Pop sensation Sonia first shot to fame as a teenager in the 1980s and has since enjoyed success on the stage and screen.
Born in 1971, Sonia Evans – known by her first name Sonia - was brought up in Walton and is well-known for her chart topping hits and for representing the UK in 1993's Eurovision Song Contest. The now 51-year-old, originally from Skelmersdale, was a known talent from a young age.
Shortly after leaving school, she made appearances on some of TV's biggest shows, before launching her music career. She previously told the ECHO: "I went to the Elliot Clarke school when I was eight and by the time I was 16 I had the LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts) gold medal, and I went on from there to get small parts in Bread and Brookside."
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But whilst the teenager singer was playing the Liverpool club circuit, she was spotted by record producer Pete Waterman and an impromptu audition secured her a recording contract with Simon Cowell at BMG. In 1989, the then 18-year-old Liverpool singer hit the charts with her debut single - You'll Never Stop Me Loving You - which climbed up the UK charts to reach the number one spot.
Her debut album Everybody Knows sold 500,000 copies in 1990 and she became the first female UK artist to achieve five top 20 hit singles from one album. Here, we take a brief look back at the star's career and what she has been up to since first appearing on our screens.
The same year her debut album was released, Sonia also featured on a new version of the 1984 charity single Do They Know It’s Christmas?, as part of charity supergroup Band Aid II, alongside the likes of Bananarama, Chris Rea, Cliff Richard, Jason Donovan, Kylie Minogue and Wet Wet Wet. Sonia had numerous hits in the 80s and 90s, including songs Listen To Your Heart, Counting Every Minute. and Can’t Forget You.
But many will remember when the singer represented the UK in the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest, hosted in Millstreet, Ireland. Entering with her version of the song, Better the Devil You Know, Sonia was pipped to the title by Ireland, finishing second with 164 points.
Eurovision 1994 was very nearly held in Liverpool. One of the conditions Sonia gave the BBC on behalf of the city before signing on as our 1993 act was that we hosted if she won.
In later years, Sonia said she wouldn't hesitate to repeat the experience and that competing in Eurovision was one of the best moments of her life. She previously said: "I had a wonderful time at Eurovision. I was so sad when we came so close. We were all heartbroken, probably because we were convinced we would win.
"We were just all silent when the results were read out. The voting was the most tense time of my life. I feel proud to have taken part and I would do it again but on my terms."
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The already established pop star had a few more years in and out of the charts before moving to musical theatre. Alongside Dennis Waterman, Sonia made her theatre debut in the musical Slice of Saturday Night, before taking on the a Sandy in the West End revival of Grease in 1994.
In the 1990s, she also starred in the musical What a Feeling! and played the role of Lily Savage’s daughter, Bunty Savage, both on the BBC’s The Lily Savage Show and live shows.
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But out of the spotlight, the star later started a family. In 1998, she married partner Mark Moses and the couple have a daughter together, who was born in 2010.
Amongst her later roles, Sonia starred in Good Golly Miss Molly at the Royal Court Theatre in Liverpool and has since appeared on our screens on Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, The Weakest Link, Hell's Kitchen and This Morning. In addition to her roles in Pantomime, Sonia has also had stints on reality TV shows.
In 2003, she appeared on ITV's Reborn in the USA, which saw British musicians transported Stateside to revive their careers. In more recent years, she appeared on Channel 5’s Celebrity 5 Go Caravanning.
But the singer has continued to perform around the UK and in her 2014 Liverpool Pride debut said it's always "a privilege" to perform in the city.
At the time, she said: "For me, being in front of a home crowd makes such a difference, totally. I’ve played at the Empire and at the Epstein quite recently and it’s lovely to look out and see all the Scousers, it’s always a privilege to perform at home."
In 2019, Sonia announced she had signed with a new label and more music was on the way. She tweeted: "I am really happy to announce that I have signed with Energise records and will be recording new music. There will be a single in the summer and a new album to follow. Very excited x"
In 2020, the star celebrated her 50th birthday and is still performing across the country. Ahead of the upcoming Bank Holiday, Sonia is headlining Blackpool seafront as part of the resort’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
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