Irène Major
Irène Major | |
|---|---|
 Major in 2015 | |
| Born | 22 October 1979 |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Spouse | Sam Malin |
| Children | 9 |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Pop |
Irène Major (born 22 October 1979) is a British-Cameroonian singer, model and activist.
Personal life
Major was born in Yaoundé, Cameroon to a soldier father and seamstress mother; the family was "middle-class but poor".[1]
Major is married to oil and gas tycoon Sam Malin who is of dual Canadian and British citizenship. She has nine children.[2] In 2012, the couple purchased Ingress Abbey, subsequently converted for use as a family home.[3]
Career
From Cameroon, Major moved first to Paris, France and then to the United Kingdom.[4]
Major has appeared as the presenter of Ess'mode par Irene Major,[5] a guest judge on The One,[6] and as an on-screen hostess on the V Graham Norton show.[7] In 2015, she appeared in Britain's Flashiest Families, and in 2016, in Shock Docs: Britain's Pushiest Parents.[8] Major is the model for a display mannequin in the Drama Diva collection by Rootstein.[9][10]
Major set up the pop group Major in 2012 with her sister Elsa. They have released a number of songs and videos:
- Love Me Boy (written by Pete Kirtley)
- Romeo (written by Pete Bellotte and Sylvester Levay, original performer: Donna Summer)[11]
- Birds (written by Irene Major)[12]
- Cannes Cannes Cannes (written by Pete Hammond and Jeff Chegwin)[13]
- Umqombothi - African Heroes (original version written by Sello "Chicco" Twala and Attie van Wyk and performed by Yvonne Chaka Chaka)[14]
Philanthropy
Major is involved with various philanthropic and human rights causes. In 2008, she founded IM Life, a charity with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa and the western Indian Ocean, to provide support, including food, shelter, training and logistics support, to those in desperate need.[15] She is also the founder of the Gay in Africa Foundation, a campaign which exists to boost awareness of the persecution and suffering of the African LGBT community and fight against homophobia and discrimination against the LGBT in Africa.[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]
Major is an ambassador for International Harbor, a charity founded by former US special operations veterans dedicated to eliminating human trafficking and abduction through advocacy and action. [23]
References
- ^ Fox-Leonard, Boudicca (16 May 2021). "Meet the lady of the manor who posed for Playboy four months after having her eighth child". The Telegraph.
- ^ "9 kids". Metro online newspaper. 20 June 2024. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
- ^ http://www.kent-life.co.uk/people/meet_the_owners_of_ingress_abbey_in_greenhithe_1_3759918 Meet the owners of Ingress Abbey in Greenhithe
- ^ Greg Miles (27 January 2017). "Sisters are doing it for themselves in a Major way". Kent News. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ "Les sœurs Major à la porte de la RTA". Actualité en direct avec L'Express de Madagascar. 4 March 2014. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ^ Prezzo hooks up with Cameroonian beauty - Entertainment News
- ^ V Graham Norton episodes 2.27 2.31, 2.40, 2.41, 3.36, 3.43, 5.39 amongst others
- ^ "Britain's Pushiest Parents". Channel 5. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
- ^ "Rootstein Display Mannequins - DI01". Rootstein Display Mannequins. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
- ^ "The World's Best Photos of irene and rootstein - Flickr Hive Mind". hiveminer.com. Archived from the original on 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
- ^ Abigail Dede (12 September 2013). "Major - The beautiful and bi-lingual music duo return". FLAVOURMAG.
- ^ "Nothing found for Magazine 4574334751 Tags Major". Archived from the original on 2014-09-14. Retrieved 2019-05-29.
- ^ Major Empire. "Major releases new single - Cannes Cannes Cannes". PRLog.
- ^ Major Empire. "Major Releases Single: Umqombothi - African Heroes". PRLog.
- ^ "Singing sisters aim for major success". Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-13.
- ^ "Irene Major Launches Campaign to Bring Awareness to LGBT Abuse in Africa". HuffPost. 5 June 2017.
- ^ "L'Egalité De Droit Face A L'Amour Au Cameroun By Irène Major". 6 June 2017.
- ^ Many, Abesi; o (2017-06-14). "Model Citizen: Irene Major Sheds Light on LGBT Abuse and Violence in Africa. | Think Pynk". THINKPYNK.COM. Archived from the original on 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
- ^ "Championing LGBT rights in Africa". Archived from the original on 2017-09-02. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
- ^ "Use of culture to deny universal rights is unacceptable". Archived from the original on 2018-02-25. Retrieved 2018-02-04.
- ^ "Kinnaka's Blog". Kinnaka's Blog. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
- ^ Sellu, Katie (2017-07-13). "Irene Major's Faith Is Re- Shaping Tradition". Her Faith. Archived from the original on 2019-04-02. Retrieved 2019-04-02.
- ^ "The Queen of Ingress". ModeMaison PR Publishing Group. 4 December 2016.