CELEBRITY
Nine Lives
Sadie Nine
By Eve Menezes Cunningham
A
ward winning BBC Essex presenter Sadie Nine
has done everything from singing in Russia to
performing her one woman show in Edinburgh.
Her West End roles include being in the musicals Loutrec
and Boogie Nights.
“I started out as a singer and became part of a comedy
double act to earn my equity card,” says Sadie. “I did this
for about eight years and worked with people like Tommy
Cooper, Brian Connelly, Max Bygraves and Shane Richie.
Norman Wisdom was fantastic to me.”
When she decided to focus more on her music, she decided
to go solo. “My record “Let’s Work It Out” went to Number 1
in the NME funk chart and Number 4 in an American chart.”
A trip to Russia led to the British media dubbing her the
Russian Madonna.
Sadie laughs, “In Russia, they didn’t know who Madonna
was. I did a pop show over there on TV. I didn’t realise it was
the only pop show all year on the only TV channel so it was
watched by millions of people. The next day, I was mobbed.”
A recording contract there led to a number one and Sadie
toured across the USSR. The highlight was performing at a gig for
handicapped children in front of 40,000 people at the Olympiad
stadium. Sadie says, “I was offered a recording contract and
apparently, my track went to Number 1 but that’s measured by
how many people request to hear it rather than sales.”
The idea of 40,000 people anywhere brings out my inner
hermit and I asked Sadie if she ever got scared. Without
hesitation, she said, “Yes, but I call it excitement. I was actually there
during the coup in 1991. When the coup ended we partied for three outraged about a review where they trounced the show”, says Sadie. “So
days and nights. I was the only performer from the West there. The I phoned in telling them what I thought about them wrecking people’s
lives and not caring about all the work. They thought I was funny and
I truly believe that as every
invited me to lunch. It went really well and I was invited to do reviews on
The Simon Bates Show.”
door closes another opens
Being blunt and honest is something listeners expect from Sadie but
she remembers, “It got me in terrible trouble at school. I’m just honest. I
and it’s just up to you to find it don’t think I’m rude. It’s paid off for me, but I do think, in certain ways
that it’s held me back. I’m not as bad as I was. It’s about choosing your
BBC took me back to see if anyone remembered me a few years ago. fights.”
Lots didn’t but some people did. Now the difference between poor and Everyone on the planet experiences rejection but, for performers,
rich has got even bigger.” there’s an immediacy about it. I imagine actors, singers and so on having
Closer to home, Sadie took her one woman show, Sex, Drugs to remain on stage and hear it while, keeping their outcome in mind,
and Sausage Rolls to Edinburgh and was offered a month “just off being gracious and thanking them for the opportunity, hoping next time
Broadway” in New York but got ill, so that’s something she plans to do they’ll get it.
in the future. Sadie says, “Rejection gets harder. When you first start in the business
It was her West End stage roles that led, unexpectedly to her current – or in any business – you expect rejection. You don’t know what you’re
work in radio, first for BBC London and now for BBC Essex. “I was doing. But after a time, when you’ve been in the business and trust your
24 | Autumn 2009 - rapport
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56