Dane Bowers

R&B vocalist Dane Bowers scored a dozen hit singles at the turn of the century, as lead singer of boy band Another Level, guest vocalist with garage duo Truesteppers, and with his own brief solo career. Born in Sutton, London in 1979, Bowers attended the prestigious Brits School, and after graduating in 1997, joined vocal group Another Level, one of the more credible pop acts of the era. The quartet scored a number one with their cover version of Silk's "Freak Me," and released two Top Ten albums before disbanding in 1999. Following their split, he teamed up with Truesteppers, both on the number six hit "Buggin'" and "Out of Your Mind," a duet with Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, which narrowly lost the number one spot to Spiller's "Groovejet" in one of the most highly publicized chart battles of the decade. In 2001, he co-wrote tracks for Beckham and US. diva Faith Evans, and scored two Top Ten solo singles with "Shut Up and Forget About It" and the Wyclef Jean-produced "Another Lover." However, his full-length debut, Facing the Crowd, went unreleased, and Bowers parted company with his label. Turning his attention to DJ'ing, he performed at superclubs Gatecrasher, Eden, and Es Paradis, before returning to the pop scene in 2006, when he was invited to appear on MTV's Totally Boyband, a reality show which created a new group made up of former pop stars. Alongside New Kids on the Block's Danny Wood, 911's Jimmy Constable, and S Club 7's Bradley McIntosh, he recorded a single, "The One," under the guise of Upper Street, but following its lowly number 35 chart position, the project was abandoned. In 2010, Bowers finished second in the final series of Celebrity Big Brother, and signed to Conehead UK, where he released his first solo single in nine years, "All She Wants." HE is currently working on his second solo album. ~ Jon O'Brien, Rovi