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Lisa Lee Dark (born 16 April 1981 in Swansea, Wales), is a Welsh opera singer and voice actress.

Early life

Dark was born in Clydach, one of the Swansea valleys. She is related to Adelina Patti (1843–1919) and Bette Davis (1908–1989) Dark was born with a rare medical condition called Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH). This meant that throughout Dark’s childhood she was raised as a boy because doctors failed to realise that she was biologically female.

The condition called congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), leads to an excessive outpouring of the male hormone testosterone during the early part of foetal life While the genes are thoroughly xx female, an inherited faulty gene blocks production of an essential enzyme. The deficiency leads to upsets in the body’s hormonal balance and causes the adrenal glands to produce low levels of cortisol, the stress hormone. In response, the pituitary (the body’s conductor gland) pushes the adrenals into top gear to make more cortisol, because of the enzyme deficiency, they secrete more and more testosterone and in the most severe cases, like Lisa Lee’s, the hormone leads to fusion of the female genitalia and in some an enlarged clitoris, making it quite easy to mistake newborn girls for boys, though ovaries and womb remain intact, making it possible for Lisa Lee to have children of her own.

Dark only discovered that she was biologically female at the age of 19. Congenital adrenal hyperplasia is a disorder that affects one in 15,000 births world wide, with varying degrees of masculinisation.

Dark was very badly bullied during her school years. She went to a tough all boys comprehensive school where she would regularly get kicked, punched, spat at and have obscene things screamed at her, even outside school she would get the same treatment, all because she was slightly different and did not behave like all the other boys.

Dark’s home life wasn’t much better, her parents had drink and money problems, they told Lisa Lee that she was the least important thing to them and that they wished that she was dead, there was also a lot of violence in the home, so Dark would walk the streets to get away from the troubles, but this made her easy prey for a paedophile ring; the sexual abuse that Dark experienced made her realise that she wasn’t a normal male, but growing up all she wanted was to die. Dark believes that this is what pushed her into the entertainment industry.

Acting career

Dark, at the age of ten, first starred in a European advert due to a case of mistaken identity. Her other voice-over acting work has been on low budget European horror movies; Dark has also done voice-over work, by creating 'evil chants', for a couple of Hollywood movies and the American television serial Buffy the vampire slayer. Dark has to date mostly been Uncredited for this work.

Music career

The beginning

Dark was first heard singing in her local park by a record producer at the age of six, but due to fear and shyness Dark didn't begin to record until the age of nine (three weeks before her tenth birthday).Originally Dark began recording classical, new age and sacred pieces of music for TV and film soundtracks; in 1992, by complete accident, Dark began to record dance music; Dark, who has an 8-9 octave vocal range, had the ability to mimic other singers. During the 90's Dark would mimic / copy other dance hits, and these were released on the mid-priced budgeted music market, Dark also achieved minor dance hits on the dance music charts by recording remixes of hit songs and releasing them on white labels. This brought Dark her first commercial success, as these recordings sold almost a million copies.

Solo music career

Dark's early live work consisted of her mimicking / copying well known singers like Sarah Brightman, Taylor Dayne and Kim Wilde.

In 1998 Dark signed her first solo recording contract, valued at £5 million. From 1999 - 2002 Dark released four dance albums; 'The unknown story of Lisa-Lee Dark', 'MM:- The story continues', 'Pray (forever)', and 'Asia'; these albums achieved moderate success shifting 50,000 copies; these albums were released as free albums with a DJ compilation remix album; in 2002 Dark was dropped by her record label, VIP international records, for 'not losing weight'.

In 2004 Dark released her first mainstream classical album titled, 'Breath of life'. This album is Dark's first attempt into the new age, ambient, classical crossover music market.. Due to problems with management and the record label 'Breath of life' became a huge commercial flop, despite glowing reviews from critics and the public. .

In 2005 Dark decided to train to become an opera singer; due to lack of money, Dark taught herself to sing opera by mimicking the well known Italian opera divas Renata Scotto and Mirella Freni. In her first opera performances, in 2007, critics said they cannot tell Dark apart from Scotto.

The comeback

In 2008, Dark returned to the music industry with the release of her debut opera album, "Sola, perduta, abbandonata". This album contains Dark’s debut opera performance in Puccini’s opera Turandot, playing the part of Liu. A limited edition second album "The screen behind the mirror" was also released, containing Dark’s debut opera recordings and her audition for the opera company that she was signed to, this second album was a free promotional album released with the debut opera album. In 2009, Dark released an EP album, "Almost nothing". This was released free with the debut album in the UK and Ireland to help boost European record sales, some of the arias on this EP were from Dark's performance in Puccini's opera Tosca, but Dark didn't get to play this role on stage as she was sacked for 'being too fat and not pretty enough' Later in 2009 Dark was due to release a French opera album, "Lorsque le temps d'amour a fui - once the days of love have passed", but due to her ill health the album was postponed.

References

1. ^ Davies, Daniel (Sep 13 2004). "Lisa-Lee album launch". The Western Mail. walesonline.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-12-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
2. (Wales on Sunday newspaper, July 11, 1999)
3. (Bella magazine, August 21, 2001)
4. (Real magazine, September 9, 2003)
5. "BBC Radio 4 - Changing Sex". Retrieved 2008-08-06.
6. "Website will help air rare conditions". 26 May 2000. Retrieved 2008-08-06.
7. (The Times newspaper, November 20, 2004)
8. "Highs and lows". Retrieved 2008-08-06.
9. (Now magazine, June 14, 2000)
10. (The Universe newspaper, May 28, 2000)
11. (The Daily Telegraph newspaper, April 25, 2000)
12. (The Western Mail newspaper, September 13, 2004)
13. Daniel Davies (Sep 13 2004). "Lisa-Lee album launch". Retrieved 2008-08-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
14. (More magazine, May 12, 2004)
15. (The Mirror newspaper, May 8, 2000)
16. (Golwg Welsh language magazine, September, 2004)
17. (Life magazine, April, 2008)
18. (The Universe newspaper, November 26, 2000)
19. (The Mind magazine, July,2007)
20. (South Wales Guardian newspaper, March 8, 2001)
21. (The Catholic Herald newspaper, October 29, 2004)
22. (Carmarthen Journal newspaper, January 22, 2003)
23. (Messenger of Saint Anthony, October, 2005)
24. "God and I". Retrieved 2008-08-06.
25. (Cornish Guardian newspaper, September 23, 2004)
26. (News of the world Sunday magazine, December 12, 2004)
27. (South Wales Evening post, October 4, 2004)
28. (Now UK magazine, June, 2008)
29. (Carmarthen Journal newspaper, January 24, 2001)
30. (Church of England newspaper, November 19, 2004)
31. (Diva magazine, January, 2005)
32. (Music buzz magazine, November, 2005)
33. (Gay Life magazine, January, 2009)
34. (Inside Opera magazine, December, 2007)
35. (The Opera magazine, October, 2007)
36. (Euronews magazine, January, 2008)
37. (Pick me up magazine, July 30, 2008)
38. (Prima magazine, October, 2008)
39. (South Wales Evening post, September 29, 2009)

External links

• BBC Radio 4 - Hometruths interview
• Lisa Lee Dark myspace
• Lisa Lee Dark's Twitter page
• Lisa Lee Dark's official google profile

Template:Persondata

• 1981 births
• Living people
• People from Swansea
• Intersex people
• Welsh sopranos
• Welsh opera singers
• Welsh female singers
• Welsh voice actresses
• British people of Irish descent
• Operatic sopranos
• Opera crossover singers