Kaci Battaglia

Kaci Lyn Battaglia (/ˈkeɪsi/ KAY-see; born October 3rd 1987, in Clearwater, Florida), also known as Kaci, is a former international recording artist, songwriter, dancer, actress, and LGBT advocate. Kaci rose to fame in 2001 with her hit single "Paradise". She parted ways with Curb Records in 2013. Today Kaci is working towards a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. Since her departure from the entertainment industry, she has become a born-again Christian and an animal rights activist seeking an end to the dog meat industry.

Kaci Battaglia was born and raised in Clearwater, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay region to a musical family. She is the daughter of Danny Battaglia and Donna DeVille. Battaglia began singing when she was three years old, and often performed at her father's karaoke club. By the age of eight she began performing throughout Florida for dignitaries, in concerts, and for sports events. In 2001, Battaglia tested post-highschool in all subjects. As a result, she began attending St. Petersburg College both online and between tours.

At age 11, Battaglia independently released A Thousand Stars, an album that was produced by her mother, Donna. A portion of the proceeds from A Thousand Stars went to help a housing project for the less fortunate. Battaglia began looking for a recording contract when she was eleven years old, due to the success of her independent album. She caught the eye of record producer Joel Diamond after Battaglia's mom called and asked Diamond to audition her daughter. Diamond put up his own money to record her. After being turned down by over 20 record labels with his demo, "Paradise", for her, it was Mike Curb who called Diamond months after receiving the recording and told him that he wanted to sign Battaglia to Curb Records.

Her debut single "Paradise", a cover of the theme song originally sung by Phoebe Cates in the 1982 film Paradise, was released in 2001 and hit #11 in the UK. Battaglia's Latin-flavored second single "Tu Amor" was released in the UK on July of the same year, scoring a more moderate impact on the charts, peaking at number 24. Her third single was a cover of The Partridge Family's, "I Think I Love You". It became her only top 10 hit in the UK in February of the year 2002. In 2003, she teamed up with a Japanese photographer and released a photo book entitled, Kaci: I'm a Singer. This photo book was filled with pictures of Battaglia while in her hometown in Florida. The book was released in 2007 exclusively in Japan, along with a re-release of her album, Paradise. Kaci did a song "I Will Learn to Love Again" for the 2005 film The Perfect Man.

She released "I Can't Help Myself", a track that was serviced to dance radio stations and does not appear on the record. Her single "Crazy Possessive" reached #1 on the Billboard Dance chart. Another single, "Body Shots" was featured on episode 8x02 of The CW's One Tree Hill also reached #1 on the Billboard Dance chart. Her album Bring It On released in 2010 only in Japan as a physical release, however it was released digital download in the United States.

• Three Top 10 hits in Europe (starting at age 13) and two Billboard #1’s on both Dance and Club Charts
• First single, Paradise sold over 30,000 units first week out in the UK alone
• Songs featured in TV & movies: One Tree Hill, Weeds, The Big C, The Perfect Man, View from the Top
• Guest on TV/radio programs: MTV, CNN, FOX & Friends, CBS Morning, Entertainment Tonight etc.
• Co-wrote Lucy Hale’s single “Bless Myself” and Kimberly Locke’s single “Wrong”
• Presenter at the Teen Choice Awards; opened Super Bowl XXXV; hosted Nickelodeon’s Slimetime Live
• Attended Cambridge University: International Politics in 2006 via a study abroad program offered at St. Petersburg College for Phi Theta Kappa Honor Students

Albums

• A Thousand Stars (1998)
• Paradise (2001) (World - 120,000)
• Bring It On (2010) (World - 100,000)

Singles

• Opener for various artists including, O-Town, Backstreet Boys and Westlife.
• WFLZ 93.3's The Big One: August 25, 2001; St. Pete Times Forum (formerly the Ice Palace Arena) in Tampa, Florida. (radio show)
• ESPN's Super Bowl Halftime Show: January 2002; Video for her single, "Paradise" was played.
• Pepsi's Your Taste, Your Style, Your Night of Shopping 2002: August 2002; Mall Tour
• Capital One Bowl Halftime Show: January 1, 2003, Orlando, Florida
• 93Q & Coors Light Balloon Fest: June 14, 2003 in Syracuse (Jamesville), New York
• Gay Pride Pink Saturday Concert: June 27, 2009 in San Francisco, California
• Gay Pride Festival Saturday Concert: May 1, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada