Flaming SteffY

Flaming SteffY
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Flaming SteffY
Background information
Birth name	Felisha Anne Stefani Jones (Flaming Steffy)
Born	April 1st, 1988
Origin	London, UK
Genre	Pop / Electro / Dance
Years active	2010 - present
Label	Elite Records (2010) Blacklight Records (2011 - present)
Associated acts
China, Elice Claire, Just Ginger

Felisha Anne Stefani Jones (born April 1st, 1988) known by her stage name "Flaming SteffY", is a British based singer-songwriter, performer and former model. She released her debut single "PLAY" through Elite Records in April 2010. In March 2011 she signed a new record deal with Blacklight Records to release her second studio album titled "the Lioness", that eventually became her first number one album.

Biography[edit | edit source]

Early Years (1988-2006)[edit | edit source]

Steffy, as most people close to the singer like to call her, was born in London UK in 1988. She is the daughter of Swedish multiple Grammy winning producer Martin Karl Jones. Her mother, Jovanna Anna Stefani, is a beauty specialist and she has a younger brother called Damien (Jones). Steffy is of Swedish and Italian descent and grew up in a musical environment due to her father. She started playing the Piano at the age of 9, at age 13 she started taking Guitar and Harp lessons and composed her first song at 15. She studied vocal coaching for 6 years with Leona Lewis vocal coach Janet Edwards.

Career Beginnings (2006-2009)[edit | edit source]

Although Steffy practically grew up in the studios due to her father, her first true studio experience came at the age of 17 when her father let her record backing vocals for a wide range of artists he was working with at the time. Steffy's love/hate relationship with her father eventually put a stop to their collaborations. Steffy has stated in various interviews that she declined her father's offer to be signed on his record label because she wanted to become famous for her own talent and music rather than her father's name. She moved out of her parents place at the age of 18 and started singing in local pubs, bars, clubs and festivals to pay her rent, gaining a lot of attention with her provocative performances and style. She was part of the band "Soho Trolls" but got banned 5 months later because she refused to change her hair color to black. In November 2009, Steffy met with manager Cory Rudolph who managed to get Steffy signed on Elite Records to release her debut album "the Original Skank".

Music[edit | edit source]

the Original Skank Era[edit | edit source]

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the Original Skank Cover

In March 2010, Steffy was offered a trial contract on Elite Records to release her Debut single "PLAY" on April 5th. After the single's satisfying chart run, peaking at the 9th place of the singles chart, Steffy was offered a full contract to release her debut album "the Original Skank". The Album was released in May 24, 2010 and featured 11 songs and one hidden track, most of which had sexually provocative themes and lyrics. The songs along with the risky artwork proved to be a success allowing the record to be certified Gold a month after it's release.

Steffy stated in interviews at the time that she wanted to offer a light and fun dance record to the masses, instead of a meaningful record about reality issues, to help people escape their problems and be more happy. She referred to the album as the sort of record people like to listen to at the gym or before going out on a Saturday night. On May 18th, Steffy joined Sexy Star's Erotica tour as his opening act, performing in 15 major British cities. The second single was released simultaneously along with the record on May 24, 2010. It was a successful collaboration between Steffy and latin pop icon Paulo Araujo on the song "My Brazilian" that peaked at the 4th place of the singles chart. It was accompanied by a provocative music video that featured the two stars engaging in sexual activities while recording the process on a handled video-camera.

The third single was announced in June 2010, a double A-side release of the songs "the Original Skank" and "Hell No!(I Think He's Gay). At the time, Steffy revealed that both songs would have guest artists featuring on them and there would be two separate videos. One of the two guests was known to be Taylor while the guest for the other song remained a secret. It was only days after the announcement of the 3rd single, that Steffy was pressured by her close friends to enter a rehab facility in the United States, eventually forcing her label, Elite Records, to cancel the release. As a result of poor promotion due to her rehab stint, the album quickly fell off the charts.

In 2011 information leaked on Steffy's official website forum that the secret guest for "the Original Skank" song would have been Halle York of group DAMNED.

the Lioness Era[edit | edit source]

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the Lioness Cover

In March 2011, following a 9 month break from the industry due to personal issues with her management, Steffy announced her return with a re-release of her debut album after signing a new record deal with Blacklight Records. The new record was set to be released in May 2011 under the title "the Lioness" and would feature 4 new songs and brand new artwork. After being criticized for re-releasing her debut album, Steffy explained in an interview that she felt it had not reached it's true potential after being abandoned by the singer while in rehab.

