Ingrid Chavez
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ingrid Chavez | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | 1965, Albuquerque, New Mexico |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
Ingrid Julia Chavez, born 1965 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a Mexican-American poet, vocalist, songwriter and photographer.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Personal life
Ingrid was born January, 1965 in Albuquerque, New Mexico and raised in Marietta, Georgia. She moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1986 to follow her dream of becoming a singer/songwriter. She worked with a number of local musicians building a body of work. During that time she met Prince. Impressed by Ingrid's voice and poetry, Prince took Ingrid under his wing. Ingrid was known as the 'Spirit Child' on his 1988 'Lovesexy' album. Prince encouraged Ingrid to write 21 poems with the promise that they would make a poetry album together. When she finished her poems, she and Prince went into the studio. Prince sat at a keyboard and played while Ingrid read through all 21 of her poems. This was the original recording that would later become her only album ever released on the Paisley park label. Shortly after this session the project was put on hold indefinitely.
Chavez has a son, Tinondre, born circa 1984, who lived in Atlanta for a time. She also has two younger daughters, Ameera and Isobel, with Sylvian. After living in Atlanta, Albuquerque, and Minneapolis, she was last known to reside with Sylvian in New Hampshire, along with all three of her children. However, the couple announced their intention to divorce in 2005. Her son Tinondre has been rumored to be prursuing interests in producing electronic music, and is now living again in Atlanta.
Chavez should not be confused with Miami nightclub owner Ingrid Casares, a longtime friend of Madonna.
[edit] Career
After moving to Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1986, she auditioned for a number of bands, made the rounds of the Minneapolis music scene, and paid her bills working in a coffee shop. It was around this time she met Prince.
Prince, impressed by one of Chavez' demo tapes, took her under his wing in 1987. She was known as The Spirit Child on his 1988 album Lovesexy, and she starred as his romantic interest, Aura, in his 1990 film Graffiti Bridge.
In 1989, she collaborated with Richard Werbowenko on a handful of electronic music compositions that were released only on a demo cassette.
In 1989, Ingrid formed a band called 'Skyfish' with Richard Werbowenko. They created a six-song album released only on cassette. Ingrid ran into Prince a year or so later and handed him a copy of the 'Skyfish' demo. Shortly after the exchange, Prince contacted Ingrid and wanted her to listen to a track that he had just finished with the poem 'Heaven Must Be Near'. Prince asked Ingrid to finish the poetry album.
It was at this time that Chavez was asked to play the part of Prince's romantic interest in his 1990 film 'Graffiti Bridge'. It was during the filming that Chavez went into the studio with Lenny Kravitz and Andre Betts and co-wrote and recorded what became Madonna's sultry 1990 hit 'Justify My Love'.
In 1992, Chavez recorded vocals for recording artists David Sylvian & Ryuichi Sakamoto's 'Heartbeat' single. Soon after, Ingrid married David and over the years contributed her trademark breathy vocals to a number of her husband's releases. During the mid-1990s, Chavez worked with Sylvian and Werbowenko on a second solo album entitled, 'Little Girls with 99 lives'. These songs were eventually released as B sides on two separate EPs of Sylvian's released on Virgin records. In 1996, Tommy Roberts, a former Minneapolis recording engineer who recorded the Skyfish demo, contacted Ingrid and asked her to be in a band with him. She joined the band 'Ova' and recorded a four song EP and an E.P.K. Chavez became pregnant and decided to let go of the project and focus on her family. Chavez currently lives in New England with her children focusing on photography, writing and a new recording project.
Chavez also wrote the bulk of Madonna's sultry 1990 hit "Justify My Love" with musician Lenny Kravitz, and received a large out-of-court settlement for not being credited on that single's initial release.
In 1992, not long after recording vocals with David Sylvian for the songs "Heartbeat (Tainai Kaiki II)--Returning to the Womb" and "Cloud #9" on Ryuichi Sakamoto's 1991 album Heartbeat, Chavez married Sylvian, and over the years contributed her trademark breathy vocals to a number of her baritone-voiced husband's releases.
During the mid-1990s, Chavez worked with Sylvian and Werbowenko on a second solo album titled Little Girls With 99 Lives. Chavez and Sylvian sent out demos to record labels and close friends, yet could not strike up interest in a deal. The album would have included tracks entitled "Lighthouse", "Snowfall", "Whose Trip Is This?", "Starred And Dreaming", "Kall/Les Fleurs Du Mal", and "Remembering Julia"—the latter four of which can be found as b-sides on the 2-CD UK single of David Sylvian's "I Surrender".
[edit] Solo album
May 19, 1992, Chavez' debut solo album, was released in 1991 on Paisley Park Records. The title is the first anniversary of the date the cover art was photographed), was initially intended to set her spoken-word poetry to music supplied by Prince. It was recorded in bits and pieces from late 1987 to mid-1991. When Warner Bros. pushed for the album to have sung vocals in place of the spoken word, Prince abandoned the project. Five of the album's tracks ended up as spoken word with atmospheric music by Prince under his Paisley Park alias, and the remainder were relatively poppy tracks with sung vocals, co-produced by Ingrid with Prince's studio hands Michael Koppelman and Levi Seacer, Jr.. The singles "Hippy Blood", "Heaven Must Be Near", and "Elephant Box" were released as singles (along with club remixes).
Although the album was meant to be purely spoken-word over music, Ingrid pushed for a few tracks with sung vocals. Five of the album's tracks have spoken word with atmospheric music by Prince under his Paisley Park alias. The remainder of the album is tracks with poetry combined with catchy vocal hooks. These tracks were co-produced by Ingrid with Prince's studio hands Michael Koppelman and Levi Seacer, Jr..
