http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8g6Tqqc6DQ By the age of 12, Charlotte Church's spectacular voice had won her international stardom and a devoted following of fans young and old. She went on to release four successful albums, encompassing opera, classical, swing and Broadway showtunes - all cementing her status as something of a child prodigy. Cut to the mid-noughties and Church was ready to shed the image that had propelled her to superstardom to make her much-awaited transition into a mainstream pop artist. Things initially looked promising; her first pop album Tissues and Issues spawned the debut single 'Crazy Chick' which hit number 2 in the UK charts and received wide airplay on radio and music channels alike. However, the subsequent singles saw a comparatively poor chart performance, with half of the album's releases not even breaking the top 10. A year later, her record deal with Sony was scrapped. Church's lack of mainstream success raises a couple of harsh questions; If she had appeared in 2005 for the first time with her admittedly generic style of pop, would anybody even remember the name Charlotte Church? Doubtful. If she'd never attempted this transition in the first place, would she continue to go strength to strength in the classical world? Possibly - but maybe not. Church may have garnered the level of fame that most classical stars can only dream of, but how much of this was due to her age? People are always impressed by a beautiful voice, but when it comes from someone who is not yet even a teenager, we can do little but gawp in disbelief. With these factors considered, Church definitely sticks in the mind as one of the prime examples of a star who grew out of their appeal.
Stephanie is a writer and free spirit who likes to pretend she's a Londoner, though strictly speaking she's from Watford. She likes books, music, elephants, and hairspray.