Alexandra Rebecca Parks (born 26 July 1984, in Mount Hawke, Cornwall) is an English singer-songwriter. She is best known for winning Fame Academy in 2003, her subsequent singles, and the albums Introduction and Honesty. Cornwall (Cornish: ) is a county in South West England, United Kingdom, on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar and Devon. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2007 estimate... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Folk music, in the original sense of the term, is music by and of the common people. ... Alternative rock (also called alternative music or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of rock music that emerged in the 1980s and became widely popular in the 1990s. ... Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music often used to refer to bands that are on small independent record labels or that arent on labels at all. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Polydor Records is a record label once headquartered in Germany. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... July 26 is the 207th day of the year (208th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar). ... Mount Hawke is an old tin mining village in Cornwall, England, near Porthtowan Beach. ... Cornwall (Cornish: ) is a county in South West England, United Kingdom, on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar and Devon. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem God Save the King (Queen) England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto) Unified  -  by Athelstan 967 AD  Area  -  Total 130,395 km²  50,346 sq mi  Population  -  2007 estimate... Fame Academy is the name of televised competition to search for and educate musical talents. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Alex Parks debut album Introduction was released on 24 November 2003. ... Alex Parks second album Honesty was co-written with producers Greg Wells, John Reynolds and Peter-John Vettese, as well as songwriters Judie Tzuke and Marcella Detroit. ...

Career

Parks started songwriting at the age of fifteen. At college she studied theatrical and performing arts, and at the same time performed regularly as lead singer in a local band, One Trick Pony. During this period she was introduced to indie, folk and rock music, and began playing guitar. The band eventually broke up, but Parks continued to write songs. Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music often used to refer to bands that are on small independent record labels or that arent on labels at all. ... “Folk song” redirects here. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ...

On Parks' behalf, her father submitted an impromptu application to the BBC's Fame Academy in 2003. Parks won the contest, and was given the opportunity to showcase her self-penned song Maybe That's What It Takes to a public audience. The song was released on 17 November 2003 and peaked at number 3 in the UK singles chart the following week. Her debut album Introduction was subsequently released and sold over 500,000 copies. The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion (US$7. ... Fame Academy is the name of televised competition to search for and educate musical talents. ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... An album (from Latin albus white, blank, relating to a blank book in which something can be inserted) is a packaged collection of related things. ... Alex Parks debut album Introduction was released on 24 November 2003. ...

After the release of her second single Cry in February 2004, Parks withdrew from the limelight for eighteen months while working on her second album Honesty with co-writers/producers Greg Wells, John Reynolds, Peter-John Vettese and Judie Tzuke. Honesty and its lead single Looking For Water were released in October 2005. Fans were infuriated when Polydor chose to release the track as an internet-download only, cancelling the CD release shortly before it was due to go on sale. Alex Parks second album Honesty was co-written with producers Greg Wells, John Reynolds and Peter-John Vettese, as well as songwriters Judie Tzuke and Marcella Detroit. ... Greg Wells (born September 21, 1968) is a Canadian musician, record producer and songwriter. ... John Reynolds is an Irish record producer. ... Peter-John Vettese (born 15 August 1956 in Scotland), also known as Peter Vettese, is a British keyboardist, songwriter and producer. ... Singer/songwriter Judie Tzuke was born Judie Myers in London, England on 3 April 1956. ... This article is about the computer terms. ... CD may stand for: Compact Disc Canadian Forces Decoration Cash Dispenser (at least used in Japan) CD LPMud Driver Centrum-Demokraterne (Centre Democrats of Denmark) Certificate of Deposit České Dráhy (Czech Railways) Chad (NATO country code) Chalmers Datorförening (computer club of the Chalmers University of Technology) a 1960s...

The title track Honesty was subsequently released in January 2006 and charted at number 56. The album had peaked earlier at number 24 in the UK album chart. The album met with mixed reviews, although fans, and some neutral observers, blamed poor distribution and a lack of record label support for the disappointing sales. Parks toured the UK to support the album, with gigs in venues in Edinburgh, Manchester, Birmingham and Cornwall, ending with a finale gig in London's Shepherds Bush Empire on February 10th 2006. The UK Albums Chart is a chart of the sales positions of albums in the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... This article is about the City of Manchester in England. ... unga bunga This article is about the English city. ... Cornwall (Cornish: ) is a county in South West England, United Kingdom, on the peninsula that lies to the west of the River Tamar and Devon. ... The Shepherds Bush Empire (the first word is sometimes spelled Shepherds) is a music venue in Shepherds Bush, West London, England, run by the Academy Music Group. ...

