Lisa Lee Dark (born Lee Dark; 16 April 1981) is a Welsh opera singer, songwriter, and voice actress.
Lisa Lee Dark | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lee Dark |
| Born | 16 April 1981 |
| Origin | Swansea, Wales |
| Genres | Opera, classical crossover, Christian, new-age, dance |
| Occupation(s) | Opera singer, songwriter, voice actress |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Angel Guardian Records, VIP international Records |
| Website | Blog |
Early life
editLisa Lee Dark was born Lee Dark[1] in the Clydach area of Swansea on 16 April 1981.[2] Her distant relatives include Italian opera singer Adelina Patti.[3] She was born with the rare medical condition congenital adrenal hyperplasia, which leads to excessive generation of testosterone during the early part of foetal life.[4] This meant that she was raised as male because doctors failed to realise that she was biologically female, a fact even she did not discover until she was 19 years old.[1][5] She was very badly bullied during her school years.[5][6] She went to an all-boys comprehensive school where she would regularly get kicked, punched, spat at, and have obscene things screamed at her; even outside school, she would get the same treatment because she was slightly different and did not behave like all the other boys.[4][7] This left her with agoraphobia and PTSD.[7]
Music career
editAt age 12 she was discovered while singing in a park in Swansea.[8] In 2000 she released a compilation CD of ten years of her recordings she called The Unknown Story of Lisa-Lee Dark.[8] In 2004, Dark released an album entitled Breath of Life.[1] As of 2009 it had sold 50,000 copies.[9] She has released several more since,[4] including one in French.[9] She had previously worked on films, backing tracks and voiceovers.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c Davies, Daniel (13 September 2004). "Lisa-Lee album launch". The Western Mail. walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 20 December 2008.
- ^ Williams, Maria (11 July 1999). "Why I'll be twice as good as the average pop star". Wales on Sunday.
- ^ a b c Gledhill, Ruth (20 November 2004). "Highs and lows". The Times. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d Smith, Mark (25 March 2018). "I want people to see me as a human being first and foremost". Wales on Sunday. pp. 6–7. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ a b "BBC Radio 4 – Changing Sex". Retrieved 6 August 2008.
- ^ Collins, Claire (8 May 2000). "Showbiz loves the girl who was a guy". The Mirror. p. 18. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ a b Smith, Mark (24 March 2018). "The woman who didn't realise she was female until she was 19". Wales Online. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
- ^ a b Doyle, Christine (25 April 2000). "Lisa-Lee's refuge in music". The Daily Telegraph.
- ^ a b "Opera star wants to give back to charities". South Wales Evening Post. p. 16. Retrieved 29 September 2009.