Shaznay Lewis

Biography by Jon O'Brien The driving force behind the hugely popular All Saints, Shaznay Lewis was one of the most successful pop songwriters of the early noughties. Born in Islington, London, in 1975, Lewis grew up listening to Bob Marley and Johnny Mathis. As a teenager, she played three matches for Arsenal Ladies F.C., before she formed All Saints 1.9.7.5. after meeting Mel Blatt and Simone Rainford at a recording studio on All Saints Road in 1993. After Rainford left, the pair recruited sisters Natalie and Nicole Appleton, and dropped the numbers from their name. The group went on to become Spice Girls' main' chart rivals, scoring five chart-topping singles and two number one albums before disbanding in 2001. Three years later, Lewis became the final member to release a solo album, after signing a deal with London Records. Open, which featured the Top Ten single "Never Felt Like This Before," reached number 22. In 2006, All Saints re-formed for a new studio album, Studio 1. Lewis appeared in the film Bend It Like Beckham, provided guest vocals for the Wideboys' Top 40 hit "Daddy O," and won an Ivor Novello Award in 2001 for "Pure Shores."