Holly Valance was born on May 11, 1983, in New Zealand as the third daughter of her family. Her real name is Holly Rachel Vukadinovic. At a young age, she moved with her parents and her two sisters, Coco and Olympia, to Brighton, Australia. Her father, Ryko, was a Yugoslavian-born model, while her mother, Rachel, was born in Southampton, England, and later became one of Australia’s leading top models after relocating to the country.

During her teenage years, Holly Valance developed a strong interest in fashion and aspired to become a photo model. Her mother’s professional background provided significant advantages in entering the industry. At the age of 14, she began appearing in front of the camera for Kmart catalogs and advertising campaigns, supported by her mother’s name recognition and agency connections.

In 1999, when she was 16 years old, her agency received a casting call for one of Australia’s long-running television series, Neighbours. The agency believed Holly was an ideal fit for the role, and after several phone interviews, she attended auditions and was cast as Felicity “Flick” Scully. Following her casting, she devoted herself fully to acting and decided to leave school during the 11th grade in order to focus on her rapidly rising career. Over the next three years, she became a widely recognized television figure.

After maintaining a steady acting career for some time, Holly Valance chose not to renew her contract in 2002. Her primary ambition since the age of 13 had been to pursue a career in music, and she decided the time had come to fully dedicate herself to singing.

Her debut single Kiss Kiss was adapted from the hit song Şımarık by Tarkan. The track became an instant success, reaching number one on the United Kingdom and Austria charts between April and May 2002, while also achieving top positions across several other European countries. One of the key factors behind its rapid popularity was its provocative music video, which featured nude dance scenes strategically obscured by lighting effects.

Later the same year, Holly Valance released her second single Down Boy. Although it did not match the overwhelming success of her debut, it still reached number two on the UK charts and number three in Austria. This was followed by the release of Naughty Girl, and before the end of 2002, her debut album Footprints was released, featuring 15 tracks including all three singles.

In recognition of her sudden international impact, Holly Valance was awarded “Woman of the Year” by the British edition of GQ magazine in 2002.

In 2003, she released her second studio album State of Mind, consisting of 12 tracks, including the title single of the same name. While the single reached number eight on the UK charts and number fourteen in Austria, the album itself failed to enter the charts in either country, marking a more modest commercial outcome compared to her debut.

Source: Biyografiler.com