LeAnn Rimes
Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (born August 28, 1982)[1][2] is an American singer, songwriter and actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at age 13 with 1996's "Blue".[3] She has since crossed over into pop, contemporary Christian, and other musical genres.[4] Rimes has placed over 40 singles on international charts since 1996. In addition, she has sold over 48 million records worldwide, with 20.8 million album sales in the United States according to Nielsen SoundScan.[5] Billboard ranked her number 17 in terms of sales success in the 1990–1999 decade.[6]
This article is about the artist. For the album, see LeAnn Rimes (album).
LeAnn Rimes
Garland, Texas, U.S.
- Singer
- songwriter
- actress
- author
1990–present
- Curb
- Iconic
- Prodigy
- RCA
- EverLe
- Thirty Tigers
Rimes was raised in Texas and demonstrated a unique singing ability from a young age. Through her parents' efforts, Rimes began performing in various programs, including musical theater and local music contests. Developing a local following, Rimes recorded two studio albums as a preteen. These records helped bring her to the attention of Nashville label Curb Records. She signed a contract with Curb at age 13 and released 1996's "Blue". It became a top ten hit on the Billboard country songs chart. Her 1996 album of the same name sold over six million copies and established her as a major country artist. In 1997, Rimes crossed over into pop music with "How Do I Live". The song became one of the best-selling singles of the 1990s. An extended mix of the track was included on her next album You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs, which sold over four million copies. Over the next several years, Rimes's singles demonstrated further crossover success. These include "I Need You" and "Can't Fight the Moonlight".
Breaking away from her father's management in the 2000s, Rimes experimented with several styles. In 2002, she released the pop-inspired Twisted Angel and in 2004 released the Christmas record What a Wonderful World. She returned to her country origins with 2005's This Woman, which produced three country hits. A similar album project followed in 2007 titled Family. After appearing in the 2009 television film Northern Lights, Rimes began an affair with fellow actor Eddie Cibrian. The relationship received notable media attention over the next several years. Her 2013 album, Spitfire chronicled the affair and her personal difficulties from the experience.
Ending her long-time professional relationship with Curb Records, Rimes released a series of Christmas recordings over the next several years. They included 2014's One Christmas: Chapter 1 and 2015's Today Is Christmas. In 2016, she returned with the pop-flavored studio effort Remnants, which featured two Billboard dance club hits. Her most recent efforts include a 2020 album titled Chant: The Human & the Holy, which centers on personal mantras and chants inspired by Rimes's mental health journeys. Rimes further developed her acting career during this period. She has since appeared in several feature and television films including Good Intentions (2010), Reel Love (2011), and It's Christmas, Eve (2018). She also guest appeared in the Netflix series Country Comfort (2021) as herself. She is set to appear as a coach on The Voice Australia and The Voice UK in 2024.
Early life
Rimes was born in Jackson, Mississippi. She is the only child of Wilbur Rimes and Belinda Butler. The family moved to Garland, Texas, when she was six. She was enrolled in vocal and dance classes, and was performing at local talent shows at the age of five.[7] Rimes began her career in musical theatre, performing in a Dallas, Texas, production of A Christmas Carol, and almost landing the lead part in the Broadway production of Annie. After appearing on the network television competition show Star Search, where she clearly charmed host Ed McMahon in addition to being a one-week champion, Rimes decided to go into country music. Rimes appeared a number of times on Johnnie High's Country Music Revue in Arlington, Texas which gained the attention of national talent scouts.
By age nine, Rimes was an experienced singer. She toured nationally with her father and also regularly performed a cappella renditions of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the opening of the Dallas Cowboys football games. Wilbur Rimes began recording his daughter under the independent label Nor Va Jak when she turned 11. Her debut studio album was released on the label in 1991 entitled Everybody's Sweetheart.[8] Rimes was then discovered by Dallas disc jockey and record promoter Bill Mack. Mack was impressed by Rimes's vocal ability, and over the following three years, he made various attempts to take Rimes to a mainstream level. The center of Mack's plan to bring her success was his composition, "Blue". In July 1994, Rimes recorded the song on her second studio album, All That.[9] Mack then arranged a recording contract for Rimes with Curb Records. She signed with the Nashville label in 1996.[7]
Music career
1996: Country music breakthrough with Blue
After signing with Curb Records, Rimes recorded a new version of "Blue" as a single. However, Rimes told a BBC radio program in October 2016[10] that the record company accidentally released the version she had recorded as an 11-year-old. She said it was this version that peaked at number ten on the Billboard Country Chart.[11] Writers and critics drew comparisons to Rimes with that of Patsy Cline.[12][13] Promotion for the single incorrectly said that Rimes was the first person to record the song. The statement proved false as the song had been recorded by multiple artists over the years including Bill Mack himself. Nonetheless, the media attention to "Blue" further added to the belief that Rimes was the successor to Cline's legacy.[7]