On February 8th 2006, Parks announced that she had parted company with her record label Polydor, since both she and Polydor had been unhappy with their relationship. Parks is known to have received offers from independent labels, but is currently taking a break to consider her options. In November 2006, her management team confirmed that Parks remains committed to a career in music.

In December 2006, Parks received a Special Award for 2006 from the independent music site Shakenstir [1]. The editor commented that "Alex Parks remains the most individual talent to come out of any of the TV talent shows" and also that "Parks ended her contract with Polydor with the finest live performance ... I have ever seen from a young performer."

Alex Parks is currently in Australia, where she has been travelling for several months. She is clearly enjoying the experience greatly, but she is expected to return to the UK later in 2007. Her most recent communication with fans was in April 2007. She recently got back in the UK & is thinking about releasing an EP.

Influences

Parks' musical influences as a songwriter and performer include Ani DiFranco, Nick Drake, Joni Mitchell, Jeff Buckley and Annie Lennox. She has also expressed a strong interest in rock artists and bands, including Jimi Hendrix, Skin, Radiohead, Razorlight and The Killers. Ani DiFranco (IPA: ) (born Angela Marie Difranco on September 23, 1970) is a singer, guitarist, and songwriter. ... Nicholas Rodney Drake (June 19, 1948 – November 25, 1974) was an English singer-songwriter and musician best known for his acoustic, autumnal songs. ... Joni Mitchell, CC (born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7, 1943) is a noted Canadian musician, songwriter, and painter. ... Jeff Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), born Jeffrey Scott Buckley and raised as Scotty Moorhead,[1] was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. ... Annie Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is an Oscar, BRIT, Grammy and Golden Globe award-winning Scottish pop musician and vocalist. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... This article contains a trivia section. ... Deborah Dyer (aka Skin) was the lead vocalist of britrock band Skunk Anansie. ... Radiohead are an English alternative rock band formed in Oxfordshire in 1986. ... Razorlight are an Anglo-Swedish Indie rock band formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Johnny Borrell. ... The Killers are a Grammy-nominated American rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada. ...

Discography

(with UK chart positions)

Albums

• Introduction (2003) #5
• Honesty (2005) #24

Alex Parks debut album Introduction was released on 24 November 2003. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Alex Parks second album Honesty was co-written with producers Greg Wells, John Reynolds and Peter-John Vettese, as well as songwriters Judie Tzuke and Marcella Detroit. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Singles

• "Maybe That's What It Takes" (2003) #3
• "Cry" (2004) #13
• "Looking for Water" (2005) (download only - record company cancelled physical release)
• "Honesty" (2006) #56

Maybe Thats What It Takes is a song written and performed by Alex Parks, taken from her debut album Introduction. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cry is a song written and performed by Alex Parks, taken from her debut album Introduction. ... shelby was here 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Looking for Water is a song written and performed by Alex Parks, taken from her second album, Honesty. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Honesty is a song written and performed by Alex Parks. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

External links

Official Site

• Alex Parks Official

Fan Sites

• Alex Parks Fans.com

Forums

• Alex Parks Fans forums

Myspace

• Alex Parks Fans myspace

Feature Articles

• After Ellen - The Success of the UK's Alex Parks: a Paradigm Shift for Lesbians in Music?
• BBC Cornwall biography
• Guardian interview, Nov 2003
• Scotsman interview, Nov 2003

Reviews

• Shakenstir - INTRODUCTION album review
• Guardian Unlimited - INTRODUCTION album review
• Playlouder - INTRODUCTION album review
• Shakenstir - HONESTY album review
• musicOHM.com - HONESTY album review
• BBC Pop/Chart Reviews - HONESTY album review
• Shakenstir - Shepherds Bush Empire gig review, Feb 2006
• Shakenstir - Special Awards for 2006, Dec 2006