Suicide Blonde

Suicide Blonde
Background information
Birth name	Ivy Jacques
Origin	Brighton, Sussex, United Kingdom
Genres	Alternative pop
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter and model
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	2012 to present
Labels	Blacklight Records (2013 to present)

Ivy Jacques (born July 14, 1995), better known by her stage name Suicide Blonde is a British singer, songwriter and model. Initially known for her modelling career, which began when she was thirteen, in 2013 she released her debut album Shine To Fade which topped the UK albums chart.

Early Life (1995-2008)

Born in Brighton, Jacques was raised by her mother, Evelyn Jacques (née Green) following the death of her father, Arnaud Jacques, when she was just eleven years old. She has one older half-sibling, Poppy Jacques, with whom she is not in contact.

Prior to embarking on a career as a model, she had expressed little interest in fashion, but she had developed a keen interest in poetry and had been encouraged by her late father to learn to play the piano.

Modelling Career (2008-Present)

Jacques' modelling career began when she was scouted on Brighton beach in 2008. Aged just thirteen, she received widespread coverage when she walked for Alexander McQueen in one of his final shows, and went on to appear on the cover of numerous international editions of Vogue magazine. As an extension of her modelling work, she filmed a bit-part for the film The Great Gatsby.

Despite topping Vogue's 'Ones to Watch' list in 2011, Jacques' career began to slow in 2012 due to a shift in focus to music and a number of issues in her personal life. In 2014, she was announced as the new face of Calvin Klein's fragrance Obsession, her first major campaign in years.

Music Career (2012-Present)

Jacques first considered a career in music when an ex-boyfriend complimented her singing voice. In early 2012 she signed to a minor record label, who teamed her with a band. Jacques suggested the name Suicide Blonde, but it was reportedly the only thing she and the group were able to agree on. Artistic differences within the group caused them to split and they were released from their contract. Despite this, Jacques retained the moniker Suicide Blonde for her solo recordings, which she claimed reflected her thematic focus on beauty and fatalism. Jacques had learned to play the piano from her mother at a young age and had always enjoyed writing poetry, but did not consider a career in music until an ex-boyfriend complimented her singing voice. In early 2-012 she signed to a minor record lavel who teamed her with a band. Jacques came up with the name Suicide Blonde, but it was reportedly the only thing she and the group were able to agree on. Artistic differences within the group caused them to split and they were dropped from their contract. Despite this, Jacques retained the stagename Suicide Blonde which she claims reflects her thematic focus on beauty and fatalism.

Shows she played that year attracted the attention of producer Liam Howe, who agreed to produce a record with her. She was involved in a motor accident weeks before recording was supposed to start, which killed her boyfriend of the time instantly. Although she cancelled numerous engagements relating to her fashion work, she continued the recording sessions, remembering that he had encouraged her to follow a music career initially. The event would have a major influence on the outcome of the sessions.

Shine To Fade (2013-2014)

The complete album was shopped to a number of labels, as Suicide Blonde promoted her debut single I'd Rather Be Beautiful. She was signed to Blacklight Records and the single became a surprise success upon its release in February 2013, charting at #4 and earning her a nomination for Critics Choice at the Urapopstar Awards.

The album Shine To Fade was released on April 1, and was accompanied by the release of a download only single On The Bright Side. The album and download single debuted at the top of their respective charts, and critical reaction towards the record was mixed to positive. A second official single, Seven Card Stud was released, although budget constraints caused the video, featuring Paulo Araujo and Benjamin McAllister to be scrapped. The single charted at #6, and became her lowest selling single to date. Around this time, Suicide Blonde embarked on her first ever tour, the Haunted Heart Tour.

A third single, That Fateful Fall was released during the winter of 2013 and became Suicide Blonde's second single to chart at #4. The single was accompanied by a critically acclaimed video, financed by her deal with Calvin Klein, and in contrast to her previous single, would remain in the chart for over a year, becoming her biggest selling single to date.

During the former single's time on the chart, Suicide Blonde established a charitable foundation focused on domestic violence, called The Songbird Foundation. To raise funds, she released Songbird as a digital only release. It charted at #11 on the digital charts. Shortly afterwards, Suicide Blonde would hit her highest chart peak with a remix of Peroxide Shots with producer Zedd. Although the dance track topped the singles chart, it failed to match the sales record of That Fateful Fall.

Nightfall (2014-present)

In the autumn of 2014, Suicide Blonde embarked on her second headlining tour, Before The Fall Tour, which opened on Halloween in Berlin, and saw the singer playing US dates for the first time. During the tour, she premiered a new single, ✝. The track was released in December and charted at #4.

Discography

Albums

Year	Album title	UK	Certification	Sales	Weeks
2013	Shine To Fade	1	Diamond	1,910,185	87

Singles

Year	Single title	UK	Digital	Airplay	Sales	Certification	Weeks in Chart	Album
2013	"I'd Rather Be Beautiful"	3	-	-	471,314	Platinum	-	Shine To Fade
2013	"On The Bright Side"	-	1	-	-	-	-	Shine To Fade
2013	"Seven Card Stud"	6	-	-	143,793	-	-	Shine To Fade
2013	"That Fateful Fall"	4		-	692,180	Platinum	62	Shine To Fade
2014	"Songbird"	-	11	38	-	-	-	Shine To Fade
2014	"Peroxide Shots" vs Zedd	1	1	4	414,155	Gold	2	Shine To Fade
2014	"✝"	4	3	16	70,054	-	1	Nightfall