Whatever happened to… Samantha Mumba?

11 August 2008

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If any girl denies flouncing around her bedroom with a hairbrush-come-microphone blasting out Always Come Back To Your Love then they are definitely lying!

I know my lungs almost burst every time I whacked on my Now That's What I Call Music cd, and I'm not ashamed to admit it!

Samantha Tamania Anne Cecilia Mumba was born 18 January 1983 and her resume states she is a singer, model and actress.

The pop star

Samantha started her music career when, at the age of 15, she was discovered on a television talent show by Westlife's manager Louis Walsh. He was impressed by her talent and she was signed to Polydor Records which led to the release of her debut album, Gotta Tell You.

Making a choice that would strike fear into any parents heart, she decided to drop out of school as she thought it was becoming difficult to stay in school and work on her music, and this seemed to pay off as her first single Gotta Tell You reached number 1 in the Irish charts and number 2 in the British charts.

In phenomenal success for a new act, her album Gotta Tell You stayed on the charts for 6 months and was eventually certified Platinum for sales of 1 million copies. Five more Top 10 hits followed in the UK and she had another top 50 hit in the US, which obviously included my favourite; Always Come Back To Your Love, released in 2001.

The following year in 2002 Samantha released a new single I'm Right Here which housed a slightly more laid-back sound and showing her celebrity fans, her video featured Damien Marley, yes folks, the son of legendary Bob Marley. So she must have been doing something right as the video need up being a television favourite in both the US and UK.

The single itself gave Samantha her fifth UK top 5 hit so with it rumours began to circulate that she was planning to release a second album, but as didn't sell quite as well as her previous singles (despite giving her another high charting hit) she was dropped from her label.

Modelling

Aside from the music, Samantha is a Dior ambassador after she launched the Dior Watch Collection in Ireland; she also became the face of Reebok. Then in 2005 Samantha became the face (and body) of the Ultimo Per Amore Lingerie range.

More recently though (February 2008) Samantha appeared on the South Bank in London with a candyfloss cart carrying Tate & Lyle Fair-trade cane sugar to promote the fact that the company had announced its ambition to move 100pc of its retail cane sugars range to Fair-trade by 2009.

Acting

After her second album fell to pieces when she was dropped from her label, Samantha decided to put her music career on hold whilst she focused on acting.

In 2002, Steven Spielberg picked her to play Mara in his film The Time Machine alongside Guy Pearce. Clearly hooked on her new-found acting career, she then went on to star in the 2003 flop Spin the Bottle.

In 2005, she landed the lead role of Jessica in the Irish film Boy Eats Girl, which was also a massive failure, and her acting career looked like it was going to follow the same route as her music one did.

However, undeterred, in 2006, Mumba starred in the thriller Nailed, playing the character of "Sapphire", Mumba also co-starred in Johnny Was, a British gangster movie and 2007 saw Mumba filming her part in the movie 3 Crosses.

Quick to cash in on the celebrity reality television shows, she also revealed on the Late Late show in February 2007 that a camera crew has been following her on and off for the past 6 months for a reality TV show Get Your Act Together with Harvey Goldsmith which see's her attempts to revive her music career with Harvey Goldsmith as her mentor. However, clearly, one year on and no new single, the future doesn't look bright for Sam.

Comeback Kid?

Two years ago, on 23 October 2006, Samantha released a compilation album The Collection, much to my annoyance, as I think musicians should only really release a 'greatest hits' type album when they have had enough top 10 hits to warrant one; as much as I loved Samantha, I don't understand why she thought people would want a 'collection.'

It wasn't just me who held this view either, as her comeback concert Dublin’s Vicar Street was cancelled as only 30 people bought tickets to the gig.

In January of this year, Samantha appeared on that chat show Loose Women and after discussing her time away from the music scene, as well as her failed attempts on ITV's Dancing On Ice, she stated that she had almost finished recording her new album, and hoped it would be released this summer.

However, as yet, I haven't really heard anything from Camp Mumba, so keep your eyes and ears open! Let’s just hope this comeback is a successful one, it's been a while since I’ve sung in front of the mirror. Honest!

FemaleFirst - Ruth Harrison

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