The B |
- A compilation of ABBA's songs relived by British pop acts
News
Tours & Concerts
No tours to date
Announcements
Discography
Albums
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Singles
| Date | Title |
|---|---|
| 1998 | Because We Want To |
| 1998 | Girlfriend |
| 1998 | I Know She Wants You |
| 1999 | Honey to the Bee |
| 1999 | Last Christmas |
| 1999 | Thank ABBA for the Music |
| 2000 | Day & Night |
| 2000 | Something Deep Inside |
| 2000 | Walk of Life |
| 2007 | Honey to the Bee |
Other artists
Similar artists
Influences
Trivia
- Chris Evans bought her a red sports car worth over £100,000 after they had been dating for just three days. She couldn't even drive.
- During her singing career she suffered from insomnia due to the pressure of fame.
- Her ex-husband Chris Evans is a popular and wealthy radio DJ in England.
- Won the most popular actress award at the 11th annual National Television Awards in London, England on October 25, 2005 for her portrayal of "Rose Tyler". Her "Doctor Who" (2005) co-star Christopher Eccleston, won for most popular actor.
- Her album, Honey To The B was campaigned by a DJ in BBC Radio to re-enter the chard in January 2007 and it successfully did, landing at the 17th spot eight years after its release.
- She has a brother named Charlie, and two sisters, Harley and Ellie.
- Her singing career included some misfortunes: Billie's PR company dropped her because of Chris Evan's interference with her image. Virgin dithered about releasing a new single, and Billie's manager, Nikki Chapman, the Pop Idol judge, canceled their three-year contract.
- Refused to take any money from her divorce settlement with Chris Evans.
- Her parents only found out by listening to Virgin Radio that she had married Chris Evans in a Las Vegas chapel called Little Church of the West, when she was 18 and he was 34. Billie wore flip-flops and Danny Baker was best man. Billie and Chris took the second most expensive wedding package the chapel offered.
- Despite becoming, at the age of 15, the youngest British pop singer to have a No 1 hit, with "Because We Want To", Piper revealed that her earnings from her early singing career were negligible due to being young and taken advantage of. She claimed that she is working twice as hard now because there was a massive financial rip-off and was then left with hardly any money.
- Auditioned for the role of Nikki in Alfie (2004).
Reviews
Billie Piper debuted in 1998 and her poppy tunes did make a spark in the UK charts by placing at the top spot with Because We Want To. Not only does she has a wonderful voice, she also is a wonderful actress. --Raine 20:02, 19 June 2007 (PDT)
External Links
Categories: Artist | Pop
