Anita Kelsey
Anita Kelsey is an English singer and songwriter whose vocals and top lines are featured on many hit dance records and feature films. Her voice has appeared as backup vocals for artists such as Kings of Leon, The Good, the Bad & the Queen, Razorlight, Boy George and the Spice Girls, as the featured vocalist on big screen productions such as Dark City, and more recently as the singer and songwriter for a series of successful dance projects. Since 2009 she has worked as a cat behaviour consultant.
Music career
Kelsey appeared on the dance scene in 1997. She won the UK's MOBO Award for her first album on Dorado Records with the UK garage act Sunship. Her next single, "Try Me Out" from the second Sunship album, became a UK club hit and was an Agia Napa anthem of 2001. Kelsey also worked on two of Dorado label-mate Matt Cooper's Outside albums, penning the singles "If You Come with Me" and "Somewhere New".In 1998, film composer Trevor Jones asked Kelsey to perform on the soundtrack to sci-fi cult film Dark City. This resulted in American actress Jennifer Connelly miming to Kelsey's voice in two prominent scenes as well as the Kelsey rendition of "Sway" being featured on the end credits. The tracks "Sway" and "The Night Has 1000 Eyes" were included on the film's soundtrack, released on TVT Sountrax. Other major films featuring Kelsey's voice include Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis and Merlin.
More success came in 2002 for Kelsey's work with D*Note's "Shed My Skin". During that same year, she appeared in the opening scenes of the horror movie Long Time Dead in which she participates in a ouija board séance just before dying a horrific death.
In 2004, Kelsey signed to BMG Music Publishing.
In 2005, Markus Schulz teamed up with Kelsey to release the single "First Time" on Armada Music in the Netherlands. This led to the track being included on Schulz' debut album Without You Near, on which she sang on a second track, "Travelling Light". Schulz' second album, Progression featured a new collaboration with Kelsey, "On a Wave".
In 2006, Kelsey was approached by dance producer TTLC, also known as TDR, to collaborate on electro track "Never Ever". This track was released by Belgian label Mostiko and has culminated in DJs such as Judge Jules and Sasha championing the Filterheadz remix, as well as the Housetrap mix receiving heavy air rotation on Belgian national radio. Kelsey also co-wrote Virgin Records's Lost Witness singles "Home" and "Coming Down", performed by Tiff Lacey.
"Falling", co-written with First State, was included on Tiesto's .
A collaboration, "Wicked World", with Dutch production duo Hardsoul resulted in the track being picked up by Fedde Le Grande to remix for his debut album, Sessions, released on Ministry of Sound in 2007. In 2010 she collaborated with producer Stonebridge with whom she has released a single called "Rescue Me".
Later life
Kelsey changed her career in 2009 and studied to become a cat behaviourist. She runs a cat behaviour consultancy in London's Notting Hill after leaving Middlesex University with a first class honours degree in Feline Behaviour & Psychology. She is believed to be the first person in the UK to be awarded a first class degree in this field. In July 2016 she was awarded the Gerry Fowler prize by Middlesex University, for outstanding work in her studies and chosen field.She is a member of the Canine and Feline Behaviour Association. She also writes for various cat related magazines including Your Cat as well as online pet magazine Style Tails and UK cat blog Katzenworld. Her book Claws: Confessions Of A Cat Groomer, was published by John Blake in September 2017.
