Nick Kamen
Born on April 15, 1962, in Harlow, Essex, England, Nick Kamen was a British singer, songwriter, and model of mixed Burmese, Irish, Dutch, and French descent.
With a family of eight children, including four sisters and three brothers, Kamen was the seventh child born to his parents. His siblings included Ronald, Chester, and Barry Kamen.
Kamen's early start in the entertainment industry began in 1982 when he appeared in the music video for The Damned Don't Cry by synthpop band Visage. He gained public attention in 1984 when he was featured on the cover of The Face magazine, wearing a ski-hat, lipstick, orange roll-neck sweater, and aviator sunglasses.
In 1985, Kamen became famous for his role in the Levi's "Launderette" commercial, where he stripped to his boxer shorts in a 1950s-style launderette while waiting for his blue jeans to wash. The commercial ranked sixth in The 100 Greatest TV Ads in 2000.
Kamen's musical success was mainly in Europe, with his debut single "Each Time You Break My Heart" reaching UK Number 5 in 1986. The song was written and produced by Madonna and Stephen Bray, with Madonna also providing background vocals.
His second album Us (1988) was produced by Patrick Leonard, and featured Madonna on background vocals for the song "Tell Me". The song was a hit in Italy, spending nine weeks at Number 1.
Kamen's third album Move Until We Fly was released in 1990 and contained the single "I Promised Myself", which reached the top ten in several European countries and was the fourth most played record in Europe that year. The song has been covered by several artists, including Dead or Alive, A-Teens, Basshunter, and Maggers United.
In addition to his music, Kamen also appeared in the Disney film Honey, I Shrunk the Kids in 1989, performing the song "Turn It Up".
Kamen's European single "Bring Me Your Love" has a Cantonese cover version sung by Norman Cheung, titled "今夜你是否 – 人 (Are You Alone?)", which reached Number 1 on the airplay chart in Hong Kong in 1989.
Kamen passed away on May 4, 2021, at the age of 59.
