Had things been different one defining day during Sonique’s teen years, we may never have heard her music at all.

From the age of 6, the singer/DJ who performs at Rich’s this Saturday, May 2, had serious designs on the world of professional athletics. Still in possession of a super fit physique, she explains: “I dreamed of being the world’s best pentathlete. Trained every single day. I guess I was pretty obsessed.”

But at the age of 15, all that came to an abrupt halt: “I came second in a race,” she says matter-of-factly. “Wasn’t used to losing.”

Which pretty much sums up Sonique’s life philosophy: Be the best or don’t bother.

With her music career, she’s certainly put that theory into practice.

In 2000, Sonique’s debut album Hear My Cry went platinum in the U.K., following her number-one single “It Feels So Good”, which also notched up platinum sales in the U.K.. In 2001, she won Best Female Award at the Brits, and was nominated for Best Dance Act, Best Dance Newcomer, Best Single and Best Video. The magazine Maxim awarded her the Best Singer Award in its 2001 Women of the Year Awards, and MTV nominated her in four categories in their annual awards. In addition she was recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the first female solo artist to be number one for three consecutive weeks – the first since Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights” in 1978.

Born and raised in North London’s Crouch End, Sonique’s formative years were infused with the sounds of her mum’s record collection. Every Sunday, the house would be filled with the sounds of Marvin Gaye, Roberta Flack, Gladys Knight, Otis Redding and Denise Williams.

“That was the day for loud music, cleaning and nice-smelling food being cooked,” she recalls.

Sonique’s first tune, “Let Me Hold You”, was snapped up by Chrysalis and it became a club hit. She began writing more songs and soon dance/sampling pioneer Mark Moore poached her for his own project – S Express.

In 1997, Sonique began a three-year residency at Ibiza’s infamous kinky superclub, Manumission. There she met a couple of friends starting a record label and volunteered herself to provide their first release, “Put a Spell on You”. The song got to number 20 on the dance chart and the trio followed it with a song Sonique had written three years earlier – “It Feels So Good”, which became one of the fastest-selling dance anthems in history.

Sonique released her second critically acclaimed album Born to be Free in 2003. The first single, “Can’t Make Up My Mind”, charted in the U.K. Pop top 20 and topped the U.K. dance chart for two consecutive weeks. It also went in at number one in Germany, Spain and Scandinavia, becoming one of Europe’s most played dance songs of 2003.

In the last two years, Sonique has alternated international DJ gigs with writing. She has guested on tracks with Mogwai and Novy, producing some of what have been described as the best underground dance songs of 2003.

She is currently locked in the studio with number-one German dance DJ and producer Tomcraft, working on new material for release in 2004. The buzz is already growing and the first single should be out in time for the summer season.

Sonique performs at Rich’s this Saturday, May 2, with DJ Oliveri. Call (619) 497-4588, or go to www.gaylesbian.com and click on this story.