Awards
In 2018 Kelsey was awarded "Best Feline Behaviourist and Groomer" by Global Health & Pharma.Discography
Singles
- "If You Come with Me"
- "Do for You"
- "City Life" – Sunship
- "Into the Rainbow" – Sunship
- "Try Me Out" – Sunship
- "Heaven" – Sunship
- "Somewhere New"
- "Shed My Skin" – D*Note
- "Shed My Skin" – D*Note
- "Healing" – Cor Fijneman
- "Come Around Again" – Signum
- "Every Kiss"
- "Have to Be with You"
- "The Unknown"
- "First Time" – Markus Schulz
- "Fill Me Up"
- "Tauruscilus"
- "Freeze the Moment"
- "Colourless World" – Cor Fijneman
- "Travelling Light" – Markus Schulz
- "Good Lovin"
- "Airborne"
- "Do You Think"
- "Don't Push Me Down"
- "Never Ever"
- "Satisfy"
- "Calling You"
- "Slipping Away"
- "Smile"
- "Wicked World" – Hardsoul
- "Falling"
- "Can't Sleep"
- "I Love It" – StoneBridge
- "Rescue Me" – Stonebridge & Chris Kaeser
- "What We Gonna Do" – D*Tracks
Albums and compilation appearances
- Almost In
- London Underground Vol. 3
- Fine Gold
- Sunship
- Elvis Never Meant Shit To Me
- Is This Real
- Trevor Jones - Dark City OST
- Ministry Present Platinum Collection
- Twice As Nice in Ayia Napa
- Ayia Napa Fantasy Island
- Creeds Vocalfusion
- Kiss UK Garage
- Rewind – The Sound of UK Garage
- Out of the Dark – Dorado
- Fuchsia Dog
- Solid Sounds Arno 2002 Vol. 1
- The Chillout Sessions 3
- TMF Megadance 2002/2
- TMF Megadance 2002/3
- XTC – Music for the Mind
- Clube Casa Do Castelo
- Nueva Musica
- One Night at Glow – Washington D.C
- Super Mix 16
- The Winter Chill Sessions Vol. 1
- Heaven Deep Trance Essentials 2
- Illusion at the Beach 2004
- Technics Summer Sessions 2004
- The Best of Trance 2004
- Trance Voices 12 – The Greatest Vocal Trance Anthems
- Mellomania Vol. 1
- Nova Era Caffe
- Re:Vive Trance 01
- Serious Beats 45
- Solid Sounds Arno 2004 Vol. 2
- Super Tuning
- Trance – The Ultimate Collection 2004 Vol. 2
- Trance Energy 2004
- Trance Nation 18: 10 Years Anniversary Edition
- Trance Voices Vol. 12
- A State of Trance – The Collected 12" Mixes
- A State of Trance 2005
- G-Pal Contra Anna Maria X – Back 2 Back Sessions Vol. 1
- Grandmix 2004
- Monologue
- Serious Beats 47
- Sunshine Live Vol. 15
- The Lost World
- Trance Voices Vol. 16
- Trance Voices Vol. 17
- Trance Master 4008
- Without You Near
- Dutch Trance Vol. 1
- Ibiza 06
- My Sound
- Planet Trance Ibiza Summer 2006
- Mixmania 2006#03
- Technics DJ Set Vol. 15
- Trance Voices Vol. 21
- What Ya Got 4 Me 2006/Supersonic
- Coldharbour Recordings – The Collected 12" Mixes / Volume 1
- Sessions – Mixed By Fedde Le Grande
- Techno Club Vol. 23
- This Is Trance! 5
- Time Frame
- Trance Energy 2007
- Trance Voices Vol. 23
- Trancemaster 5006
- Tunnel Trance Force Vol. 40
- Urban Trance Vol. 1 – The Ultimate Trance Selection
- In Search of Sunrise 6: Ibiza
- 100 Hits Dancefloor
- Armada Best of 5 Years | 100 Tracks in the Mix
- Black Hole Recordings 10 Year Anniversary CD
- Dance. Dutch Dance Music 2008
- Dream Dance 46
- Garage Classics
- In Search of Sunrise 7: Asia
- Nightmusic Volume 3
- Progression – Progressed
- Record Dance Vol. 1
- Rise 2008
- TBI: The Best In Vocal Trance
- Technics DJ Set Volume 20
- Top DJs 6 – Tiësto Presents Black Hole Recordings
- Trance Classix Top 100
- Tunes! Volume 1
- Without You Near
- Zillion Nr 16
- A State Of Trance Year Mix 2005–2008
- Dream Dance – Lost Trance Classics
- In Trance We Trust
- Sensation – Wicked Wonderland
- Signum 2009 Remixes Vol. 3
- Trance Empire 2010.1
- The Essential Garage Collection
- Energy 2010 – The Annual Trance
- Tracks For Dave Pearce
- Ibiza 2010 – The Finest House Collection
- International Departures Soundtracks
- Fresh Hits 2010
- Disco Dance Hits Vol. 2
- The Morning After