SONIA

Sonia Evans (born 13 February 1971) better known as just Sonia, is an English pop singer from Skelmersdale, West Lancashire, who was popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Career
Her singing career was launched in 1989 by the songwriting and music producing trio Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman known as Stock Aitken Waterman. She was signed to Chrysalis Records after badgering Pete Waterman to listen to her sing outside the recording studio in Liverpool. Waterman did a regular weekly radio broadcast. He called her bluff and had her sing live on his show. She released her debut single, "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" in June 1989[3] and it quickly became a number one single in the UK Singles Chart. At 18, she became one of the youngest female British singers to achieve this feat.
She released her debut album, Everybody Knows, in 1990, which peaked at #7. All 5 singles taken from it became top 20 hits, with Sonia becoming the first British female to do so. Also in 1990, she recorded the song "You've Got A Friend" with the group Big Fun. It was released as a charity single for Childline and became a top 20 hit.
Due to tensions with Stock Aitken & Waterman she left the label and released her second, self titled album in 1991, produced by Nigel Wright. The first single taken from it, "Only Fools (Never Fall In Love)" peaked at #10, although the album was less successful than her debut.
She sang on two charity singles, Band Aid II's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1989 (peaked at #1 in the UK) and Gulf Aid's "As Time Stood Still" in 1991.
In 1993, she represented the United Kingdom in the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest, singing the Dean Collinson and Red composition "Better the Devil You Know". She finished in second place. Her third album, also titled Better The Devil You Know was released that year.
In 1994, she replaced singer Debbie Gibson as Sandy in the West End musical Grease. A cover of "Hopelessly Devoted To You" was released as a single, but it only peaked at #61 in the UK.
In 1995 she released her last single to date, a cover of "Wake Up Everybody", which didn't enter the UK top 75. It was to be the lead single of her fourth album, the Motown covers album Love Train - The Philly Album, but Sonia was unhappy with it and it was only released as a promo.
In 2003, Evans took part in the reality television show Reborn in the USA alongside Elkie Brooks and Tony Hadley, but was voted off in its fifth week. In January 2007 she starred in the pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk, as Jack in Horsham, West Sussex, alongside Mark Curry. Late 2007 saw her greatest hits album released only featuring recordings from Sonia's time with BMG Music (1991-1993).
In 2008, Sonia recorded a cover of The Beatles' classic "She Loves You" for the Liverpool - The Number One's Album. She appeared in panto in December 2008. She took the part of the "Good Fairy" in Sleeping Beauty at Rhyl Pavilion Theatre, North Wales from 12 December 2008 to 10 January 2009.[citation needed]
Sonia is going to release a new single in April 2009 titled "Fool for Love".
Sonia has also acted during her career, having been an extra in Brookside and in the television comedy Bread as the girlfriend of the youngest Boswell child, Billy. This was before her singing career took off and she is credited as Sonia Evans. She has also played alongside Lily Savage as her wayward daughter Bunty Savage, both on the BBC series The Lily Savage show and live shows.
Television work
In 1990, Sonia co-hosted children's gameshow The Wetter The Better as a scoreboard person with main quizmaster Ross King which was part of the Saturday morning children's magazine show 8:15 from Manchester.
In 2004, Sonia appeared in the reality show Reborn in the USA where former popstars including Leee John from the band Imagination, Michelle Gayle, Elkie Brooks and pop duo Dollar performed American hits. The show saw the artists touring America and each week one artist was eliminated from the show. The show was aired on ITV1 and was presented by Davina McCall. Sonia came sixth out of the nine participants.