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Margaret LeAnn Rimes Cibrian (, born August 28, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter and Actress. She originally rose to success as a country music artist at the age of 13 and has since Crossover music into pop, contemporary Christian, and other musical genres. Rimes has placed more than 40 singles on international charts since 1996. She has sold more than 48 million records worldwide, with 20.8 million album sales in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Billboard ranked her at number 17 in terms of sales success in the 1990–1999 decade.
Born in Mississippi and raised in Texas, Rimes demonstrated a unique singing ability from a young age. Through her parents' efforts, Rimes began performing in various musical theater and local music contests. Working with her father Wilbur as producer and manager, Rimes released two independent albums as a preteen. After signing with Curb Records in 1996, she released the single "Blue", which became a top-10 hit on the American Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. Her first Curb album and third overall, Blue was certified Platinum six times and established her as a major country artist. She received the Grammy Award for Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance, becoming the youngest winner of the these categories. In 1997, Rimes crossed over into pop music with "How Do I Live", which became one of the best-selling singles of the 1990s. The track was included on her next album (1997), which was certified quadruple Platinum. It was followed up with the Platinum-certified albums Sittin' on Top of the World (1998) and LeAnn Rimes (1999). In the following years, Rimes released several pop singles for soundtrack albums, which include "I Need You" and "Can't Fight the Moonlight", the latter of which became a major hit worldwide. Several of these soundtrack singles were compiled on the Platinum-certified album I Need You (2001).
Breaking away from her father's management in the 2000s, Rimes released the Gold-certified pop album Twisted Angel (2002) and the Christmas record What a Wonderful World (2004). She returned to her country origins with This Woman (2005), which produced three country hits and was certified Gold. Later album releases were Whatever We Wanna (2006), Family (2007), Lady & Gentlemen (2011) and Spitfire (2013). After ending her long-time professional relationship with Curb Records, Rimes released the Christmas album Today Is Christmas (2015) and pop studio album Remnants (2016), the latter of which featured two number one Billboard dance club hits. In the years that followed, she released the albums (2020) and God's Work (2022).
Rimes has also had several notable television film roles. She began her acting career with the film Holiday in Your Heart (1997). After appearing in the television film Northern Lights (2009), Rimes began an affair with co-star Eddie Cibrian which received notable media attention. She has since appeared in Good Intentions (2010), Reel Love (2011), and It's Christmas, Eve (2018). In 2024, she was featured as a coach on The Voice Australia and The Voice UK. In 2025, Rimes was cast as Dixie Bennings on .
By age nine, Rimes was an experienced singer. She toured nationally with her father and also regularly performed a cappella renditions of "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the opening of the Dallas Cowboys football games. In 1991, she released her debut album Everybody's Sweetheart on an independent label called Nor Va Jak. Due to the independent album's success throughout the Dallas music community, Rimes was discovered by local disc jockey and record promoter Bill Mack. Mack was impressed by Rimes's vocal ability, and over the next three years, he made various attempts to sign Rimes to a major country music label. The center of Mack's plan to bring her success was his 1958 single, "Blue". In July 1994, Rimes included her first version of "Blue" on her second and final Nor Va Jak release, All That; she also co-wrote "Share My Love" for this album. Mack then arranged a recording contract for Rimes with Curb Records. She signed with the Nashville label in 1996.
Rimes's first Curb album and third overall, Blue was released in 1996. The disc sold 123,000 copies in its first week. On Blue, Rimes co-wrote "Talk to Me" with Ron Grimes and Jon Rutherford. The album peaked at number one on Billboards Top Country Albums and debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 albums chart. In March 1999, Blue was certified six times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) In Canada, the album was certified triple Platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (now Music Canada), a certification which, at the time, honored shipments of 300,000 copies in that country. As of 2009, it has sold over eight million copies worldwide. Shawn Haney of AllMusic considered the album to be "delightful" and that it could "help inspire other young teens". Two additional singles from the album made the top 40 on the Billboard country singles chart: "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)", which represented her highest peak on that chart at number one, and its follow-up "The Light in Your Eyes", which peaked at number five. "Blue" and "One Way Ticket (Because I Can)" both made top 10 on RPM Country Tracks, then the main country music chart published in Canada, with "Blue" being her most successful single there.
