Irène Major
Musical artist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Irène Major (born 22 October 1979) is a British-Cameroonian singer, model and activist.
- Singer
- businesswoman
- model
- human rights activist
Irène Major | |
|---|---|
Major in 2015 | |
| Born | 22 October 1979 |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse | Sam Malin |
| Children | 9 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Pop |
Personal life
Major was born in Yaoundé, Cameroon to a soldier father and seamstress mother; the family was "middle-class but poor".[1]
Major is married to oil and gas tycoon Sam Malin who is of dual Canadian and British citizenship. She has nine children.[2][unreliable source?] In 2012, the couple purchased Ingress Abbey, subsequently converted for use as a family home.[3]
Career
From Cameroon, Major moved first to Paris, France and then to the United Kingdom.[4]
Major has appeared as the presenter of Ess'mode par Irene Major,[5] a guest judge on The One,[6] and as an on-screen hostess on the V Graham Norton show.[7] In 2015, she appeared in Britain's Flashiest Families, and in 2016, in Shock Docs: Britain's Pushiest Parents.[8] Major is the model for a display mannequin in the Drama Diva collection by Rootstein.[9][10]
Major set up the pop group Major in 2012 with her sister Elsa. They have released a number of songs and videos:[citation needed]
- Love Me Boy (written by Pete Kirtley)
- Romeo (written by Pete Bellotte and Sylvester Levay, original performer: Donna Summer)[11]
- Birds (written by Irene Major)[12]
- Cannes Cannes Cannes (written by Pete Hammond and Jeff Chegwin)[13]
- Umqombothi - African Heroes (original version written by Sello "Chicco" Twala and Attie van Wyk and performed by Yvonne Chaka Chaka)[14]
Philanthropy
Major is involved with various philanthropic and human rights causes. In 2008, she founded IM Life, a charity with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa and the western Indian Ocean, to provide support, including food, shelter, training and logistics support, to those in desperate need.[15] She is also the founder of the Gay in Africa Foundation, a campaign which exists to boost awareness of the persecution and suffering of the African LGBT community and fight against homophobia and discrimination against the LGBT in Africa.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]
Major is an ambassador for International Harbor, a charity founded by former US special operations veterans dedicated to eliminating human trafficking and abduction through advocacy and action. [23]
