Today, Decca Records can reveal the signing of Britain’s most successful female artist of all time, Dame Shirley Bassey.
With a career spanning seven decades, Dame Shirley is thrilled to have signed an exclusive record deal with the prestigious label, where she will record and release her ‘grand finale’ album entirely dedicated to her fans and career.
The new album – the title of which is yet to be announced – will include both brand new material written especially for Bassey, as well as tracks which the world-renowned singer has handpicked to reflect her incredible life and career. The recording is taking place in London, Prague, Monaco and the South of France, with the team all operating under the relevant travel and recording restrictions.
Dame Shirley wants this album to act as a ‘thank you’ to her fans, who have supported her all these years, and to the music – which has remained a constant throughout her life. As the Dame explains, “My new album is a celebration of 70 years in showbiz. 70 years of support from my fans and 70 years of music! I’ve trodden the boards of many stages and kicked up many a diamante heel! The songs I have chosen all feel very personal and connected to my life. I hope they will do the same for my fans.”
The 83-year-old chart-topper has been blessed with a unique gift and distinctive voice so powerful it has taken her from singing in pubs and clubs as a teenager (whilst working in a factory), to scoring her first No.1 single in the 1950s (the first Welsh singer to ever do so). She starred in a string of TV shows throughout the ‘60s which then resulted with her own BBC1 series in the ‘70s.
Dame Shirley has earned an endless list of awards and accolades, including the very first recipient of a Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist (1977), Légion d’ honour (2003) Silver Clef Award (2017), the very first musician to be awarded the Freedom of The City of Cardiff (2019) and, of course, a Damehood for her services to performing arts (2000).
Through the years, she worked her way up the ranks within the variety circuit, fast becoming known for her remarkable live performances and dazzling gowns, earning herself a legion of fans and superstar status. She then went on to give a show-stopping Glastonbury Festival legends slot performance in 2007. Her revered recordings of the title tracks to the films Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971) and Moonraker (1979) are still considered the most iconic of the James Bond themes, and she has released 70 albums and sold nearly 140 million records.
