Erika Jayne

Erika Jayne (born July 10, 1971)^[1] also known by her married name Erika Girardi, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, actress and television personality. Since 2007, she's had a total of nine number one singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. In 2015, she was cast in the sixth season of the reality television series The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Early life

Jayne attended North Atlanta High School. She was raised in Atlanta by her single mother. At 18, she moved to New York City. Shortly after she got married to her first husband and gave birth to a son. A few years later she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming a singer and performer, but instead, became a waitress and single mother. She met her current, and second husband, famed lawyer Thomas Girardi, while waiting tables.^[2]

Career

Jayne started her career in the 1990s by appearing in small roles in several film and television productions, including High Incident, Lowball and Alchemy.^[3][4][5] Staying true to her love of music, Jayne's first dance music single "Rollercoaster" was released on January 1, 2007. The song placed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Jayne's debut album Pretty Mess, was released in the United States on August 11, 2009.^[6] Jayne also co-wrote several songs on her album. The other singles from the album were "Stars", "Give You Everything" and "Pretty Mess". The album spawned a total of four US number-one singles. She released three different music video versions of "Give You Everything". The music videos were directed by feature film director Marty Thomas.^[7] Jayne supported the release of Pretty Mess with tour dates and appearances at festivals and clubs across the United States. In November 2010, Jayne announced the creation of her own record label, Pretty Mess Records.^[8]

In November 2011, she released her No. 1 single "Party People (Ignite the World)". Music critics gave the song positive reviews.^[9] In 2012, she recorded "All Things Aside", that was released for the soundtrack to comedy film The Watch starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn. Her music has also been featured in films, such as The Neighbor, Deal and reality television show Toddlers and Tiaras. In 2013, she released a single featuring American rapper Flo Rida, "Get it Tonight". The music video for the song garnered over three million views on YouTube and was well received by fans. In September 2014, Jayne achieved her seventh number one dance single with "PAINKILLR".^[10] The single "Crazy", featuring Maino was released on February 15, 2015. The song was produced by Scott Storch and Mikey Minden served as a music video director. A music video for the song features Jayne dancing in an underground club with an entourage of dancers.^[11] She has a new album in the works through a joint venture with Pretty Mess Records and New Nation Live label, distributed by Universal. Jayne released her latest single "How Many Fucks" on April 19, 2016.^[12]

In 2015, she joined the cast of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills for the show's sixth season.^[13] She soon became a fan favorite on the show and her appearance was well-received by the public.^[14] It was reported in the summer of 2016, that Jayne is returning for the show's seventh season. In July 2016, she appeared in the science fiction television film Sharknado: The 4th Awakens. In October 2016, Jayne appeared on the Animal Planet series Tanked, in the episode "Real Aquariums of Beverly Hills".^[15][16] On November 7, 2016, Entertainment Weekly broke news that Jayne would guest-star on the CBS daytime soap opera The Young and the Restless, as Farrah Dubose, and would share scenes with her Real Housewives co-star, Eileen Davidson.^[17]

In addition to acting and singing, Jayne contributes to various humanitarian causes.

Public image

She has been named a dance-pop diva and dance sensation by the public.^[18] Described as being "sassy, fun and provocative" when performing on stage, Jayne has said that she originally created the alter ego "Erika Jayne" to keep that stage persona separate from who she really is. She described Erika Jayne as being "a fantasy character", despite being "a real part of me, but not 24 hours a day."^[19] She has appeared on several magazine editorials and front covers, including Billboard, LGBT Weekly and VanityHype.^[20] Jayne's stage performances and travels have also been created into a book by photographer Marco Bollinger.^[21] Jayne has received praise for her stage presence and voice during live performances.^[22]

Jayne supports LGBT community worldwide and "feels at home with the community". She is considered a gay icon, and the gay community has embraced her as a pop culture icon.^[23] She often performs at LGBT events and festivals. She was named "News Ally Entertainer of 2015" at the LGBT Ally Awards in recognition of her ongoing support for the rights and equality of LGBT people around the world.^[24]

Personal life

In 1999, Jayne got married to attorney Thomas Girardi, a founding partner of Girardi & Keese in downtown Los Angeles. They live in Pasadena.^[25] She is good friends with her former The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills co-star Yolanda Hadid.^[26] She also has a Dutch Shepherd dog.^[27]

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Soundtrack appearances

Filmography

Television

Films

Awards and nominations

See also

• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
• List of number one dance airplay hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. dance airplay chart

References

External links

• Official website
• Instagram
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Facebook
• Erika Jayne at MySpace
• Erika Jayne interview
• Erika Jayne interview