Sonia

Sonia Evans (born 13 February 1971), known mononymously as Sonia, is an English pop singer from Liverpool.

She had a 1989 UK number one hit with "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" and became the first female UK artist to achieve five top 20 hit singles from one album.

Between 1989 and 1993, she had 11 UK top 30 hits, including "Listen to Your Heart" (1989), "Counting Every Minute" (1990) and "Only Fools (Never Fall in Love)" (1991).

Sonia's debut single, "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You", composed and produced by the songwriting and music production trio Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman (Stock Aitken Waterman) was released in June 1989.

"You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" peaked at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks the following month.

At 18, Sonia became one of the youngest female British singers to achieve this feat.

The single also topped the Irish chart and reached the top 10 of the US dance chart.

Sonia also contributed to two charity singles, Band Aid II's "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1989 (peaked at number 1 in the UK ) and Gulf Aid's "As Time Stood Still" in 1991.

Sonia's debut album, Everybody Knows, was released in April 1990.

The album peaked at number 7 in the UK, and was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry.

All five singles released from the album became top 20 hits in the UK, making Sonia the first British solo female artist to achieve this.

Sonia achieved a sixth top 20 hit in the UK in 1990 with "You've Got a Friend", recorded with the group Big Fun, and released as a charity single for Childline.

Sonia left her record label and released her second, self-titled album in 1991, produced by Nigel Wright.

The first single released from it, "Only Fools (Never Fall in Love)" became Sonia's third UK top 10 hit, although the album was less successful than her debut.

She represented the United Kingdom in the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest, where she finished second with the song "Better the Devil You Know".

In 1993, Sonia represented the United Kingdom in the 1993 Eurovision Song Contest, singing the Dean Collinson and Brian Teasdale composition "Better the Devil You Know".

She was placed second in the contest.

Her third album, also titled Better the Devil You Know was released that year and reached number 32 in the UK.

Sonia performed the song again on Saturday, 13 May 2023, during the interval at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, 30 years after her first appearance.

The day before, she also appeared in Hollyoaks (see TV appearances below) performing her iconic Eurovision entry to the cast at an on-screen Eurovision party.

In 1994, she starred as Sandy in a West End revival of the musical Grease, while on television she appeared as Bunty in the 1998 BBC comedy series The Lily Savage Show.

Sonia was signed to Chrysalis Records after badgering Pete Waterman to listen to her sing outside his recording studio in Liverpool.

Waterman called her bluff and asked her to sing live on his weekly radio show.

In 1994, Sonia replaced singer Debbie Gibson as Sandy in the West End musical Grease.

A cover of "Hopelessly Devoted to You" was released as a tie-in single, but it only peaked at number 61 in the UK.

In 1995, Sonia released a cover of "Wake Up Everybody", which did not enter the UK top 100.

It was to be the lead single of her fourth album, the soul covers album Love Train – The Philly Album, but Sonia was unhappy with it and it only received a promotional release.

Sonia performed a vocal part in Italian Eurobeat singer Nuage's "I'm Never Gonna Let You Down and Forget You", released in Japan in 2004, produced by Dave Rodgers.

Late 2007 saw the release of Sonia's Greatest Hits album.

However, this compilation only featured recordings from Sonia's two albums released on BMG.

In 2007, prior to Sonia's Greatest Hits release, she recorded two Motown-influenced songs, "Dancing in the Driver's Seat" and "Your Heart or Mine", both of which were written by Barry Upton and U.S. songwriter Gordon Pogoda.

Another song recorded with Upton and Pogoda in 2007, "Your Heart or Mine", was released in 2018 as its follow-up.

In 2008, Sonia recorded a cover of the Beatles' "She Loves You" for the Liverpool – The Number Ones Album.

On 1 June 2009, Sonia released her first single in 14 years, "Fool for Love".

In October 2010, the Everybody Knows album was remastered and re-issued in expanded form, containing two additional tracks, extended versions of her first four singles, and a demo version of "You'll Never Stop Me Loving You".

Also in 2010, Sonia's cover version of "You've Got a Friend", a duet with Big Fun, was released on a reissue of the group's debut album.

On 21 December 2012, Sonia performed at the Stock Aitken Waterman "Hit Factory Live" reunion concert at The O2 in London, along with many other former SAW acts, including Kylie Minogue.

However, her record label decided to include no new songs on Greatest Hits so both tracks remained unreleased until 2018.

In summer 2018, in conjunction with her appearance in the Channel 5 program Celebrity 5 Go Caravanning, Sonia's recording of "Dancing in the Driver's Seat", written by Barry Upton and Gordon Pogoda, was released.

Sonia signed a new record deal with Energise Records in 2019, and a new single, "A Night That's Never Ending", was released in November 2019.