Diane Charlemagne: Vocalist who rose to fame with Urban Cookie Collective before helping Goldie to change the face of drum’n’bass

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Diane Charlemagne was one of the UK’s greatest soul voices, and a true diva of dance. She leant her haunting, jazzy vocals to such Goldie tunes as “Inner City Life” and “Kemistry” and helped to change the direction of drum’n’bass: her mellifluous, sweet and husky tones provided a feminine counterpoint to a musical scene whose emphasis and beats had seemed resolutely male.

But before those 1995 releases, both taken from Goldie’s venerated Timeless album, Charlemagne had already found fame as the singer with the commercial house outfit Urban Cookie Collective, who in 1993 began a string of hits with “The Key, the Secret”, a No 2 song.

Prior to that, she’d had succees with the 1980s jazz-funk outfit 52nd Street, which she joined in 1983; three years later, their tune “Tell Me How It Feels” reached No 15 in the US charts. Infinitely agile at crossing genres, she later worked onstage for over three years with the colossally successful Moby, and even with Elton John.

Yet in recent years, despite singing since 2012 with such young prodigies as new school drum’n’bass maestro Netsky, she was reduced to pulling 12-hour shifts as a security guard, close to her home in south-east London.

Elements of tragedy dogged Charlemagne’s life. Growing up on Manchester’s Moss Side, Charlemagne endured an extremely difficult upbringing that led to her running away from home and sleeping rough as a teenager. At the age of 16, however, she started a relationship with Andrew Fagan, a local bass player. Together they formed Inheritance, playing soul and funk. In 1986 they married, and were together for 16 years, Fagan eventually playing in Goldie’s band.

When she was 19, Charlemagne joined 52nd Street, the Manchester group that was signed to Tony Wilson’s Factory Records. The band’s manager was Lindsay Reade, Wilson’s ex-wife. This emotionally complex dynamic led to the group leaving Factory for Virgin’s 10 Records subsidiary, where they enjoyed success.

“I loved that girl as a true friend,’ said Reade of Charlemagne. “She was pretty damn special.” In the manner of some people who have suffered abuse, the singer developed psychic antennae as a measure of self-protection. “She always had this psychic insight into things: she said she would leave her body so she could cope. She was a bit like everyone’s mother, and always had this spiritual side to her. As a young child she had had a vision of herself onstage with a light on her. When she worked with Moby that was the peak of that.”

As with many groups, the internal relationships in 52nd Street were intricate. “They were always falling out, and Diane was being put in the shadows. She wasn’t allowed to be the true diva she should have been. Because she was a diva. Mind you, it’s all very well saying how wonderful she was, but she wasn’t remunerated as well as she should have been.”

With two other members of 52nd Street, Charlemagne formed Cool Down Zone in 1990. Lacking commercial success, they disbanded in 1993. During this time she was also an occasional member of the collective Nomad Soul, which had been put together by the producers Howie B and Dobie.

It was in 1993 that she became involved with Urban Cookie Collective, at first only as a guest vocalist. But she soon became a full time, central member, and began co-writing songs. Following the success of “The Key, the Secret”, “Feels Like Heaven” reached No 5 in the same year. “Sail Away” and “High on a Happy Vibe” were also Top 20 hits. Urban Cookie Collective toured the world for the next two years, and scored No 1 hits in many countries. Later in the 1990s she worked and wrote with numerous house and garage artists, including K-Klass, Satoshi Tomiie, Mutiny UK, Santos, and Judge Jules.

At the very end of the last century she was brought into the touring band of Moby, playing large-scale dates with him all over the world. These included an epic performance at Glastonbury in June 2003. Not long after joining, she duetted in a television performance of the Moby tune “Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?” with guest vocalist Elton John.

“We had many years on and off the road with Moby,” wrote the percussionist Pablo Cook on Facebook. “She was a joy to be with and we giggled our way around the world several times. Her voice some nights made me tingle.”

Three year ago, she began to work with Netsky. Although diagnosed last year with kidney cancer – not lung cancer, as has been reported – Charlemagne continued to try and record.

Prior to her body beginning to fail, she sang on “In Your Eyes”, with backing from The Smiths’ Andy Rourke and The Fall’s Simon Wolstencroft. Remixed by Youth, the tune will be released on 20 November.

Not long before she died, Reade visited her. “Diane said, “Never mind me: think of all those children who have cancer. I’ve had a life – they haven’t.’ Not thinking of herself at all, but of poor kids. Very typical of her. She died too bloody young!”

CHRIS SALEWICZ

Diane Charlemagne, singer and songwriter: born Manchester 22 February 1964; married 1986 Andrew Fagan (divorced 2002); one daughter; died London 28 October 2015.