Vanity

Denise Katrina Matthews, known professionally as Vanity, was born on January 4, 1959, in Niagara Falls, Ontario. She began her career as a model and actress before transitioning into music. Her breakthrough moment came when she met musician Prince at the American Music Awards in 1982. He invited her to front a girl group he had formed called Vanity 6, which released their debut single "Nasty Girl" that year. Vanity left Vanity 6 in August 1983 and signed with Motown Records as a solo artist. She released her first album Wild Animal in 1984, featuring the singles "Pretty Mess" and "Mechanical Emotion". Her second album, Skin on Skin, was released in 1986 and included the top 10 R&B hit "Under the Influence". Throughout the 1980s, Vanity also pursued an acting career, starring in films such as The Last Dragon (1985), 52 Pick-Up (1986), and Action Jackson (1988). She died on February 15, 2016, at the age of 57 due to kidney failure.

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