Ketevan "Katie" Melua (; Georgian: ქეთევან "ქეთი" მელუა, IPA: [kʰɛtʰɛvɑn mɛluɑ]; born 16 September 1984) is a Georgian and British singer and songwriter. Melua was born in Kutaisi and raised in Belfast and London. Under the management of composer Mike Batt, she was signed to the small Dramatico record label. She made her musical debut in 2003 and within three years, she was the United Kingdom's best-selling female artist as well as Europe's highest selling European female artist.In November 2003, Melua released her first album, Call Off the Search, which reached the top of the United Kingdom album charts and sold 1.8 million copies in its first five months of release. Her second album, Piece by Piece, was released in September 2005, and to date has gone platinum (one million units sold) four times. She released her third studio album Pictures in October 2007.According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2008, Melua had amassed a fortune of £18 million, making her the seventh-richest British musician under the age of 30.She possesses a contralto vocal range.