Who are Leading Ladies Beverley Knight, Amber Riley and Cassidy Janson and what’s their album Songs from the Stage about?
LEADING Ladies have been making a major impact in the world of music, and it helps that each member is a singing star in their own right.
Here's everything you need to know about the group formed of Soul legend Beverley Knight, Amber Riley and Cassidy Janson...
Who are Leading Ladies?
Beverley Knight formed supergroup Leading Ladies as she wanted to try something new after having a health scare in 2017, which resulted in her having a hysterectomy.
In an exclusive interview, she said: “I never thought I’d be that person to have some big, life-changing operation. Then I became that person.
“You get one shot, so suddenly you’re thinking of opportunities.”
She recruited Dreamgirls and Glee star Amber Riley, and Cassidy Janson, who was the lead in hit stage show Beautiful.
Who is Beverley Knight?
Beverley Knight is an English singer, musical theatre actress and radio presenter who released her first album, The B-Funk, in 1995.
She is influenced by American soul music artists such as Aretha Franklin, and is widely seen as one of Britain’s greatest soul singers.
She is known for hit singles Get Up!, Shoulda Woulda Coulda, Come As You Are and Greatest Day.
Beverley starred in BBC music TV series Just the Two of Us in 2006 and 2007 and toured the UK with a reformed Take That.
She has also hosted four series of BBC Radio 2 show Beverley’s Gospel Nights.
Who is Amber Riley?
Amber Riley is an American singer, actress and author.
She is most well known for her portrayal of Mercedes Jones on comedy-drama Glee, which aired between 2009 and 2015.
In 2016, Amber led the West End debut of Dreamgirls, and played the lead role of Effie White. This resulted in her winning the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2017.
She won season 17 of Dancing with the Stars in 2013 and was a judge on BBC One musical theatre talent show Let It Shine in 2017.
Who is Cassidy Janson?
Cassidy Janson is well known for playing the lead role in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical.
The jukebox musical tells the story of the early life and career of Carole King, using songs that she wrote.
Her first theatre role was in Snoopy The Musical, and she has also starred with Neil Patrick Harris in Tick Tick Boom! at the Menier Chocolate Factory.
Some may have seen her playing Elphaba in the original London cast of Wicked.
When did Leading Ladies release their album Songs from the Stage?
The supergroup released their album Songs From The Stage on November 17 on East West Records, and they can be found performing hits from shows such as Rent, Cats, Memphis and The Bodyguard.
It is currently available , with the audio CD priced at £7.99 and the MP3 at £9.99.