Quick Facts
Biography
Alice Katherine Martineau (8 June 1972 – 6 March 2003) was an English pop singer and songwriter.
Early life
Born and educated in London, Martineau played both the piano and the flute as a child, developing a passion for song-writing and performing after taking singing lessons. She graduated from King's College London with a first-class honours degree in English, subsequently working as a model before commencing a career as a singer songwriter in her mid-twenties.
Musical career
Martineau was born with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that causes chronic lung and digestive problems. Due to her belief that her condition would prevent her from singing, Alice didn't initially pursue her musical ambitions: after taking singing lessons, it became apparent that her constant coughing had actually strengthened her diaphragm. Despite her worsening health, she played live gigs regularly in London until 2001 and was offered record deals by several companies, only to have them withdrawn when executives discovered that she was seriously ill and on the waiting list for a heart, lung and liver transplant.
In 2002, Martineau wrote an article in The Daily Telegraph's Saturday magazine about the wait for a life-saving triple transplant. The next day, her manager approached Sony Music with a demo tape and she was signed to their label in late 2002. Alice completed this debut album quickly as most songs had already been written over the previous three years. Her debut single, "If I Fall", was released on 11 November 2002, with the album Daydreams following a week later on 18 November. Tracks on the album were produced by a number of people, including Marius De Vries. A promotional preview CD containing one track from her album and four short previews was also circulated.
Sony had planned to release a second single, "The Right Time" on 10 February 2003 but decided to cancel the release due to Martineau's poor health.
Personal life
Martineau remained on the waiting list for a triple heart, lung and liver transplant for more than a year and a half, before dying at home on the morning of 6 March 2003. A documentary, The Nine Lives of Alice Martineau, was made by the BBC Television several months before her death and broadcast shortly after her death.
Discography
Album
- Daydreams (November 2002)
Singles
- "If I Fall" (November 2002)
- "The Right Time" (Unreleased)