Vanessa Forero
Vanessa Forero (born Vanessa Chapman and sometimes performing as Vanessa James) is an English-Colombian singer-songwriter and author who has written film and television scores. She plays the keyboard and has performed with various groups, including the orchestral rock band Starling.[1][2][3]
Early life
[edit]Forero is the youngest daughter of Marina Chapman, a woman best known for her story of being raised by monkeys in the Colombian jungle in the 1950s, following the abandonment of her kidnapping in the era of La Violencia in Colombia. Forero was born and brought up with one sibling, a sister in Bradford from the 1980s. Forero went on to attend Leeds School of Music where she gained her degree in composition.[citation needed]
Career
[edit]Forero spent two years researching and writing her mother's memoir, with author Lynne Barrett-Lee, which was published in 2013 as The Girl With No Name.[4] Forero and her mother both appeared on BBC Breakfast Time.[5]
Around 2015, Forero composed music for television advertisements for Audi, Apple, John Lewis and McDonalds,[citation needed] as well as independent films and feature documentaries, including a National Geographic documentary on her mother, Woman Raised By Monkeys.[citation needed]
In January 2024, Forero appeared on the feature length first episode of the new documentary adventure series, Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild on Channel 5 that was first broadcast in the United Kingdom.[2][6][7][8][9]
Personal life
[edit]At age 19, Forero married a pastor's son and music producer. They separated 15 years later.
As of 2024, Forero resides in a round cabin that she built and created for herself in the middle of a jaguar reserve in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta.[10] Forero has installed a home recording studio with electricity and Wi-Fi access. Her studio is home to an extensive collection of musical instruments, which she uses to record and produce her own indie-folk recordings. Her debut EP was From The Uproar.[2][11][12]
Discography
[edit]Solo
[edit]- From the Uproar (2016)
- Same Boat (2016)
- La Catrina (2019)
- Pablo Escobar (2019)
- Fuego (2020)
- No One's Singing Today (2021)
- Aluna (2023)
With Starling
[edit]- Dream Again (2014) as part of her touring band Starling
References
[edit]- ^ "Vanessa Forero: The Colombian folk singer/ songwriter back and gigging". Cross Rhythms. 10 July 2023. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Harvey, Chris (2 January 2024). "'My mum was raised by monkeys – I'm not worried about snakes in my jungle kitchen'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ Concepts, Lucid Design. "Member Spotlight". She Is The Music. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ Chapman, Marina (1 April 2013). The Girl With No Name. Pegasus Books. ISBN 978-1-60598-474-2.
- ^ TheMarinachapman (13 April 2013), Marina Chapman on BBC Breakfast (with Vanessa Forero), YouTube, retrieved 11 January 2024
- ^ "Ben Fogle: New Lives in the Wild". Sky. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ "Ben Fogle bursts into tears in emotional moment in New Lives In The Wild". Yahoo News. 3 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ Mata, William (2 January 2024). "Daughter of woman 'raised by apes' plans to move from Bradford to the jungle". Metro. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ "New Lives in the Wild". www.channel5.com. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "Bradford woman returns to country where her mother was 'raised by monkeys'". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 2 January 2024. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
- ^ "Bradford woman returns to country where her mother was 'raised by monkeys'". Bradford Telegraph and Argus. 2 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
- ^ "INTERVIEW: Vanessa Forero". Music Musings & Such. 8 March 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2024.