Kaci Battaglia
Kaci Battaglia | |
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Birth name | Kaci Lyn Battaglia |
Born | October 3, 1987 |
Origin | Clearwater, Florida, United States |
Genres | Pop, dance |
Years active | 1998-2013 |
Labels | Curb Records (2001–2013) |
Website | Official website |
Kaci Lyn Battaglia (/ˈkeɪsi/ KAY-see; born October 3, 1987 in Clearwater, Florida), also known as Kaci, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Kaci rose to fame in 2001 with her hit single "Paradise", She parted ways with her record label in 2013 and is currently working towards her degree in Computer Engineering.
Early life
Kaci Battaglia was born and raised in Clearwater, Florida, part of the Tampa Bay region. She is the daughter of Danny Battaglia and Donna DeVille. She is of Italian-American and German-American ancestry. Battaglia began singing when she was three years old, and often performed at her father's karaoke club. By the age of eight she began performing throughout Florida for dignitaries, in concerts, and for sports events. In 2001, Battaglia tested post-highschool in all subjects. As a result, she began attending St. Petersburg College both online and between tours.
Music career
At age 11, Battaglia independently released A Thousand Stars, an album that was produced by her mother, Donna. A portion of the proceeds from A Thousand Stars went to help a housing project for the less fortunate. Battaglia began looking for a recording contract when she was eleven years old, due to the success of her independent album. She caught the eye of record producer Joel Diamond after Battaglia's mom called and asked Diamond to audition her daughter. Diamond put up his own money to record her. After being turned down by over 20 record labels with his demo, "Paradise", for her, it was Mike Curb who called Diamond months after receiving the recording and told him that he wanted to sign Battaglia to Curb Records.
Her debut single "Paradise", a cover of the theme song originally sung by Phoebe Cates in the 1982 film Paradise, was released in 2001 and hit #11 in the UK.[1] Battaglia's Latin-flavored second single "Tu Amor" was released in the UK on July of the same year, scoring a more moderate impact on the charts, peaking at number 24. Her third single was a cover of The Partridge Family's, "I Think I Love You". It became her only top 10 hit in the UK in February of the year 2002. In 2003, she teamed up with a Japanese photographer and released a photo book entitled, Kaci: I'm a Singer. This photo book was filled with pictures of Battaglia while in her hometown in Florida. The book was released in 2007 exclusively in Japan, along with a re-release of her album, Paradise. Kaci did a song "I Will Learn to Love Again" for the 2005 film The Perfect Man.
She released "I Can't Help Myself", a track that was serviced to dance radio stations and does not appear on the record. Her single "Crazy Possessive" reached #1 on the Billboard Dance chart. Another single, "Body Shots" was featured on episode 8x02 of The CW's One Tree Hill also reached #1 on the Billboard Dance chart. Her album Bring It On released in 2010 only in Japan as a physical release, however it was released digital download in the United States. It's unknown if the album charted or not.
Battaglia parted ways with Curb Records in October 2013 and she retired from the music industry. Currently she is working towards her degree in Computer Engineering.
Highlights
- Three Top 10 hits in Europe (starting at age 13) and two Billboard #1’s on both Dance and Club Charts
- First single, Paradise sold over 30,000 units first week out in the UK alone
- Songs featured in TV & movies: One Tree Hill, Weeds, The Big C, The Perfect Man, View from the Top
- Guest on TV/radio programs: MTV, CNN, FOX & Friends, CBS Morning, Entertainment Tonight etc.
- Co-wrote Lucy Hale’s single “Bless Myself” and Kimberly Locke’s single “Wrong”
- Presenter at the Teen Choice Awards; opened Super Bowl XXXV; hosted Nickelodeon’s Slimetime Live
- Attended Cambridge University: International Politics in 2006 via a study abroad program offered at St. Petersburg College for Phi Theta Kappa Honor Students
Discography
Albums
- A Thousand Stars (1998)
- Paradise[1] (2001) (World - 120,000)
- Bring It On (2010) (World - 100,000)
Singles
Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK[1] | US | US Dance | |||||||||||||
2001 | "Paradise" | 11 | — | — | Paradise | ||||||||||
2001 | "Tu Amor" | 24 | — | — | |||||||||||
2002 | "I Think I Love You" | 10 | — | — | |||||||||||
2002 | "I'm Not Anybody's Girl" | 55 | — | — | I'm Not Anybody's Girl | ||||||||||
2009 | "Crazy Possessive" | — | 43 | 1 | Bring It On | ||||||||||
2010 | "Body Shots" (featuring Ludacris) | — | — | 1 | |||||||||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that country. |
Touring
- Opener for various artists including, O-Town, Backstreet Boys and Westlife.
- WFLZ 93.3's The Big One: August 25, 2001; St. Pete Times Forum (formerly the Ice Palace Arena) in Tampa, Florida. (radio show)
- ESPN's Super Bowl Halftime Show: January 2002; Video for her single, "Paradise" was played.
- Pepsi's Your Taste, Your Style, Your Night of Shopping 2002: August 2002; Mall Tour
- Capital One Bowl Halftime Show: January 1, 2003, Orlando, Florida
- 93Q & Coors Light Balloon Fest: June 14, 2003 in Syracuse (Jamesville), New York
- Gay Pride Pink Saturday Concert: June 27, 2009 in San Francisco, California
- Gay Pride Festival Saturday Concert: May 1, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes | World Wide Gross |
---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Camp Tanglefoot: It All Adds Up | Jenny Russel (Also known as Lyn) | Major Supporting Role | Unknown |
References
External links
- Kaci on Twitter
- Curve Magazine - Kaci Battaglia is Breaking Out - 2009 interview
- “Kaci Battaglia at ”Ok Magazine
- Starpulse.com - Pop Sensation Kaci Battaglia Returns With Ludacris On Hit Single 'Body Shots' (Video)
- IGN.com - Babe of the Day: Kaci Battaglia - September 2009
- TheSmokingJacket.com - Ballbreaker: Kaci Battaglia - September 2010