Victoria Newton the voice of Strike
VICTORIA NEWTON THE VOICE OF STRIKE
Victoria Newton began her musical journey in Perth, Western Australia where she studied classical music and jazz. As a young up and coming jazz vocalist, Victoria had the opportunity to support legendary artists Ray Charles and Dionne Warwick whilst she was lead singer with the Western Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra. She also featured in the support band for Fleetwood Mac on the Perth leg of their international tour many years ago.
In 1990, Victoria relocated to the UK and quickly established herself on the London jazz scene, collaborating with acid-jazz recording artist Ronny Jordan, and appearing at many renowned venues and festivals such as the Jazz Café, Ronnie Scott’s, The Soho Jazz Festival, the London International Jazz Festival, and many more.
In the mid-90s Victoria entered an entirely new phase of her career. Little did she know that a chance recording session at the studios of Fresh records in Notting Hill would land her the role as lead singer of UK dance/pop group Strike and lead to the smash hit ‘U Sure do’ which peaked at No. 4 in the UK charts! The mega success of this single followed by 4 UK top 40 hits and the critically acclaimed album ‘I Saw the Future’ led to a whirlwind of TV appearances including MTV and BBC’s Top of the Pops, tours to many countries around the world, and performances alongside huge industry names such as Jocelyn Brown, Tina Arena, Rozalla, The Back Street Boys and The Spice Girls!
Victoria’s vocal performance on ‘I Saw the Future’ has been described as “outstanding throughout” (Dream Magazine) and her live performances “simply stunning”, with “staggering vocals” (M8 magazine).
In 1999, Victoria signed a solo recording deal with Fresh Records in London and began writing and recording her first album featuring song-oriented dance music with R&B influences. Her first single Martha’s Harbour went to #8 in the UK Dance Charts and was a favourite of world-renowned DJ, Paul Van Dyk.
After many years of touring and recording electronic dance music, Victoria revisited her passion for jazz and released her first solo album which received regular airplay in the UK and featured some of the finest British musicians including the internationally acclaimed Gwilym Simcock.
Victoria relocated to Australia in 2008 and continues to perform in a variety of musical settings that span blues, jazz, and world music. Her band ‘Braziliance’ recently performed to a sold-out crowd at the Perth International Jazz Festival and in January 2023 she appeared in an award-winning show at Perth Fringe Festival.
Victoria is currently head of the jazz vocal program at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts.
Victoria Newton Discography
date
February 17, 2023