Hinda was born in Tunisia, but moved to West Sussex in England when she was only 4 years old. She experienced a fair few name changes before settling with Hinda Hicks. Her mother called her Hind, the name on her birth certificate and Tunisian passport was Henda. Then on her British passport she was called Hinda.

She was influenced by many artists who paved the way for so many female singers. This list of legends includes Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald and Stevie Wonder, a list not exactly brimming with artists of the current times. She didn’t know it, but her mother was also a well-respected singer in Tunisia, but was unable to fulfil her desires due to parental opposition. Hinda hadn’t even considered herself to be able to sing, let alone make a career out of it. A friend overheard her singing along to an Aretha Franklin tune on her walkman, and suggested that she should reconsider this option.

Hinda was looking into basketball where she played to country standard. She was even offered a scholarship in the home of basketball, the United States. She’s also a qualified coach and takes a basketball almost everywhere she goes. As far as future employment was concerned, she actually wanted to be a ceramics teacher. She also has some A-levels and hey! She’s even done a little modelling.

Hinda, like many before her, has travelled a road which has seen many twists and turns, heartache and glory. She couldn’t claim to being an overnight success.

It all started when she joined a rhythm and blues band from West Sussex, called the Fabulous Fug Band. So determined was she to discover her dream, that she took a brave step and sent superstar Phil Collins a demo of Aretha’s Giving Him Something He Can Feel. His mansion was just down the road from her. On listening to it, he kindly sent her a letter praising her efforts and listing some record companies he thought might be interested. Unfortunately many rejection letters came her way. All the companies felt that she was a little too far ahead of the times and decided not to take a chance with her.

Undaunted she remained, and put her studies and her life on the line. She moved to London, got a job in a secretarial role and joined another band called mixed fruits. This one failed to last long. . But the lack of opportunities to sing got the better of her. In desperation she called a friend who introduced her to Jazz Black. He invited her for an audition, where she sang Randy Crawford’s One Day I’ll Fly Away. Within 2 weeks, 12 record companies were showing signs of interest. Island won on the strength of previous efforts with British r&b star Mica Paris and long time friend Will Downing. At the time when Hinda signed, there were no female singers in the genre.

Jazz Black (by then her manager), helped in lining up a glittering array of legendary producers. These included Leon Ware (who wrote When You Touch Me There), Tommy Farragher (who’s worked with the likes of Al Green) and Ital (who helped give Maxwell his best selling album at that time).

Late 1997 saw Hinda release I Wanna Be Your Lady. It peaked at 89 in the charts. This position may seem extremely poor, but Island didn’t give it much promotion, and the song was only heard by r&b enthusiasts, being played on specialist shows and stations. 1998 was coming, and so was change.

February saw Hinda cross over into the mainstream. With plenty of promotion in magazines and media showcases behind her, her first single was released. If You Want Me peaked in the chart at number 25 in late February.

You Think You Own Me was released in early May, peaking at number 19.

Early August saw the release of I Wanna Be Your Lady, reaching number 14. By then Hinda was well established, doing radio 1 road shows and other showcases. She also toured with 911 and Boyzone, as well as promoting her album.

She received 3 MOBO nominations in October, but didn’t win any. Truly was released in November, but it failed to maintain the success of her previous hits, only reaching 31 in the charts. She also appeared on the charity single Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now by the MOBO Allstars, which featured the cream of British r&b singers and producers. She also made her debut on the big screen, singing in a film called GMT, all about London. It was funded by Mel Gibson.

1999 got off to a good start, receiving 2 Brit Award Nomminations, including best single and best female artist. Again she missed out, though she had much support from fans.

Things went pretty quiet on the Hinda front for the rest of the year, though she was back in the studio writing new songs for her next album.

2000 had much anticipation for Hinda. She starred in another movie, this time all about one of her other passions basketball. Her second album was ready for release along with a new single, My Remedy.

The single came out in October, but didn’t make the top 40. She had little promotion and her time with Island/Universal was over.

Her second album Everything To Me was due for release in November, but she was dropped. The album was not officially released, though it seems a limited number of copies came out. Hinda fans were able to hear one more song, a duet with Lynden David Hall which was on his second album. The track was called 'Let's Do It Again'.

After two years of waiting, Hinda recorded vocals for her mate Terri Walker on her album 'Untitled', the track being called 'Brand New Day' & now Hinda's finally back with a brand new label and a brand new album of her own, due for release this Autumn! It has been written and recorded in Los Angeles, and a preview track from the album is currently gettin' airplay on BBC Radio 1 & Radio 1Xtra! The track is called 'Little Boy Blue'.

Keep checking the news section of the site for more news, as and when it happens!

Written By Geordiejill