Naughties icon, Samantha Mumba, wears many hats. While she is most known for her career as an Irish singer and songwriter, the star is also an actress, dancer, model and TV presenter. She rose to fame after releasing her hit track "Gotta Tell You" and "Always Come Back to Your Love" in 2000 and 2001 respectively, achieving seven top five hits on the Irish Charts.

Samantha's music career soared, competing with similar R&B artists like Mya, Destiny's Child and Christina Aguilera. She achieved six top ten hits during her singing career, released two albums and has a number of film and TV credits to her name. Her sexy and cool vibe is just one of the reasons she is such a successful star!

The Early Life of Samantha Mumba

Samantha was born in Dublin, Ireland on 18th January 1983, to father Peter Omera Mumba and mother Barbara Mumba. She was christened "Samantha Tamania Anne Cecilia Mumba" and chose to honour this for her stage name as a tribute to her heritage.

The singer grew up in Dublin, though Samantha's father, Peter Mumba, was from Zambia and her mother was Irish born-and-bred. At just 15 years old, she was discovered by Louis Walsh – X Factor judge and former manager to Westlife – when she performed on RTÉ (Radio Television Ireland). He believed she was incredibly talented, and quickly signed her with Polydor Records.

As a result, Samantha Mumba quit school to focus on her dreams. She spent a few months travelling between the UK, Sweden and Denmark, whilst co-writing her debut album "Gotta Tell You". And the singer never looked back!

Billie Barry Stage School

Samantha Mumba is an alumnus of Bille Barry Stage School in Ireland, alongside Mikey Graham and Brian McFadden. It was founded in 1964 by Bille Barry, with the principles of teaching children from the age of 3 years old in the arts and dramatics. The prestigious school is now run by Billie's daughter, Lorraine Barry, after his sad death in 2014.

Mumba began her training here as a singer and dancer, before starting her killer single process with Louis Walsh, Polydor Records and Interscope Records.

Breaking Into Her Singing and Music Career

After signing with her first label, Samantha Mumba rose to stardom with her hit single "Gotta Tell You" in 2000, which reached number one in Ireland and New Zealand. Shortly after, she released her debut album at just 17 years old, named after the lead single. To her credit, the album peaked at the top ten in both Ireland and the UK, whilst also landing at number 67 on the Billboard 200. A strong start.

Her unique style contributed to her success, as she has a contralto singing voice (the lowest range for female singers). Her next popular song was released a year later, titled "Always Come Back to Your Love", and from here she continued to excel.

After this first stint, Samantha Mumba and teen star, Aaron Carter, performed together in a concert which was also released on DVD for Disney Channel. They made a comeback the following year, appearing on an episode of Nickelodeon's Sketch Comedy series "All That".

In December 2001, the singer released an EP titled "Samantha Sings Christmas", including covers of Christmas classics like Bing Crosby's White Christmas and Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You".

Samantha is Ready for her Close Up

As a result of the success of hit track Gotta Tell You, Samantha Mumba was selected for a modelling job. She was the face of the sports brand, Reebok, and for the spring/summer collection of talented fashion designer, Louise Kennedy.

In 2004, Mumba was honoured with the responsibility of modeling the World's Most Expensive Dress. Designed by Scott Henshall and showcased at the London premiere of SpiderMan 2, the star certainly dazzled in the diamond cobweb dress costing a whopping £5 million.

A year later, Mumba was also dubbed an ambassador for Dior and launched the Dior Watch Collection in Ireland. This was followed by an exclusive deal with Dunnes Stores, where she modeled the Ultimo Per Amore range. Clearly from a young age, Samantha Mumba was a hard-working catwalk queen.

What Happened to Samantha Mumba?

Samantha Mumba hit a rocky patch when she was dropped by her label due to the poor sales of her new song released in 2002 "I'm Right Here" in the US. This came at an awkward time as Mumba was set to release a second album titled "Woman", which subsequently didn't go ahead. Although Mumba revealed that she wanted to write music on her own terms, so there was a clash in goals and contract requirements.

In an exclusive interview on the Late Late Show, Samantha set rumours straight and explained she had actually leaked her own tracks on the internet to find a new sound, but she was never going to record another album with Polydor. The singer then took a hiatus and worked on other projects.

But in August 2013, Samantha Mumba confirmed on Twitter that her music would be revived. She later appeared in a song battle on the RTÉ television show The Hit, and competed against the Irish band Republic of Loose. Her song choice was "Somebody Like Me" and Mumba serenaded to the top, which iTunes quickly aired after the performance and it peaked at number five on the Irish Singles Chart. This would become her first top hit single after a decade.

Over the years, Mumba worked on her upcoming album, which would have a more "adult" and "different" style to her earlier songs. She teased fans with a sneak peek into the album by releasing the single "Cool" on 27th November 2020.

A Flair for the Dramatics

In the midst of her successful music career, Samantha Mumba also dabbled in acting. She made her film debut in Simon Wells' "The Time Machine", playing the role of Mara. Mumba also starred alongside her real-life brother, Omero Mumba, and both made a statement performance that wouldn't be forgotten.

Mumba has also been seen in the gangster movie Johnny Was (2006) alongside Vinnie Jones and Patrick Bergin, playing the character Rita. As well as the American horror movie, Home (2016).

To the Small Screen

Samantha Mumba transitioned into another area of her career and became a popular TV personality and presenter. Back in 2017, she was a contestant on the celebrity version of MasterChef Ireland, and also replaced Lucy Kennedy as co-host on The 6 O'Clock Show while she was on maternity leave.

The talented woman made a number of appearances on British television, including as a guest then panellist on Loose Women, and a contestant on Dancing on Ice in 2008. She was voted out after an ice-breaking performance against Steve Backley, finishing in an admirable 10th place.

Awards and Nominations

Mumba has been praised in the music and acting world for her incredible performances, receiving a number of awards and nominations as a result. For music, she won the BMI Pop Awards Winning Song for "Gotta Tell You", along with the Meteor Music Awards for Best Selling Irish Single (2001) and Best Female Singer (2002). The singer was nominated for several other notable awards, including the MOBO Awards for Best Album and The Record of the Year.

She was nominated by the Teen Choice Awards in 2001 and 2002, for Choice Music: Best Breakout Artist and Choice Movie: Best Breakout Artist for The Time Machine.

Personal Life

A couple of decades ago, the star briefly dated Sisqo. Then in 2011, Samantha Mumba met police officer, Torray Scales, and they got engaged. The happy couple married in LA, California in February 2012, and she gave birth to her first child three years later. Samantha Mumba is an incredible Mum to daughter, Sage, who luckily survived a car accident just a few weeks before she was due.

Mumba shared with The Independent that her Aunt Christina was her tour manager, and this personal bond helped her during her career. However, she admitted that has no plans to have more children, as she also cares for her 17-year-old stepson. She says that knowing this fact has taken a lot of pressure of herself, although being a mother is her number one job.

Where is Samantha Now?

Samantha Mumba lives in California with husband and former policeman Torray Scales, and their daughter Sage. Torray now runs his own private security firm, whilst Samantha continues to write new music and focuses on her career. The star regularly visits her family in Ireland.

Samantha has a huge platform on Twitter and Instagram, with over 50k followers, and has been a positive influence for so many people. She has a close relationship with MNEK and Wayna Morris, and regularly shares pictures of them together in her studio. Samantha Mumba also connects with her fans by sending personalised videos and messages on Thrillz!… show more