The Urdu Smile of a Yorkshire singing star

Language is no barrier for ex-shop manager with her own record label

P for the Prime Minister of Pakistan marked the start of her amazing transformation from shop manager to singing sensation.

A year on, Andrea Meadows is swapping her Yorkshire tones for Urdu on her first single which she hopes will eventually bring together artists from all over the world.

“I want to get to the point where I can use my fame to do good – even if I can just do it for two years,” the 31-year-old said.

Up until 12 months ago Andrea had a successful career managing Comet in Wakefield and sung as a hobby, mainly at charity concerts.more

Thanks to dad Cliff Jenkyns she was invited to perform for 8,000 people including then Prime Minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain at Pakistan’s independence day celebrations last August after her dad passed on her CD while in the country on business.

“My dad phoned me at work and said ‘can you take next week off? You’re going to Pakistan’,” she said.

“When I sang there I felt like a film star. Everyone was asking for my autograph.”
While performing, Andrea was spotted by Pakistani singer Dr Fey and asked to collaborate with him on a video which then became a hit on a music TV channel.

But it was a bout of salmonella poisoning that made her decide to pursue her heart’s desire to be a singer: “While I was lying in bed I had plenty of time to think about things and I realized I had to pursue my heart’s desire.

“Going to Pakistan had opened my eyes. It was a life-changing experience,” she said.
“When I got back home I handed my notice in. I thought I could not go back to normality unless I followed my dream – or at least tried to.”

She sold her house in Normanton and moved back in with her parents. Then she spent thousands kitting out a recording studio at their home near Pontefract and learning how to use it.
In October she formed record label Calliope-Muse-Ic Ltd, named after Calliope – one of the nine Greek muses and the goddess of creativity and music. Andrea, a former Miss UK finalist, is the first artist to be signed to the label but she hopes in time it will promote a variety of multicultural artists.

Her Eastern-flavored first single Smile sees her singing in Urdu, which she was taught by a neighbor. He has also helped her perfect Hindi lines for another tune while Spanish and Italian feature on other songs. “Next I want to sing in Chinese. That’s the whole point of the label, promoting multi-cultural talent.”

And she wants to provide help on other ways. She is currently registering her charity Calliope One Voice which she hopes will eventually run scholarships to musicians from all over the world. A percentage of all sales from the record label’s artists will go to the charity.

After Smile, her eclectic first album ILYIS – which stands for I Love You In Secret – will be released.
She’s managed to enlist well-known collaborators including Rob Hopcraft, ex-member of 80s band Black Lace, and has continued to network with foreign and UK dignitaries. She even performed for the 80,000-strong crowd at the Leeds Mela last weekend.

“I have always wanted to sing but it’s proving to yourself that you can do it,” she said.
For more information, log on to www.calliope-muse-ic.com

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