Javine

In the early 2000s, Javine became a major R&B star in England, where her hip-hop-influenced urban contemporary has drawn comparisons to Aaliyah and Beyoncé Knowles as well as Samantha Mumba. Some of Javine's fans have viewed her commercial success in the U.K. as an example of either sweet revenge or resilience -- or both. Before Javine hit big as a solo artist, the London native suffered a surprising defeat on the British talent show Popstars; in 2002, she was among the contestants who competed for a place in what became the female pop quintet Girls Aloud. The program's judges included Geri Halliwell (of Spice Girls fame) and Pete Waterman (of England's hit producing/songwriting team Stock, Aitken & Waterman), and Javine was among the final contestants. During the competition, Javine became quite popular with viewers -- her admirers were certain that she would be selected for the group, but when all was said and done, she wasn't among the five female singers who was chosen. Some viewers cried foul, alleging that the votes were rigged and that Javine -- for all her popularity -- had the deck stacked against her. But that controversial defeat -- fair or unfair -- certainly wasn't the end of the world for Javine, who pursued a solo career in 2003 and was approached by several labels in the U.K. She ended up signing with Innocent Records, home of the female dance-pop group Atomic Kitten. Born Javine Dionne Hylton in London on December 27, 1981, the singer grew up in West London's Ladbroke Grove section (one of the stops on the subway's Hammersmith & City line). Javine's interest in music was greatly encouraged by her mother, who had a large collection of soul and reggae albums. Javine started building a music collection of her own as a preteen, and when she was growing up,...