Tula Paulinea Contostavlos (born 13 July 1988), known as Tulisa, is an English singer, songwriter, rapper, actress and television personality of Greek and Irish ancestry. She was a member of the Camden-based hip hop and R&B group N-Dubz. Tulisa was also a judge on The X Factor.
On 9 March 2020, Contostavlos revealed she suffered from Bell's palsy.
Family
Her Irish mother, Anne Byrne, was born in Churchtown, Dublin. Anne and her three sisters were in a 1980's big band and swing group, called Jeep. Contostavlos' father, Plato Contostavlos, is Greek-Cypriot and at one time was keyboardist with Mungo Jerry. Plato's brother, Byron Contostavlos, was bassist with Mungo Jerry and later became the manager of N-Dubz.
Career
Tulisa started off the band N-Dubz with her cousin Dappy and their friend Fazer. The group became very popular. Tulisa was a celebrity judge on The X Factor in 2011 and 2012. She mentored the "Groups" category in 2011. They included Little Mix, the first group to win the competition. Tulisa returned to the show in 2014 because Mel B was ill.
As a singer, Contostavlos has recorded four studio albums with N-Dubz, Uncle B (2008), Against All Odds (2009), Love.Live.Life (2010) and Timeless (2023). In 2011, she started work on a solo album. In 2012 it was released. The Female Boss got a lot of bad reviews and did not chart well. Three singles were released from the album. The first single, "Young", entered the UK Singles Chart at number one.
In 2022, N-Dubz went on a reunion tour. They have also appeared on CelebrityGogglebox together since 2023.
Tulisa Contostavlos arrives on trial start over alleged supply of cocaine in 2914.
In June 2013, Costostavlos, along with rapper Mike GLC were arrested on suspicion of supplying class A drugs. In July 2014, Contostavlos' trial for supplying cocaine ended because it was discovered that the journalist who accused her, Mazher Mahmood, had lied to the court.
In July 2014, she made a documentary about her time during the trial named Tulisa: The Price of Fame, which premiered on BBC Three to a moderate success, attracting 615,000 viewers (3.8% of the audience within its time slot). In April 2015, Justice Nicholas Kearns, President of the Irish High Court, described her as having been "cruelly deceived in a shabby sting operation", but dismissed her attempt to sue the Irish Sun for defamation.
After the collapse of her drug trial, The Guardian'sSuzanne Moore wrote an article on Contostavlos image and reputation and wrote that "Tulisa is famously a working class girl made good, though of course made good is never what she is allowed to be". In Moore's opinion, "Tulisa has been branded by the media as a chav and therefore almost anything can be said about her".
↑"N-Dubz singer seeks advice on mother's mental illness". BBC Wales. 10 August 2010. Retrieved 2 December 2024. A Cardiff University expert offers advice to a young hip hop star in a BBC TV documentary about growing up with a parent suffering from mental illness.
↑Jones, Simon (30 August 2016). "Tulisa Announces New Music". Simon Jones PR. Retrieved 13 July 2024. Fusing pop, hip hop and garage, 'Sweet Like Chocolate' showcases Tulisa's distinctive vocals as she reinvigorates Shanks & Bigfoot's 2000 hit chorus of the same name.
↑"Tulisa loses High Court defamation bid against the Irish Sun". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 15 April 2015. Archived from the original on 16 April 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2015. The High Court President, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns said Tulisa Contostavlos, had been "cruelly deceived in a shabby sting operation" and there was no doubt it had caused her grave upset. But he said he was astounded that a more rapid reaction to initiate legal proceedings did not take place. He said he was satisfied that there should be no extension of time for the case. It is understood the singer, who was not present in court, is now considering appealing the High Court decision.
