Deni’s career began when she was 15. Many performers have quirky or interesting stories of how they were discovered. Deni’s story is simple – she was “discovered” singing to the radio in a friend’s kitchen. Encouraged to pursue singing as a career, she began touring as a backing vocalist for the who’s who of the Australian industry, including the likes of INXS & Kylie Minogue.
It wasn’t until Deni began working with The Rockmelons that her true potential began to emerge. As lead vocalist on a string of hit singles, Deni was touted as “the next big thing”. The hits – “That Word (L.O.V.E), “It’s Not Over” and the hugely successful – “Aint No Sunshine” all became Top 10 smashes, with Deni becoming one of the most well known faces, and voices, in Australia.
Fast forward a few years later and Deni released her debut album “Imagination”. Signed to Mushroom Records, Deni spent 9 months recording for her debut release in the UK with writer/producer Ian Green. The first single from the album, “Its Alright” smashed into the charts at #4, ensuring her first solo hit with a platinum award. Further hit singles including “I Like the Way”& “Joy” solidified Deni as a solo star in her own right, and Deni deservedly received an ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) Award for Best Australian Debut Performance. The album went on to sell over 300,000 in Japan alone, while the UK release (re-titled to “Pay Attention”) result in yet more hit singles and saw her tour with Earth Wind & Fire, Chaka Khan and the Lighthouse Family. In France, “Its Alright” topped the charts for 7 weeks, making Deni a massive star and sought after collaborator. All told, Deni’s has clocked in sales over 1.3 million copies worldwide. Not a bad start.
Not content with just singing, Deni also appeared as Mary Magdalene in the hit musical “Jesus Christ Superstar” – making her the second only black woman in history to perform the role. Displaying her versatility and desire to explore live musical theatre further, Deni also appeared in “Big River”, cementing her credibility on stage.
Following her success in France, Deni was asked to work on the soundtrack and 2 songs for director Luc Beeson’s film “Taxi”, which achieved Gold Status in its home country. Her music has also appeared in other films including the David Bowie film “Everyone Loves Sunshine”, and “Australia’s “The Wog Boy”; for which Deni recorded a cover of the classic Grace Jones track “Pull Up To the Bumper”, produced by The Black Eyed Peas.
Turning her had to television presenting, Deni became the host for Channel V’s urban/R&B show “Soul Kitchen”. As host for 2 years, Deni showed her quick wit and vivacious personality could excel in any medium, with a balance of both humour and unchallenged knowledge in the urban genres.
Subsequent singles “Son of a Preacherman” and “5 Days of Rain” from the album Water For Chocolate were released throughout the remainder of 2006 and into 2007 which Deni toured relentlessly and having not formerly been much of a touring artist, relished in the closeness one can get with an audience and the increase in bums on seats each and every show. “There’s nothing better than performing to an audience who are interested in you and your music, I find myself wanting to know about them as much as they want to know about me” says Deni. “the places, the people, the experiences are unforgettable, it’s a big world out there, and who said touring was a task master – I love it” laughs Deni.