Blues commercial success led to the first of several industry award nominations for Rimes. The title track earned Rimes her first Grammy Awards at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards in 1997, in the category of Best New Artist and Best Female Country Vocal Performance; she became the youngest person to win these awards. That year, the Country Music Association also awarded Rimes the Horizon Award, making her the youngest person ever to be nominated and win a Country Music Association award. The Academy of Country Music also awarded her Top New Female Vocalist, Song of the Year, and Single Record of the Year in 1996; she would be nominated for the latter two again in 1997.
Rimes made her acting debut on the ABC television film Holiday in Your Heart, which premiered on December 14. (2026). 9780826514325, Vanderbilt University Press. ISBN 9780826514325 The film was based on Rimes's titular book, which was released two months earlier. The film was the start of a three-movie contract that Rimes was offered by ABC in 1998. The film was semi-autobiographical, with Rimes playing a country performer who discovers that her grandmother becomes hospitalized. In the film, Rimes performed several of her hit songs. In 1998, she played a teen runaway in an episode of NBC's Days of Our Lives.
Rimes's next Curb release was 1998's Sittin' on Top of the World. The album was given mixed reviews. James Hunter of Rolling Stone stated that Rimes "holds her own in the more popular style of Mariah Carey and Celine Dion, wherein a spectacular voice upstages a song, grins and goes on about her business." Sittin' on Top of the World debuted at number two on the Top Country Albums chart and at number three on the Billboard 200. The project spawned the number four Billboard country hit "Commitment", the Top 20 Pop hit "Looking Through Your Eyes" from the soundtrack of the 1998 film Quest for Camelot, and the number 10 country hit "Nothin' New Under the Moon". In July, the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA for shipments of one million copies.
In October 1999, Curb released Rimes's sixth studio album, LeAnn Rimes, which she co-produced with Wilbur. The record was a collection of country music cover songs mainly by Patsy Cline. The album received mostly positive reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album one of her "better" efforts. Beth Johnson of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a positive review and said that Rimes's voice "dares listeners to take note of what is missing in her interpretations—the gutsiness and gut-wrenching urgency of performers who felt what they sang." The album debuted at number one on the Top Country Albums chart, topping the country albums chart for two weeks. It also peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 albums chart. The album sold over one million copies in the United States, and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. The project also included the new song "Big Deal". Released as the lead single, "Big Deal" peaked at number six on the country singles charts. Also in 1999, Rimes collaborated with Elton John on "Written in the Stars" for the stage musical Aida.
In November 2000, Rimes sued Curb to nullify her recording contract with the label; it had originally been signed on her behalf by her parents five years earlier. In January 2001, Curb released the compilation I Need You, which consists of four previously released soundtrack appearances alongside six new tracks. Rimes publicly disowned the album; she said that it was compiled from studio outtakes and released without her knowledge or input. Despite her comments, Curb continued to promote the record and released three singles in support of the album. The first of these releases was "But I Do Love You", which had previously appeared on the Coyote Ugly soundtrack and was remixed in a country style for inclusion on I Need You. This version peaked at number 20 on the country songs chart. I Need You generally featured more pop-oriented songs than her previous releases, being described by Stephen Erlewine as "her first full-fledged pop album" with "footing squarely within adult contemporary pop". Chris Neal from Country Weekly praised the album and Rimes's vocal performance, saying that "all the songs are solid". However, he also noted that "most of the songs have only a tenuous connection to country" and said "how you feel about I Need You will largely depend on whether you see LeAnn’s shift toward pop as a positive development." In November 2001, Rimes was released from her original contract with Curb and subsequently signed a new agreement with the label under new terms. I Need You was reissued with additional tracks on March 23, 2002. The album was certified Platinum by the RIAA.