Rimes third album of the same name was also released in 1996.[7][3][14] The disc sold 123,000 copies in its first week, the highest figure in SoundScan history at that time. It peaked at number one on the Top Country Albums and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 albums chart, eventually selling a total of four million copies in the United States and eight million copies worldwide.[14][7][15] AllMusic considered the album to be "delightful" and that it could "help inspire other young teens".[16] Rimes followed up the single with "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)". The song became her first and only number one single on the Billboard Country Chart.[17] A remake of Eddy Arnold's 1955 hit "The Cattle Call" was later released as a single as well.[3][11] Blue would also spawn the charting single "Hurt Me" and the top five country song "The Light in Your Eyes".[17]
With the album's success Rimes received many major industry awards. In 1997 at 14 years old she became the youngest person to win a Grammy, for Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance for "Blue". She was also the first Country music artist to win the Best New Artist category.[7] The same year she won the Country Music Association's "Horizon Award" for Best New Artist Of The Year, becoming the youngest person to ever be nominated and win a Country Music Association award.[18] She was nominated for similar awards from the Academy of Country Music.[19]
1997–2004: Pop crossover and worldwide success
In 1997, Rimes released a compilation of previously recorded material under the Nor Va Jak label, Unchained Melody: The Early Years. The album mainly consisted of remakes, ranging from Country to pop, including songs originally recorded by The Beatles, Whitney Houston, Bill Monroe, and Dolly Parton.[20] Rimes's version of the title track became a major country hit in early 1997 and helped increase sales for the album.[11] In June 1997, Rimes would appear on the Disney Channel for television special called LeAnn Rimes in Concert.[21][22] In September 1997, Rimes released her follow-up studio album to Blue titled You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs. The album covered classic inspirational songs and several pop songs. It was a departure from Rimes's previous releases with more Adult Contemporary-styled music than Country.[23] The album sold over four million copies in the United States, certifying 4× Multi-Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[24] The album contained an extended version of the single "How Do I Live", which became a major pop hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching number two.[25][11] "How Do I Live" set a new record for becoming the longest-running single in Billboard Hot 100 history, spending 69 weeks on the chart.[15] In later years, the song was ranked as the most successful song of the 1990s by Billboard magazine.[26]
Acting career
1997–2007: Move to Los Angeles and early acting roles
In 1997, Rimes's parents divorced. While her father stayed in Nashville, Rimes chose to move to Los Angeles with her mother. In Los Angeles, Rimes started an acting career at age 16.[91] The same year, Rimes starred in the ABC television film Holiday in Your Heart. The film was based on Rimes's book of the same name, which was also released in 1997. The film was the start of three-movie contract that Rimes was offered by ABC in 1998.[92] The film was partially semi-autobiographical, with Rimes playing a country performer who discovers that her grandmother becomes hospitalized. In the film, Rimes also performed several of her hits including "Blue" and "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)".[93] In 1998, she played a teen runaway in one episode of Days of Our Lives. "My grandmother used to ... I used to want to watch Sesame Street and she would make me watch Days of Our Lives and so I got hooked on it. I watch Days all the time," Rimes explained.[94]
In 2000, Rimes not only contributed to the soundtrack of Coyote Ugly, but also appeared in the film itself. Rimes only appeared at the end of the movie, dancing on top of a bar alongside actresses Tyra Banks and Piper Perabo. "I was trying to be this sexy singer performing on a bar, and that was so opposite of me. I was really acting at the time 'cause I was still figuring all that out about myself," she told Entertainment Tonight.[95] In addition, Rimes provided the singing voice for Piper Perabo's character Violet Sanford.[96]
Artistry
Voice and vocal ability
Rimes's voice has been described as a soprano.[116][117][118] She has often been described by critics as having "powerhouse vocals".[119][4][120] Critics took notice from her earliest recordings. Entertainment Weekly's Don McLeese commented, "Though 'Young Country' doesn't get much younger than Rimes, she already shows more poise and maturity than many artists twice her age."[121] In similar vein, The Washington Post wrote in 2005 "Rimes's voice is far and away her strongest selling point. Rich and worldly, it belied her young age -- especially when she tackled a vintage-sounding country song like 'Blue'."[122] From a young age, Rimes also chose material that was considered beyond her years. In her first album, Rimes recorded such material as Deborah Allen's "My Baby", whose lyrics say, "my baby is a full-time lover, my baby is a full-grown man."[14] Other material such as Diane Warren's "How Do I Live" had also been considered too mature for Rimes's age and was the main reason why her version of the song was not chosen to be used in the soundtrack for the film Con Air.[123]
Philanthropy
Rimes lent her voice to the 2008 song "Just Stand Up". The proceeds benefited Stand Up to Cancer. As a result of SU2C fundraising endeavors, the SU2C scientific advisory committee, overseen by the American Association for Cancer Research, was able to award $73.6 million towards cancer research.[166] In 2009, Rimes was given a special humanitarian award from the Academy of Country Music in honor of her philanthropic efforts.[19] In December 2010, she performed "The Rose", joined by The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles[167] in remembrance of the many gay teenagers who committed suicide in 2010. On her weblog she wrote on June 18, 2011: "I believe in equality for everyone. I believe everyone should have the right to love and commit to whomever they want. [...] All I know is that in God's eyes we are all the same. I just wish we could see through the eyes of God more often."[168] In 2017, Rimes revealed that her uncle was gay and died from the AIDS virus. "Now, every time, everywhere I get to sing—or when I get stand up alongside my LGBTQ brothers and sisters—I get to give him a voice," she commented.[169]
Studio albums