However, in a radio interview in late May, Steffy explained she was inspired by situations to keep writing and recording, resulting with more material than expected. She went on to agree with her label to cancel the re-release idea and release a full new studio album instead with the same title. As a result the release date was pushed back to June 2011. The album debuted at the top spot of the Album chart selling 97,860 copies in it's first week and went Platinum a month after it's release. It includes two disks, the first one containing 9 brand new songs and the second one, the Bonus disk, containing the same 9 songs in duets and collaborations. The song Discovery Channel, a duet with Harry Hindley of boyband Dante was released as a Digital Single on June 6th along with the album, topping the Download chart.

The first official single off the album, Lioness, was released in April 25, 2011. The song debuted at the 2nd position of the Singles Chart and the 1st position of the Download Chart, becoming the singer's biggest hit to date. It features fierce and feisty lyrics, inspired by the singer's personal problems with her management. It was produced by top producer Billboard and is made up of heavy beats, chants and jungle noises. Two new versions of the single were released, one featuring singer/rapper L'mondrea Brown and another one intended for US release with singer L.E.X. After trying to launch Steffy's career in the States, Blacklight Records decided to make an alternate video for the song, inspired by the comic "Sheena, Queen of The Jungle".

The second official single of the album, a collabration with Blonde Ambition on the song "Shake Yer Tits!" was released on June 27th. The single sold 101,497 copies, debuting at the Top Spot of the Charts, becoming the first ever Number One Single in Steffy's career. The uptempo pop song was produced by Stargate and it's lyrics have an empowering theme, urging women all over the world to feel good and accept their appearance, looks and sexuality. For the video of the song, both singers adopted a special alter-ego, Steffy being "Tittie Fierce" while Blonde Ambition portrayed "Wise Blondie". The video debuted on the 9th of June on Steffy's official VEVO account and sparked a new round of controversy because of it's story.

The third official single form the Lioness album was released on August 22, 2011. The song "Show Me Ur Skin", a collaboration with Morris David Cat is produced by Danja and features a sensual hot beat paired with sexually provocative lyrics about a One Night Stand. The video for the song was released on August 13th.

Aside form the three official singles, the Lioness album was also promoted with a Special Tour consisting of 10 sold out dates in major Arenas all over the UK and a special "Lioness" perfume launch.

Controversy[edit | edit source]

Family Issues[edit | edit source]

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Steffy and brother Damien in an event in 2010

Steffy stated in an interview while on Loose Women to promote her single "My Brazilian" in May 2010, that she hadn't spoken to her father in about 4 years. She revealed that, while she was a child, her father would constantly send her to auditions and singing competitions, grounding her if she didn't do well enough, causing the singer to be afraid of him. Additionally, she revealed that she was never treated like a child, she was often forced to work in her fathers studio and that she was usually treated like one of his employees rather than his daughter. At the age of 18, after years of being under her father's pressure, she moved out of the house and a year later lost all contact with him. When asked if she loved him, the singer explained she could never love a person who had been using her in such an extended way.

In a different interview, when asked about her mother, Steffy said she felt sorry for her, for not being able to leave her father, because she was clearly not happy with the marriage but obviously too weak to put an end to it. This statement is said to have angered her mother and put their relationship on the rocks.

Shortly after Steffy's rise to fame, her brother Damien Jones released his first single called "Hangover". After moving out of the house, Steffy tried to remain in contact with him, sending him secret emails and arranging secret meetings. Steffy voiced her opinion on her brothers career in several interviews, stating that he was too young to be famous and sing about such controversial issues as sex and alcohol. Additionally she said she was fairly certain that the mastermind behind Damien's success was her father who was using her young brother's enthusiasm to make money. When their father found out about their secret meetings, he put the young singer under 24 hour surveillance to avoid Steffy from having any contact with him.

In May 2010, Steffy was photographed leaving a dance rehearsal studio sporting some mysterious bruises and a black eye. It was speculated by the media that the bruises were a result of a drunken bar fight between the singer and Indigo Peak brother Andre Cassenove. Steffy quickly denied the rumors revealing she was beat up by her father's security team when she tried to break into her family's house in an attempt to see and talk sense into her brother.

In April 2011, Steffy took to her official twitter account to explain she had made up with her mother while in rehab, in the summer of 2010. As for her brother, she explained she managed to reach an agreement with her father to have him sent on boarding school and resume his singing career upon graduating. She did however clarify that she does not intend on reconciliating with her father.

Management Drama[edit | edit source]

In an interview in 2011, Steffy revealed she was romantically linked with her former manager Cory Rudolph. Their business relationship started in 2009, a couple of months before Steffy was signed to Elite Records. Due to the singer's provocative and promiscuous image, their affair was kept a secret from the media. Steffy later revealed their relationship was purely a product of need rather than feeling as her busy schedule did not leave her any personal time to date or see any other men. In June 2010, after 2 months of extreme promotional pressure by Cory, the couple had a severe argument during which, according to Steffy's claims, she was severely hit by her manager. Along with Steffy's emerging alcohol problem at the time, her friends decided to encourage the singer to enter a rehab facility in the United States, not so much for her substance abuse problems as to get away from her manager and set her life back on track.

