Louchie Lou & Michie One are a British female ragga/soul duo from London, best known for the single "Shout (It Out)", plus their collaboration with Suggs on the single "Cecilia", both of which reached the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart.
Career Louchie Lou (Louise Gold) and Michie One (Michelle Charles) met in 1991 at a Rebel MC gig. In 1993, they released their debut single, "Rich Girl", which samples the showtune "If I Were a Rich Man" from the musical Fiddler on the Roof. Later that year they had their first chart hit with "Shout (It Out)", which reached number 7 in the UK Singles Chart. It was a mash-up of the 1964 Lulu hit, originally recorded by The Isley Brothers, together with Henry Mancini's Peter Gunn theme, as performed by The Art of Noise and Duane Eddy (a hit in 1986).
For their 1995 album debut, II B Free, Louchie Lou & Michie One collaborated with Sly and Robbie, and Quincy Jones' son QDIII. The album was released in October 1995 and features the singles "Shout (It Out)", "Somebody Else's Guy (Me Did Love You)", "Champagne & Wine", "Secret Fantasy", "Get Down on It", "Free" and "Good Sweet Lovin'", which were all released between 1993 and 1996. International tours in Japan and the Far East, along with a headline engagement at Japansplash festival, brought visibility to Asian audiences.
Their second album, Danger-Us, released in the summer of 1996, features the single "The Honeymoon Is Over" as well as a cover version of the Brazilian hit "Crickets Sing for Anamaria" and the title track, "Dangerous", which was later featured on a 2001 episode of Nash Bridges. That same year they were featured as vocalists on Suggs' top 10 hit "Cecilia", and his top 40 hit "No More Alcohol". Danger-Us again featured QDIII and Sly and Robbie, with additional production work by Jazzwad (Buju Banton, Shabba Ranks) and Buzz Productions (Maxi Priest, Barrington Levy).
The duo have since released various compilation albums, including 7 Years of Plenty.
Michie One released a solo album entitled Power of One, although this was not issued in the UK. She is currently working on further solo material, and featuring her vocals on dance music tracks.
In 2004, Gwen Stefani remade "Rich Girl" for her single of the same name. In 2022, Puerto Rican singer Ozuna sampled Louchie Lou & Michie One's track for his song "Somos Iguales".
Discography
Studio albums Release dateInformationUK 4 September 1995 II B Free Track listing: Shout (It Out) – 3:32 Champagne & Wine – 3:56 Free – 5:12 Good Sweet Lovin' – 4:18 Secret Fantasy – 4:17 Somebody Else's Guy (Me Did Love Ya) – 3:11 Passion – 4:53 I Know A Place – 4:26 Cheribiyeh – 4:22 Get Down on It – 3:44 Free (Jazzwad Mix) – 5:48 Secret Fantasy (Dancehall Mix) – 4:17 Get Down on It (Flipside Mix) – 4:03— 23 June 1997 Danger-Us Track listing: Dangerous – 4:43 Party Party – 4:45 I Knew It I Blew It – 4:06 The Honeymoon Is Over – 3:48 The Crickets Sing For Ana Maria – 4:01 You'll Never Know (How You Got Me Feelin') – 4:29 Feel the Vibes (In The Air) – 4:11 Kingman – 3:41 Translantic Lover – 4:04 Baby I'm Gonna Get You – 4:03 Before the Night Is Over – 3:44—
Compilation albums Release dateInformationUK 8 July 1996 Remix! Remix! Remix! Track listing: Champagne & Wine (Single Mix) – 3:58 Champagne & Wine (Dub Mix) – 4:14 Secret Fantasy (The Beatmasters 7" Mix) – 3:59 Secret Fantasy (Sly & Robbie Mix) – 4:17 Secret Fantasy (Sly & Robbie Dub Mix) – 4:13 Secret Fantasy (Mafia & Fluxy Hip Hop Mix) – 4:22 Free (Baby Sean Mix) – 7:00 Free (QD III 7"Mix) – 4:33 Free (QD III Freestyle Mix) – 5:00 Free (Jazzwad Dub Mix) – 5:47— 22 October 2001 7 Years of Plenty Track listing: Dynamite 10 Out of 10 Dangerous Hot Stuff Body Rock Goody Goody Love I Don't Think So Good Sweet Lovin' All Around The World Outcast Keep Looking at Me Perfect High Powers—
Singles As lead artist Release date Single UK Album 17 May 1993 "Shout (It Out)" 7 II B Free 2 August 1993 "Somebody Else's Guy" 54 18 October 1993 "Rich Girl" — Non-album single 7 November 1994 "Champagne & Wine" 120 II B Free 6 March 1995 "Secret Fantasy" 84 14 August 1995 "Get Down on It" 58 9 October 1995 "Free" 93 3 June 1996 "Good Sweet Lovin'" 34 16 September 1996 "Free" (reissue) 97 19 May 1997 "The Honeymoon Is Over" 87 Danger-Us 19 October 1998 "Don't Stand So Close to Me" — Non-album single 13 September 1999 "Body Rock" — 7 Years of Plenty 16 October 2000 "10 Out of 10" — 28 April 2017 "Priceless" — Non-album single
As featured artist Release date Single UK Album 1 April 1996"Cecilia" 4 The Lone Ranger 9 September 1996 "No More Alcohol" 24 1996 "Empty Eyes" - Affairs of the Heart 1997 "Sisteren" - MIX UP 2018 "Area Code" - Dread Times 2022 "Double Six Domino" - Gangsta Lady
References