“My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast. It was very bittersweet when we said goodbye to our relatives, and I remember crying my eyes out at the airport.”

British singer, born 1984

Katie Melua is a singer from the United Kingdom, born in 1984 in Kutaisi, Georgia. Raised in Belfast and London, she became known after signing to the small Dramatico label under the management of composer Mike Batt. She made her musical debut in 2003 and, within three years, became the United Kingdom's best-selling female artist and Europe’s highest-selling female artist. Her career is defined by pop and adult contemporary success, with a public profile shaped by a quick rise from debut to major commercial recognition.