After spending the summer in rehab in LA, Steffy returned to the UK in September 2010. In an effort to damage her career, her manager had gotten her dropped from her label and was threatening to release explicit footage of the singer. Steffy, who by now had disappeared from the media trying to avoid any further humiliation, was unable to release new material or sign a new record contract with a different label while still being under contract with her manager, ultimately blocking her career. In January 2011 a settlement was reached in court freeing her from Cory. Two months later, Steffy posted a newsletter on her official website announcing her return in the music industry and singed a new contract with Blacklight Records.

Crystal Barker & Chase Elite[edit | edit source]

After signing a contract with Blacklight Records, Steffy grew close and eventually became friends with label mate Candi, who later introduced the skanky singer to her brother, Chase Elite. In a special episode that aired on 4music to promote her single Lioness in April 2011, it was obvious Steffy had fallen for the hunky newcomer, only to fall flat on her face, after news leaked that he was dating pop sensation Crystal Barker. To make matters worse, Crystal was supposed to duet with Steffy on the 2nd single of the Lioness album, "Shake Yer Tits!", but was soon after replaced by Blonde Ambition. Steffy was said to have been heartbroken and bitter about the turn of events, leaving her feeling betrayed, making various comments and remarks in interviews. She explained at the time, that even though she gave various hints about liking Chase, she didn't want to make a move on him because she thought he was not ready to commit, given his recent rise to fame and did not expect to see him in a steady relationship so soon, especially not with her then new friend and collaboration partner, Crystal Barker. A month later, Steffy found comfort in the arms of fellow singer BULLAH, with whom she had a brief fling in May 2011.

A song called "Chase Me" was rumored to have been written and dedicated to Steffy's crush but to this date, it remains unknown if the song was re-written, or pulled off of the album making room for another song called "Barking Dogs", a sad betrayal themed ballad. The song's lyrics describe a betrayed young girl whose best friend ends up stealing her boyfriend, putting zero effort to hide the fact that it was aimed at Crystal Barker and the Chase Elite situation.

The official promo video for Steffy's second single off of the Lioness project, Shake Yer Tits! that was released in June 2011 sparked a new round of controversy because of it's plot that is supposedly taking yet another dig at Barker. In the video of the song that was to feature her, Steffy portrays her alter ego Tittie Fierce in the imaginary Planet Boob as she tries to vanquish an evil lady called Glassania Woof who has banned the act of Tit-shaking. Both camps refrained from commenting on the video finally putting the feud to rest.

No Little Thing Feud[edit | edit source]

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Fanmade cover for Steffy's disstrack Obsessed

A funny feud broke out between Steffy and rock band No Little Thing after they premiered a song called "Barbie Doll" in June 2011. The song features harsh lyrics that were supposedly criticizing the situation of the charts and the music industry implying that actual talent is often overlooked and appearance and sex appeal play a more vital role to an artist's success. Although the song's lyrics did not directly address any particular artists, fans and people all over the world could easily tell where the song was directed at. Shortly after the song hit the web, Steffy recorded and released a demo "answer track" called "Obsessed". Both Steffy and members from the rock band continued to feud through various media outlets such as magazines and blogs for weeks after the songs were released.

Personal Life[edit | edit source]

Even though Steffy is a highly publicized media persona, she has managed to keep much of her personal life a secret. Ever since her debut, she has been romantically linked with various men and women, none of which relationships have ever been confirmed. The only confirmed relationship is the one with former manager Cory Rudolph that began sometime during Christmas 2009 and ended in June 2010. It was an abusive relationship that led to a lot of drama and controversy in the summer of 2010.

In May 2011, after weeks of speculation, Steffy confirmed she was dating upcoming singer BULLAH. The pair met after collaborating for a song on Steffy's second album the Lioness, called "Lay Ur Hands On Me". At the time the couple was labeled as "the New Heidi & Seal" by the Media but they broke up amicably about a month later. The Love Inc publication posted an article citing BULLAH's ignorance towards the Blonde singer as well as their busy schedules as the reason behind the break up.

Steffy is currently rumored to be dating POP singer Morris David Cat.

Steffy has stated in interviews that unlike her promiscuous stage persona, she is abstaining from sex and is a very guarded person, going as far as to say she is "boring". She is known to be close friends with artists Just Ginger, Elice Claire, Bella-May and China.