Sasha Riley

Sasha Riley
Background information
Origin	Grantham, England
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	2005
Associated acts	Russ Hooch, Cleo Clarice

Sasha Riley (23 November, 1989 - 2 August, 2006) was a British pop-rock singer who came to prominence after winning the sixth series of the reality television show URAPS Idol. She released a top ten album and a string of top ten hits in 2005, but health issues led to Riley's hospitalization and death in July 2006.

Life and career

1989–2004: Early life

Sasha Riley was born in Grantham, England to parents Jon and Ann, who own a small family-run chip shop. Riley grew up in Grantham, attending public schooling until she was 16. She did not have many friends in school, as expressed on her debut album, and was often unlucky in her romantic endeavors. Riley experimented with alcohol and marijuana. Instead of continuing her education, Sasha Riley chose to drop out before sixth form and audition for URAPS Idol 6.

2004: URAPS Idol 6

Riley made it to the final rounds, after auditioning with "Californiacation" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. After making the final twelve, Sasha continued to go from strength to strength in the competition. Despite themes that weren't well suited to Sasha, like disco and Cher, her quirky vocals and faux-punk deliveries made her a favourite with the judges and also the British public. Sasha was eventually crowned the winner, beating Cleo Clarice, who would go on to be more successful.

• Madonna – Like a Prayer
• Natalie Imbruglia - Torn
• Gloria Gaynor - Never Can Say Goodbye
• The Eagles - Hotel California
• Traditional - Little Drummer Boy
• Cher - Heart of Stone
• Garbage - Only Happy When It Rains
• Elvis - Heartbreak Hotel / Always on My Mind
• Undertones - Teenage Kick / Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the U.K.
• Love Spit Love - How Soon Is Now? (Charmed) / No Doubt - New (Go)
• No Doubt - Running / Drop Me Down (winner's song)

2005: My Generation

After winning URAPS Idol, Sasha Riley did not release her debut single until May 2005. The song, "Sue," was a pop-punk anthem about a lover who had cheated on Riley with a girl named Sue. The single did not received a lot of radio airplay or television airtime on music video channels. In addition to expicit lyrics that were too abundant to censor, the song was also considered too "adut" for channels like Disney and Smash Hits, while the song was perceived as fake and lacked credibility for other radio stations. Still, the song managed to reach number six.

After a short hiatus, Sasha Riley returned in August with the follow-up to "Sue," entitled "Look Who's Laughing Now." The song took a more radio-friendy approach to Riley's pop-punk sound, with lyrics focusing on vengeance and payback. The song scraped into the top ten and sold just 50,000 copies in its chart run. The performance was disappointing and frustrating to record label bosses, who thought that Riley should be able to provide them with a hit single after winning URAPS Idol.

Sasha Riley's third single, "If You Fall," continued her top ten streak. While her record label was still not pleased, "If You Fall" was probably Riley's most well received single by the public. The debut album My Generation was also released, featuring collaborations with artists like Taylor Brookes, Russ Hooch and Malena. The album fared just as well as the single; however, Sasha Riley was dropped from her record label, leading to the album's lack of longevity.

Death

File:Sasha2.jpg

"Let Me Die" was to be Sasha's fourth single.

According to reports, Sasha Riley started having memory lapses and black outs in the first quarter of 2006. This eventually grew to the point of mental retardation and epileptic fits. Sasha was admitted to an asylum in July 2006. Shortly afterwards, she slit her wrists with a rusty screw and died.

Discography

Albums

• My Generation — #6, 2005

1. Look Who's Laughing
2. If You Fall
3. Will the World Spin?
4. Sue
5. My Generation (with Taylor Brookes)
6. Let Me Die
7. Steppin' On My Shoes
8. I Want a Lover (with Russ Hooch)
9. He Is My Light
10. Glow
11. Stormy Weather (with Malena)
12. (More Than) Merely Games
13. Fairytales and Fantasies
14. Chains

Singles

• "Sue" — #6, 2005 (86,224)
• "Look Who's Laughing" — #10, 2005 (57,531)
• "If You Fall" — #7, 2005 (86,030)