John Kiki

Pauline Matthews (born 6 March 1947), better known by her stage name Kiki Dee, is an English singer born in Little Horton, Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire. Known for her blue-eyed soul vocals, she was the first female singer from the UK to sign with Motown’s Tamla Records.

Kiki is best known for her 1974 hit "I've Got the Music in Me" and "Don't Go Breaking My Heart", her 1976 duet with Elton John, which went to Number 1 both in the UK Singles Chart and the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1993 she performed another duet with Elton John for his Duets album, a cover version of Cole Porter's "True Love", which reached No. 2 in the UK. During her career, she has released 40 singles, three EPs and 12 albums.

Early life

Kiki Dee was born on 6 March 1947, in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, England. At the age of 10 she won a local talent contest. At 16 she had her first paid job in show business. "I realised when I sang at family parties and Christmases I'd suddenly get everyone's attention and, being the youngest of three, I thought what a brilliant attention-seeking ploy it was," says Kiki in a 2013 interview. She went on to say: "My older brother had a lot of Elvis on vinyl and really that was my first introduction to music during the Fifties."

Working at Boots in Bradford at age 16 during the day, in the evenings she sang songs with a dance band in Leeds. A record scout liked her singing and invited her to London to do an audition. There in 1963 she signed as a solo artist to Fontana Records.

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