Quick Facts
Biography
Anita Kelsey /ˈkɛlsi/ (born in Mitcham, Surrey, United Kingdom) was a singer-songwriter ( now works as a cat behaviourist in London UK) whose vocals and top lines are featured on many hit dance records and feature films. Her voice has appeared as backup vocals for artists such as Kings of Leon, The Good, The Bad and The Queen, Razorlight, Boy George and the Spice Girls, as the featured vocalist on big screen productions such as Dark City, and more recently as the singer and songwriter for a series of successful dance projects.
Career
Kelsey appeared on the dance scene in 1997. She won the UK's MOBO Award for her first album on Dorado Records with the UK garage act Sunship. Her next single, "Try Me Out" from the second Sunship album, became a UK club hit and was an Agia Napa anthem of 2001. Kelsey also worked on two of Dorado label-mate Matt Cooper's Outside albums, penning the singles "If You Come With Me" and "Somewhere New".
In 1998, film composer Trevor Jones asked Kelsey to perform on the soundtrack to sci-fi cult film Dark City. This resulted in American actress Jennifer Connelly miming to Kelsey's voice in two prominent scenes as well as the Kelsey rendition of "Sway" being featured on the end credits. (The director's cut of Dark City uses Connelly's vocals both in the film and the version in the credits.) The tracks "Sway" and "The Night Has 1000 Eyes" were included on the film's soundtrack, released on TVT Sountrax. Other major films featuring Kelsey's voice include Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis and Merlin.
More success came in 2002 for Kelsey's work with D*Note's "Shed My Skin". During that same year, she appeared in the opening scenes of the horror movie Long Time Dead in which she participates in a ouija board séance just before dying a horrific death.
In 2004, Kelsey signed to BMG Music Publishing.
In 2005, Markus Schulz teamed up with Kelsey to release the single "First Time" on Armada Music in the Netherlands. This led to the track being included on Schulz' debut album Without You Near, on which she sang on a second track, "Travelling Light". Markus Schulz' second album, Progression (released 2007) featured a new collaboration with Kelsey, entitled "On a Wave".
In 2006, Kelsey was approached by dance producer TTLC, also known as TDR (Tom de Ridder), to collaborate on electro track "Never Ever". This track was released by Belgian label Mostiko and has culminated in DJs such as Judge Jules and Sasha championing the Filterheadz remix (live and on their weekly shows on BBC Radio 1), as well as the Housetrap mix receiving heavy air rotation on Belgian national radio. Kelsey also co-wrote Virgin Records's Lost Witness singles "Home" and "Coming Down", performed by Tiff Lacey.
"Falling", co-written with First State, was included on Tiesto's In Search of Sunrise 6: Ibiza.
A poignant collaboration, "Wicked World", with Dutch production duo Hardsoul resulted in the track being picked up by Fedde Le Grande to remix for his debut album, Sessions, released on Ministry of Sound in 2007. A new release for 2010 shows her writing skills and vocal talents with legendary producer Stonebridge with whom she has released a single called "Rescue Me". Stonebridge also snapped up another typical quirky Kelsey top line for his 2010 album, the track being "I Love It".
After a break from music due to a personal tragedy (her best friend committed suicide), Kelsey is now writing and singing again for producers/artists in the dance world. She is currently published by MusicAllStars which is the publishing arm of Dutch dance label Spinning Records.
Anita changed her career in 2009 and studied to become one of the UK's leading cat behaviourists. She runs a cat behaviour consultancy in Notting Hill after leaving Middlesex University with a first class honours degree in Feline Behaviour & PsychologyAnita is believed to be the first person in the UK to be awarded a first class Hons based on her cat behaviour consultancy. in July 2016 Anita was awarded the Gerry Fowler prize, by Middlesex University, for outstanding work in her studies and chosen field
She is a full member of the Canine and Feline Behaviour Association (CFBA). She also writes for various cat related magazines including the biggest selling cat related magazine Your Catas well as online pet magazine Style Tails.