Kaci Battaglia

Kaci was born in Clearwater, Florida, and raised in nearby Seminole.^[5] She began singing at the age of three, and as a young girl she performed on her father's karaoke equipment at clubs in the Tampa Bay area.^[6][7] She was encouraged by her piano-playing grandfather, the former Tampa Tribune publisher Jack Butcher.^[7]

As a child, Kaci performed the national anthem at sporting events, and sang at a luncheon for the Florida governor Lawton Chiles.^[8] She sang at the Yankee Stadium in New York in front of an audience reported at 80,000 people.^[9]

Kaci was in a summer theatre program at Ruth Eckerd Hall.^[10] At age nine, she appeared in her first commercial for Walt Disney World, and later had a role in the Disney Christmas video Magical Time in a Magical Place.^[6][10][11]

From a young age, Kaci knew she wanted to be a singer.^[12] She performed at children's summer concerts in City Hall Park.^[8] She took voice lessons in Orlando.^[8] At age nine, she recorded a Christmas album for her family and friends. At age ten, she recorded A Thousand Stars, an album produced by her mother, Donna, which she later independently released. She was influenced by Judy Garland's versatility, Celine Dion's powerful voice, and Gloria Estefan's Latin music and vocal style.^[13]

In late 1998, Kaci appeared in the direct-to-video family film Camp Tanglefoot: It All Adds Up, which was released in 1999.^[14][15] Created by Gregg Russell, the film takes place at a children’s summer camp and incorporates music and moral themes.^[14][15][16]

In December 1999, Kaci's performance of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus" appeared on a local public access television Christmas special produced by Steven "Stefio" Fiorenza. The program had been recorded earlier that year, when she was 11.^[17]

In 1999, Kaci attracted the attention of songwriter and producer Joel Diamond. Kaci recalled performing a LeAnn Rimes song and Shania Twain's "Don't Be Stupid (You Know I Love You)" at Diamond's office.^[18][13] Diamond funded a demo recording of "Paradise", a song first made famous by Phoebe Cates in 1982. Diamond began shopping Kaci's demo to various record labels, attracting music executive Mike Curb. She signed with Curb Records in 2000 at age 12, beginning her professional recording career as Kaci Lyn.^[5] Her debut music video was filmed at the Santa Monica Pier in August 2000.^[12]

Her debut single "Paradise" was a cover of the theme song of the 1982 film Paradise. The song, co-written by Diamond and L. Russell Brown, was produced by Diamond, with additional production and remixing by Walter Turbitt for Brian Rawling/Rive Droite Music. It was released on February 23, 2001, in Ireland^[19] and February 26, 2001, in the United Kingdom^[20] where it reached number 11 on the singles chart.^[21] In Ireland, the single peaked at number 10^[22] and spent thirteen weeks on the charts.^[23] The music video was among the most requested on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon.^[5] The video was also added to MTV UK, where it became a frequent request and reached number 2 on the network’s playlist.^{[7] [24]} Kaci's Latin-flavored second single "Tu Amor", also produced and mixed by Turbitt, was released in the UK in July 2001, peaking at number 24 on the UK Singles Chart.^[25] It reached the Top Ten on the pop chart in Japan, where Kaci performed during the same period.^[6] Her third single was a cover of Tony Romeo’s "I Think I Love You", which reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart in February 2002.^[26] A follow-up single, "I'm Not Anybody's Girl", was released in 2003 and reached number 55 on the UK Singles Chart.^[27] It also reached number 7 on the UK HMV Top 10 singles chart, according to contemporary newspaper listings.^[28][29][30] The song also appeared on the motion picture soundtrack for View from the Top.^[31][32] The album Paradise was released in the United States under the title I'm Not Anybody's Girl, while it retained the title Paradise in other territories, including Europe and Japan.^[33][6] The song "I'm Not Anybody's Girl" had already appeared on international editions of Paradise before the US album was retitled.

Kaci was raised a Christian.^[7] At age 12, she began homeschooling with her mother.^[13][18] Her mother also enrolled her in karate classes as a child, to learn self-defense.^[47] In 2002, Kaci wrote that she was working toward her black belt, also taking private instruction from kickboxer Jim Graden,^[48] after which she worked as a trainer.^[47]

Kaci stepped away from the music industry after 2011. On February 13, 2016, she married Selleck Keene in Clearwater.^[49]