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Frankee Connolly
Connolly at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards 2015
Background information
Birth name	Francesca Rose Connolly
Born	Helmshore, England
Occupation(s)	Singer, rapper
Years active	2009–present
Labels	Geffen Polydor Operator
Formerly of	Mini Viva M.O

Francesca Rose Connolly is an English singer from Helmshore. She was a member of the groups Mini Viva, who had a No. 7 hit with "Left My Heart in Tokyo", and M.O, with whom she had a No. 18 hit with "Who Do You Think Of?".

Life and career

Francesca Rose Connolly was born to Eddie and Lorraine, and has two older sisters, Natalie and Jade. Both Natalie and their uncle were dentists in Rawtenstall. She grew up in Helmshore in Rossendale Valley in Lancashire, and attended All Saints' Catholic High School in Rawtenstall, before spending two months on a Business Access to Higher Education course at a college in Bury in Greater Manchester. Growing up, she idolised Beyoncé and Destiny's Child, and regularly attended their concerts; she also looked up to Mel B, as a successful Northerner. After dropping out of college, she formed an amateur girl band with two other members for fun.

In 2007, after Xenomania decided to form a band in response to Girls Aloud taking a year off, they contacted Connolly via her Myspace account, prompting her to attend an audition in London, where she met Britt Love, a singer from Newcastle upon Tyne, who she bonded with over their shared Northern roots. Their band name, Mini Viva, was a portmanteau of Love and Connolly's nicknames; the pair told the Lancashire Telegraph in September 2009 that Love acquired her nickname after wearing a Minnie Mousesque polka dot dress and that Connolly acquired hers after Love described her as bright and beautiful. Connolly then underwent her first singing lessons, having not taken any prior to being signed.

Mini Viva's singles "Left My Heart in Tokyo" and "I Wish" charted at numbers 7 and 73 on the UK Singles Chart, and the pair supported the Saturdays, Diversity, and Aggro Santos on tour. They announced their split in November 2010; Connolly later formed M.O in 2012 with Nadine Samuels and Annie Ashcroft of the girl group Duchess, taking their name from a lyric in "The Motto" by Drake. Between 2014 and 2016, the band supported Little Mix on their Salute Tour and entered the UK Singles Chart at numbers 49, 51, and 18 with "Dance On My Own", "Preach" and "Who Do You Think Of?", and then teamed up with Kent Jones for "Not in Love", which peaked at No. 42. Connolly left the band in June 2017; she was replaced by Chantal Benjalili, who had auditioned for the previous year's series of The X Factor.

Discography

With Mini Viva

Extended plays

Singles

With M.O

Extended plays

Singles

Tours

As supporting act

• 2009: The Saturdays – The Work Tour (select dates)
• 2010: Diversity – UK tour

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

1. "CONNOLLY FRANCESCA ROSE". ASCAP. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
2. "Star is set to release new Mini Viva hit". rossendale. 11 December 2009. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
3. ^ "Interview: Frankie Connolly of Mini Viva". Lancashire Telegraph. 24 August 2009.
4. ^ "Pop singer tipped to be as big as Spice Girls". rossendale. 17 September 2009. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
5. Sullivan, Caroline (11 December 2009). "Here come the new girls: Mini Viva". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
6. "Paul Morley meets pop dance duo Mini Viva". The Guardian. 23 April 2010. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
7. "Helmshore pop star set for top ten hit". Lancashire Telegraph. 12 September 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
8. ^ "Mini Viva". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 April 2015.
9. Lester, Paul (17 July 2009). "Mini Viva (No 587)". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
10. "Mini Viva". Digital Spy. 5 May 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
11. Anderton, Joe (10 June 2016). "Mini Viva – One Touch". Into the Popvoid. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
12. "Pop band Mini Viva split saying 'time was up'". BBC News. 11 November 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
13. "Girl group M.O perform with new member Chanal Benjilali after Frankee Connolly quits". Official Charts. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
14. "Interview: M.O, Kickin' Up A Storm". RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture. 9 April 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
15. "Little Mix: Which artists have supported them on tour?". Planetradio.co.uk. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
16. "M O". Official Charts. 6 September 2014. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
17. "NOT IN LOVE". Official Charts. 26 January 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
18. "Girl group M.O perform with new member Chanal Benjilali after Frankee Connolly quits". Official Charts. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
19. "Discography Mini Viva". finnishcharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
20. ^ "Discography Mini Viva". irish-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
21. Zywietz, Tobias. "Chart Log UK: M – My Vitriol". Zobbel. Retrieved 4 September 2011.
22. Zywietz, Tobias. "CHART: Chart Log UK Update 26.04.2014 (wk16)". Zobbel. Retrieved 14 July 2019.
23. "Chart Archive > 20 April 2014 – 26 April 2014". Official Charts Company.
24. ^ "M.O". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 March 2015.
25. "Chart Archive > 31 August 2014 – 6 September 2014". Official Charts Company.
26. "Chart Archive > 10 May 2015 – 16 May 2015". Official Charts Company.
27. ^ "Discography M.O". Irish Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
28. "BPI Certified Awards". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
29. "Best Newcomer". mobo.com. MOBO.

• English women pop singers
• Living people
• Musicians from Lancashire
• People from the Borough of Rossendale
• 1989 births