Biography

Born in Philadelphia into a musical family (her mother was a singer and her father was a pianist and music professor), dance vocalist Elisa Fiorillo enjoyed a modicum of commercial success in the wake of Madonna in the late '80s. Her career got off to a fast start as she was singing commercial jingles before she reached her teens. In 1985, she moved to California with her mother and was a winner on the television talent show Star Search. Signed to Chrysalis Records, she scored her first hit single in late 1987, singing the duet "Who Found Who" with DJ/producer John "Jellybean" Benitez. The song reached number 16 on the pop charts and worked its way into the Top Ten on the dance charts. It set the table for her self-titled debut in 1988, which featured production by Benitez. Although Fiorillo toured heavily to promote the record, it failed to match the success of her initial single and spent a mere six weeks on the album charts, failing to notch a major hit. I Am followed in 1989, which found her working at Prince's Paisley Park recording studio with producer David Z. "On the Way Up" became her biggest solo hit, climbing into the Top 40 on the pop charts and garnering significant attention in clubs. Fiorillo also contributed backing vocals to several tracks on the Prince's soundtracks to the films Graffiti Bridge and Batman. Other studio sessions included work with David Cassidy, Billie Myers, and Dave Koz, as well as more commercial work for Hawaiian Punch fruit drink and the Fox television network. In 2000, Fiorillo toured as a backup vocalist for Australian pop band Savage Garden on their world tour and issued another album, Undecided, which stylistically drew from her interest in jazz. ~ Tom Demalon, Rovi