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It's on April 6, 1978, that Myleene Angela Klass was born in Norfolk, England. Her father, Oscar, was a ship captain and was therefore often away from home. Her mother, Magdalena, took on the duties of raising Myleene and her younger siblings Jessie and Don. Myleene was only 4 years old when she started getting into music. At that age she began playing piano, as well as her grandfather's violin. Music was definitely in her genes. During the same period, Myleene was part of a singing trio with her siblings and everyone called them the "von Trapp kids." After attending two Catholic schools, St. Mary's and Notre Dame, she pursued her secondary education at Cliff Park High. When she was 14, she was fortunate enough to be offered a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music, where she learned to play the harp. This school, which had her traveling to London from Norfolk every weekend, was a great experience for her, since this is where she could shine. As her high school graduation rolled around in the mid-'90s, she was offered a spot at Cambridge University but turned it down because she wanted to pursue a music career. She didn't waste any time, however, and got a part in the Miss Saigon musical at the West End. It was also during those years that Myleene got work singing back vocals for Cliff Richards, k.d. lang, and Michael Crawford, with whom she spent two months on tour. Next for her was the Royal Academy of Music. Even though she had no university degree, they listened to her music and took her on as a post-graduate student. In January 2001, the British network ITV was launching a new TV show called Popstars, in which a nationwide talent search would allow the public to vote to form a five-member pop group. Each week, millions of viewers tuned in to watch the auditions. Myleene was interested in the idea and submitted herself to this grueling process. The group of hundreds of hopefuls was brought down to 60 and finally to 10. The young musician from Norfolk managed to hang on for the ride. Finally, the votes were in and the final five were chosen. They were Noel Sullivan, Kym Marsh, Suzanne Shaw, Danny Foster, and, of course, Myleene Klass. The band would eventually be named Hear'Say. At the same time, Myleene was offered a classical record deal, but she turned it down as she didn't feel she could commit herself to both. She wanted to give herself wholeheartedly to her new band. Before their first album, Popstars, was released in March 2001, Hear'Say was already one of the greatest cultural phenomena the United Kingdom had ever seen. Their debut single, "Pure and Simple," sold over 1.2 million copies and they were on top of the world. It was the fastest selling single in UK chart history. In July 2001, they released a second album called Everybody. However, after singles like "Lovin' Is Easy," "I Knew You Were Waiting," and "Way to Your Love Pt. 1," the British public soon grew tired of the endless tabloid articles on them and their numerous TV interviews. There was a great deal of animosity between Myleene and Kym Marsh, and the latter eventually left the band in early 2002. Hungry for publicity, Hear'Say held public auditions to find a replacement even though the guy they finally chose, Johnny Shentall, had previously been in another failed band and was a friend. Still, things were looking bad for Hear'Say. Their tour was indefinitely postponed, the hits dried up, and their fan base vanished. As quickly as they had become popular, Hear'Say became the butt of all jokes. In the fall of 2002, the band split up. But as the only member of Hear'Say with any formal musical training, Myleene had plenty of options open to her. In early 2003, Myleene was offered both a pop and classical record deal. It was a no-brainer for her and she signed a six-record deal with Universal Classics, worth more than a million pounds. Her album, Moving On, was released in Britain in October 2003. On it, she simply plays the piano, placing a new contemporary spin on classical pieces and movie scores. Happy where she is right now in her career, she currently lives in London.
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