Kim English, the towering voice behind dance classics ‘Everyday’ and ‘Unspeakable Joy,’ has died

By Joey Guerra, Houston Chronicle

Kim English’s majestic voice soundtracked much of the aughts (or early 2000’s) for clubgoers. She sang on a string of high-energy anthems, including “Everyday,” “Unspeakable Joy” and “Treat Me Right.”

But that voice has been silenced. English, 48, died Tuesday according to her label Nervous Records. They remembered her with a pair of emotional Facebook posts.

“She had a unique ability both through her singing and songwriting talents to inspire people to dance and also celebrate the joys of God and religion,” one of the statements read. “She was a deeply religious and devoted member of the Family Christian Center in Munster, Indiana.”

The Chicago-based English started as a gospel singer, but her soulful voice drew the ears of DJs, who remixed her songs into dance floor classics. She earned eight No. 1 singles on Billboard’s dance chart, including “Missing You” and “My Destiny.” Many of the lyrics had a spiritual theme.

“When you look at her body of work, and read the song titles, you start to understand that while she knew she was making music for people to dance to, she also made sure she was imparting positive messages and lessons through her music,” Nervous Records wrote.

English was also a vocal supporter for the LGBT community, and that’s also where she had her biggest successes. She regularly performed at Pride events around the country.

Houston remix and production duo Dirty Disco worked on several English songs and have released a download of them online.

“When you look at her body of work, and read the song titles, you start to understand that while she knew she was making music for people to dance to, she also made sure she was imparting positive messages and lessons through her music,” Nervous Records wrote.

English was also a vocal supporter for the LGBT community, and that’s also where she had her biggest successes. She regularly performed at Pride events around the country.

This article originally appeared in Houston Chronicle.

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