Alice Martineau

Alice Katherine Martineau (8 June 1972 – 6 March 2003) was an English pop singer and songwriter. Born and educated in London, Martineau graduated from King's College London with a first class honours degree in English. As a child, she played both the piano and the flute and subsequently developed a passion for songwriting and performing after taking singing lessons. Martineau was born with cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that causes chronic lung and digestive problems for sufferers. Due to her belief that her condition would prevent her from singing, Alice didn't pursue her musical ambitions until after taking singing lessons and learning that her constant coughing had actually strengthened her diaphragm. Despite her worsening health, Alice played live gigs regularly in London until 2001 and was offered record deals by several companies, only to have them withdrawn when executives discovered that she was seriously ill and on the waiting list for a heart, lung and liver transplant. In 2002, Martineau wrote an article in The Daily Telegraph's Saturday magazine about the wait for a life-saving triple transplant. The next day, her manager approached Sony Music with a demo tape and she was signed to their label in late 2002. Alice completed this debut album quickly as most songs had already been written over the previous three years. Her debut single, "If I Fall", was released on November 11, 2002, with the album Daydreams following a week later on November 18. Tracks on the album were produced by a number of people, including Marius De Vries. A promotional preview CD containing one track from her album and four short previews was also circulated. Sony had planned to release a second single, "The Right Time" on February 10, 2003, but decided to cancel the release due to Martineau's poor health. Martineau remained on the waiting list for a triple heart, lung and liver transplant for more than a year and a half, before passing away at home on the morning of 6 March 2003. A documentary about her, The Nine Lives of Alice Martineau, was made by the BBC several months before her death and broadcast shortly after her death.