In the high turnover world of the music industry, Jamaican- born singer/actress Claudja Barry has displayed the staying power of a true star. Following an illustrious career as a singer, broadcaster, and accomplished actress in Europe, Canada, and the United States, the international performing dynamo has returned to her homeland, Jamaica.
Between promotional visits to Europe and the United States, while living in Jamaica, Claudja has turned her attention to playing her part in advancing Jamaica´s development as a cultural industries mecca through the mentorship of Jamaican cultural practitioners. Glamorous, multilingual, and highly traveled, Claudja Barry has performed in some of the world´s best venues, among them Studio 54 and The Saint (NYC), The Palace (Paris), and Budokan Hall (Tokyo) where she won the Silver Prize at Tokyo Music Festival, coming in second only to Dionne Warwick, The Verona Arena (Italy) and Backstreet (Atlanta). She is an artiste whose stage presence, longevity, and performances have been noted and appreciated not only in the arena of pop/club music but also in theatre – Claudja Barry´s international career spans three decades, starting with the debut of her first single ´Sweet Dynamite [Salsoul] in the seventies. More recently, her single ´I Will Stand´ [DonnaJean] reached number one on the Billboard Dance Charts in 2006.
The hit songs, including the 1979 multimillion-selling Gold/Platinum disco anthem “Boogie Woogie Dancin´ Shoes” [Chrysalis], “Trippin´ On The Moon” [Personal], “Work Me Over/I Will Follow” [TSR], “Down And Counting” [Epic] and “Good Time” [Radikal] that have maintained Claudja´s presence on the international club scene. Her success has afforded her 9 Juno Awards nominations (the Canadian Grammy) and she has won for Best Female Artiste. Her prowess has also been recognized by her being the first inductee to the Canadian Black Music Hall of Fame together with Oscar Peterson. In the U.S. she was nominated for an American Music Award for Best Female Artist and appeared on NBC´s Seventh Annual Rhythm and Blues Awards. Recently Claudja has been seen on an almost nightly basis as co-host of Radikal Records´ tremendously successful Dance Mix USA infomercial.
