Becky Baeling

All Music Guide:

The curvaceous Becky Baeling is part of a new generation of disco revivalists, bringing back the sultry grooves and party-all-the-time vibes of late ‘70s and early ‘80s club music. Born in Madonna's hometown of Rochester, Michigan, Baeling started taking dance lessons at the age of three; by the time she was five she had already written her own musical. Four years later she acquired the lead role in the renowned stage musical Annie, playing her for eight months. Baeling also sang with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Michigan, she left for London, England and attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, honing her theatrical skills. Baeling then moved to New York City, performing in jazz clubs and singing on TV commercials for Slim Fast and Coca Cola; in addition, she appeared in various stage productions. Influenced by disco divas like Gloria Gaynor and Donna Summer as well as Broadway favorites like Liza Minelli, Baeling began recording music of her own: high-energy pop with dramatic, soulful vocals, a combination of her club and theatrical inspirations. Baeling was eventually signed to Universal Records, landing a spot on The Guru movie soundtrack with "I'm Gonna Fly" in early 2003. "If You Love Me", produced by Jessica Simpson and Celine Dion veteran Anders Bagge, was included on the Global Hits 2003 compilation and debuted at No. 9 on Billboard's dance charts, peaking at No. 3. The follow-up "Getaway" scored even higher, reaching the top. On June 24, 2003, Baeling released her debut album, Becstasy, immediately drawing comparisons to Madonna because of her sensual image, glossy, upbeat disco-fueled pop songs, and reliance on top-drawer producers to shape her sound. She later performed a duet with Brian McKnight on the Fox Channel's Summer Music Mania.

Wikipedia:

Becky Baeling (Born May 1, 1977) is an American singer/recording artist, actress, producer and television host.

Early life

Baeling was born in Rochester Hills, Michigan, as Rebecca Diane Bahling, the daughter of Wanda (née Vincent) and Garry Bahling, a Brigadier General F-16 fighter pilot in the Air National Guard and an expert witness in accident reconstruction. She has one older brother, Ronald Bahling. She is of Norwegian and Scottish decent. Later in life while recording her debut album, she changed one letter of her last name (the "h" to an "e") to Baeling, so that her surname would be pronounced correctly. She began taking dance lessons at the age of 6 at the Rochester School of Ballet and by the age of 12 was performing in various local and regional theaters including Stanley Hollingsworth's opera "The Selfish Giant" at Meadowbrook Theatre and singing and narrating the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at Orchestra Hall in Detroit. In high school she was part of the National Honors Society and was named "best actress" and "class clown" by her peers. Upon graduation, she went on to attend the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance and graduated with a BFA in musical theatre performance. During this time, she spent a summer singing in Chicago and a semester abroad studying drama more intensely at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, England.

Career

Music

After graduating from University, she moved to New York City and made money singing in jazz clubs, performing in regional theaters, and singing jingles for "Gatorade", "Slim Fast" and "Coca Cola" to name a few. Soon after she was offered a Demo Deal from Epic Records to do a solo album and then later signed to Universal Records under Monte Lipman and Doug Morris. She began having success on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart with her debut album, Becstasy, which was released on Universal Records in 2003. Baeling served as co- executive producer on the album, along with A&R man Lee Chesnut. Her most successful single to date has been "Getaway", which hit #1 on the U.S. billboard dance chart (produced by DJ Tony Moran), followed by "If You Love Me" which hit #3 on the U.S. Billboard dance chart (produced by Anders Bagge). By year end she was named #6 Dance Artist of the Year by Billboard Magazine and her single "If You Love Me" was #11 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play Singles of the year. In 2004, Baeling's song "Without Love", was covered by Ho Yeow Sun and hit #1 on the Billboard dance chart as well. Her movie soundtrack debut, "I'm Gonna Fly", was featured in The Guru starring Heather Graham and Marisa Tomei. Her cover of "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" is featured in the film Sleepover. During her years with Universal, she was managed by Larry Rudolph (known best for handling Britney Spears career).

She won the Best New Artist category at the 2004 International Dance Music Awards held in Miami, Florida.

Her television debut occurred in 2003, performing "Saturday in the Park" duet with Brian McKnight on Fox.

She also sung the song "My Grave" which was featured in the video game Dead or Alive 4.

She sang the National Anthem at a NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Race.

It is rumored that she has recorded dance remixes of some old Cy Coleman tunes and that she is working on another album.

TV Hosting

She is also a television host/music journalist and can be seen on virtually continuous rotation on DirecTV's The 101 program, CD:USA, sister program to the popular CD:UK series. On this show she has interviewed everyone from Jamie Foxx to Kelly Clarkson, Clive Davis to Rihanna, Jonas Brothers to The Goo Goo Dolls to name a few.

She served as a host for The Mobile Fix on Sprint TV.

She hosts and produces "Star! Weekly", a weekly entertainment news magazine show in Scandinavia, and was a guest commentator for BBC3's "The Most Annoying......" series for Shine Ltd.

In 2008, she became the entertainment and celebrity correspondent for Discovery Planet Green's "G Word" program. During the first season, her segments included interviews with Trudie Styler about her and Sting's work with the Rainforest Foundation Fund, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and his work at Green Chimneys and NFL players from the Philadelphia Eagles among others.

Television

After completing a US club tour for Universal Records, she moved to Los Angeles, California and had her television acting debut on UPN's All of Us in 2005. She was most recently seen as a guest star on House M.D. on Fox.

Producer

During her career as a television host, she began producing shows for Discovery Channel and Star! Weekly. She is EVP for Magic Pictures International producing television series and is a lead producer for Lythgoe Family Productions, bringing British Panto's to the American stage at its inception.