Donna Allen is an
American dance-pop singer, born in
Key West,
Florida, and raised in
Tampa. At one point a
cheerleader for the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, she got her start performing in the bands Hi-Octane,Trama and Maxx. During her tenure with MAXX she was courted by Alan Walden (Capricorn Records/Hustler Productions) before launching a solo career. She also sang backup on tour for
Gloria Estefan for nine years. Her first disc was the Lou Pace-
produced 1986
album,
Perfect Timing, and over the next few years she launched several hits on the
US Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play chart. She had two
Top 10 hits in the
UK Singles Chart with "Serious" (1987, #8) and "Joy and Pain" (1989, #10). 1995's "Real", her last US chart hit, was taken from the soundtrack to the
Sylvester Stallone film
The Specialist. The
UK dance act
Strike used her chorus hook line from "Serious", as the basis for their club hit, "
U Sure Do", that same year. In 2009, "He is the Joy" appeared on the
Precious soundtrack.