Vanessa Mae

Violinist

Date of Birth: 27.10.1978
Country:

Great Britain

Content:

Biography of Vanessa Mae
Music
Sports
Personal Life
Discography

Biography of Vanessa Mae

Famous British violinist, talented composer, actress, and athlete Vanessa-Mae was born in Singapore in the autumn of 1978. At the age of 4, Vanessa's mother, Pamela Tan, who was originally from China, divorced her Thai father, Varaprong Vanakorn, and moved with her daughter to England where she married London lawyer Graham Nicholson. Vanessa's childhood and youth were far from carefree. Her musical biography began at a very young age. At the age of 3, she first sat down at the piano. At the age of 5, her stepfather introduced her to the violin, but the piano remained the more important instrument for the girl. Vanessa's mother, obsessed with the desire to make her daughter famous and dreaming of Vanessa being listed in the Guinness Book of Records, made her practice music for 4 hours a day. The only exception was her birthday. The woman never ceased to remind her daughter that her love for her was proportional to the success she achieved in music. Later, in one of her interviews, the artist admitted that it was quite cruel, but nevertheless, her mother achieved her goal - to make her daughter famous worldwide. Starting at the age of 8, Vanessa Mae spent half a day at school and the other half rehearsing. At this age, she became a laureate of the British Young Pianist Competition, and at the age of 10, she performed concerts accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The girl became the youngest student at the Royal College of Music, enrolling at just 11 years old. However, she only stayed at the famous institution for six months as she was no longer interested in learning playing techniques - she wanted to create her own music. Even at that time, the musician was experimenting with genres and styles, boldly mixing classical performance with contemporary arrangements.

Music

At the age of 12, Vanessa-Mae began touring continuously. She almost never attended school during this time. Her mother was quite satisfied with this, as she demanded that her daughter devote herself entirely to music. According to her mother's insistence, Vanessa-Mae stopped communicating with her peers. Pamela Tan controlled every step Vanessa took, not allowing her to do anything that would distract the young violinist. Pamela assigned a bodyguard to her daughter, who followed her everywhere. Her mother chose her clothes and carefully controlled her bank accounts. There was no talk of any entertainment. Vanessa-Mae recorded her debut album in 1990, and four years later her first album, "The Violin Player," was released, which brought her incredible fame. It consists of adaptations of works by German composers. The composition "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor" by Johann Sebastian Bach in the arrangement of the young talent was especially successful. Vanessa-Mae's style of playing, her specific vision of classical works, and her amazing ability to combine acoustic sound with electric sound amazed the audience. The artist herself called this experiment "techno-acoustic fusion." In 1996, she was nominated for the "BRIT Awards" and was named the best British performer.
Her second album, "China Girl," was released in 1997. Vanessa-Mae dedicated it to Chinese classical music, paying tribute to her Eastern roots. A year later, the violinist went on her first world tour, called "Storm."
Vanessa-Mae most often uses the "Gizmo" Guarneri violin, created by a famous master in 1761, in her concert performances. The instrument was stolen in 1995, but the police managed to return it to its owner. Once, before a concert, Vanessa-Mae shattered her famous violin to pieces. Restorers had to work for several weeks, but the rarity was restored. Surprisingly, the violinist claims that after the restoration, the instrument sounds just as it did before.
Vanessa-Mae also frequently uses the "Zeta Jazz Model" electric violin produced in the United States. This instrument was the star's first electric violin. Vanessa-Mae often sells her instruments at auctions after concerts, donating the proceeds to charity. In 1998, Vanessa-Mae decided to try her hand at acting. She appeared in several films and TV series, but unlike her music, they did not bring her worldwide fame. In 1999, it was the year Vanessa-Mae freed herself from her mother's tight control. The girl decided to put an end to her mother's interference in her personal life and career by firing her as her manager. Pamela Tan took this gesture very hard. Since then, the mother and daughter have not been in contact. Vanessa-Mae also didn't have a good relationship with her biological father. They met again 10 years after their parents' divorce. It turned out that her father only reappeared in her life to ask for money.
In 2006, the artist topped the list of the wealthiest British musicians under the age of 30, with an estimated fortune of approximately $70 million. An asteroid was named after the famous violinist with the number 10313. In total, the star has released 17 albums, with the latest one, "Platinum Collection," being released in 2007.
Russian fans of Vanessa-Mae were overjoyed to hear about her concert in Moscow in February 2017. It is known that the concert will take place at the Crocus City Hall, one of the best concert halls in the capital.

Sports

A few years ago, Vanessa-Mae moved from London to Switzerland. She chose this country because of her love for skiing, in which she has achieved a certain level of success. In 2014, the world was pleasantly surprised by the news that Vanessa-Mae would participate in the Olympics in Sochi as a skier. Since she had dual citizenship – British and Thai – she could not compete for either country. Britain fielded strong athletes, and Thailand required Vanessa-Mae to renounce her British citizenship. However, at the last moment, as an exception, the country's authorities allowed the skier to participate in the Olympics. Vanessa-Mae competed in the giant slalom discipline at the Winter Games in Sochi under her father's surname, Vanakorn. She had a decent debut, finishing in 67th place. Considering that many participants were unable to finish due to the challenging course, her result was acceptable.

Personal Life

Vanessa-Mae went on her first date when she turned 20. Previously, it was out of the question, as her mother and bodyguard were always watching over her. Perhaps that's why Vanessa-Mae's personal life is still not settled. The artist herself says that her lack of trust in the institution of marriage stems from her parents' experience. After all, her mother divorced her second husband, British citizen Graham Nicholson. Interestingly, Vanessa-Mae developed warm family relationships with her stepfather and grandmother. She still calls Nicholson her father. She claims that he not only paid for her music lessons in her childhood but also loved her and never interfered in her career.
It became known that Vanessa-Mae had a boyfriend in the late 1990s. She met Lionel Catalan at a French ski resort. Lionel is the son of the mayor of the town of Val d'Isere. At first, the guy did not even realize that the charming girl with an Eastern appearance was Vanessa-Mae herself. The couple lived in London for a long time. Lionel Catalan has a small business – he is involved in winemaking.
Vanessa-Mae says that before meeting Lionel, she was "terribly dependent." Her mother shielded her from the outside world, so the girl could not even buy a carton of milk. But her beloved man helped her adapt and overcome many difficulties.
There is no news of Vanessa-Mae being married. In one of her interviews, she admitted that she is not striving for official relationships because the stamp in her passport did not save her parents' marriage. Therefore, Lionel is her common-law husband. They do not have children, but the artist says that they may have them. And the most important thing is that she will not pressure and control them as her mother did.
It is known that the star loves animals. Her favorite breed of dogs is the Shar Pei. She dedicated her first composition to a Shar Pei puppy named "Pasha."
Vanessa-Mae has three Tibetan terriers, a Shar Pei named Gaspar, and parrots in her home.