• September 16, 1984
• Katie Melua's original homeland is Georgia, which was then part of the Soviet Union. Her father, a heart specialist, brought her along with the rest of the family to Northern Ireland when she was eight and then to England six years later.
• Melua attended the BRIT School for the Performing Arts in London. While performing at a showcase there, she caught the eye of songwriter and producer Mike Batt. The pair bonded over a mutual admiration for the late Eva Cassidy and decided to work together.
• During their first proper session at Batt's recording studio the pair penned "Call Off The Search," which would become the title track of Melua's debut album. The LP was a smash hit selling 3.6 million copies worldwide.
• In 2010 Melua had a breakdown, which hospitalized her. She recalled later to The Independent:
  
  "It was one of the best things that ever happened to me. It was petrifying, but it put a stop to fantasies of being able to do anything. The oddest thing about this job is the sense of superiority you get. It was a huge wake-up call.
  
  I was completely out of it for two weeks, and in hospital for six. There was a bunch of things going on, things at home and crazy work schedules, and you really believe the world revolved around you and it doesn't."
• She married the former World Superbike champion James Toseland on September 1, 2012 in the Nash Conservatory at the Royal Botanic Gardens in London. Toseland had brought his mother to see one of Melua's concerts at Sheffield City Hall and the pair met afterwards and started dating.
• Katie Melua had a spider removed from her ear in 2014 after putting up with odd rustling noises for a week.
• Melua has sung twice for Queen Elizabeth II, once in public at the Royal Variety Performance and once at Buckingham Palace at a private dinner.
• On October 2, 2006, Katie Melua set the Guinness World Record for the deepest underwater concert. The concert took place at the bottom of a shaft in the Statoil Troll A Platform gas rig, which is submerged to 303 feet (about 92 meters). The audience was limited due to safety rules, with only 20 oil workers able to attend each of the two 30-minute performances.
  
  A Canadian band called the Shaft Bottom Boys usurped Melua's record in March 2020. They performed at 1,893.8 meters below sea level in a mine in Sudbury, Ontario, setting a new record for the world's deepest concert.

Comments

More Songfacts:

Time After TimeCyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper came up with the title "Time After Time" when she saw it in TV Guide magazine. It's the name of a 1979 movie about a man who invents a time machine.

White IversonPost Malone

Post Malone came up with "White Iverson" after getting braids in his hair and thinking they looked like basketball legend Allen Iverson's signature cornrows.

Zoot Suit RiotCherry Poppin' Daddies

"Zoot Suit Riot" isn't just a Cherry Poppin' Daddies song - the Zoot Suit Riots were real riots in Los Angeles that took place in 1943 and inspired the song's lyrics.

VeronicaElvis Costello

"Veronica" was inspired by Elvis Costello's grandmother, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease.

My Name IsEminem

Eminem's first hit was "My Name Is," which introduced his alter ego, Slim Shady.

Like a Rolling StoneBob Dylan

Bob Dylan's most popular song is "Like A Rolling Stone," which tells the story of a wealthy woman whose money and friends fall away. Dylan offers these mockingly encouraging words: "When you ain't got nothing, you got nothing to lose."

Editor's Picks

David Bowie Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

How well do you know your David Bowie lyrics? Take this quiz to find out.

Elton JohnFact or Fiction

Does he have beef with Gaga? Is he Sean Lennon's godfather? See if you can tell fact from fiction in the Elton John edition.

Chris Robinson of The Black CrowesSongwriter Interviews

"Great songwriters don't necessarily have hit songs," says Chris. He's written a bunch, but his fans are more interested in the intricate jams.

Country Song TitlesFact or Fiction

Country songs with titles so bizarre they can't possibly be real... or can they?

Facebook, Bromance and Email - The First Songs To Use New WordsSong Writing

Where words like "email," "thirsty," "Twitter" and "gangsta" first showed up in songs, and which songs popularized them.

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."