On October 1, 2002, Rimes released her seventh studio album Twisted Angel. The album was mainly produced by Desmond Child and was a drastic departure from her previous studio albums, containing a combination of dance-pop and adult contemporary with more adult material. The album was preceded by the single "Life Goes On", which experienced success internationally but failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. The single was particularly successful in Australia, where it peaked at number seven and was certified Platinum. The second single released from the album was "Tic Toc", which became her first top-10 hit on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. Rimes received criticism from critics and fans alike for her decision to release a pop album. She explained: "I've gotten grilled a lot about that album. You know, people just didn't want me to experiment. When you're a teenager growing up, you learn a lot about yourself, and that's what I did with my music. I did something different, something that not a lot of people expected me to do. ... And, in a lot of ways, that did work for me. It was a great learning experience. So, nope, no regrets whatsoever." Twisted Angel was certified Gold by the RIAA.
In July 2003, Rimes released her first children's book, titled Jag. In November, Rimes released her Greatest Hits compilation in North America; its international counterpart The Best of LeAnn Rimes was released in February 2004. Both compilations included a collaboration with Irish singer Ronan Keating on "Last Thing on My Mind", which was released as a single that May. The song was most successful in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at numbers 4 and 5 on the Scottish and UK singles charts, respectively. In October 2004, Rimes released her first Christmas album and eighth studio album What a Wonderful World.
In 2009, Rimes played the role of Meg Galloway in the made-for-television film Northern Lights which aired on the Lifetime network. The film was based on Nora Roberts's 2004 book Northern Lights. Eddie Cibrian played opposite Rimes as her character's love interest. Media publicity of their real-life affair helped make Northern Lights the network's most-watched television movie, with four and a half million viewers in March 2009. On April 14, 2009, Rimes published the collaborative self-help book What I Cannot Change with Darrell Brown. In 2010, Rimes played a supporting role in the movie Good Intentions and contributed to the film's soundtrack.
In 2011, Rimes released her twelfth studio album Lady & Gentlemen. Rimes co-produced it along with country singer Vince Gill. The album contained covers of country songs originally recorded by male artists that Rimes re-recorded from a female perspective. Entertainment Weekly's Mikael Wood concluded that "The result is predictably solid, though it rarely sheds new light on the top-shelf material." The album's cover of John Anderson's "Swingin'" was nominated for a Grammy award. Lady & Gentlemen also featured two tracks which were original recordings: "Crazy Women" and "Give". Both tracks were released as singles and were minor hits on the Billboard country chart. The same year, Rimes starred in the television film Reel Love. The film aired on Country Music Television and also starred actor Burt Reynolds. She also had a guest role on the television show Drop Dead Diva.
Rimes's final album with Curb, Spitfire, was released in 2013. On this project, she co-produced with keyboardist Darrell Brown and co-wrote nine of its 13 songs. Spitfire centered around Rimes's affair with future husband Eddie Cibrian and the media speculation around their relationship. "I used to get mad at the tabloids, but I should be thanking them because they helped me write this whole record," she commented. The album sold 10,798 copies in its first week and debuted at number 36 on the Billboard 200. It also debuted at number nine on the country albums chart. Sales of the album were considered "disappointing" by several news outlets, while singles released from the album failed to become commercially successful. Also in 2013, she made a guest appearance on the FX television show Anger Management.
In July 2014, Rimes announced that she would release three Christmas over the course of the next three years. In October 2014, the first of these planned EPs was released, , issued through Iconic Entertainment. It included the lead single, a cover of Gayla Peevey's "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas". The EP peaked at number 20 on the Top Country Albums chart and number 35 on the Top Holiday Albums list. To promote the project, Rimes embarked on the "One Christmas Tour", which toured the United States in the winter of 2014. Rimes's original plan of multiple EP releases was dropped and replaced with a full-length holiday album in 2015. That year she released Today Is Christmas through Prodigy Entertainment. A collaboration with singer Gavin DeGraw on a cover of Kenny Loggins's "Celebrate Me Home" was included. The record reached number two on the Holiday albums chart and number nine on the Country Albums chart.
In 2016, Rimes signed with RCA UK, an imprint of Sony Music Entertainment, and released a cover of Brandi Carlile's "The Story". It was included on her fifteenth studio album titled Remnants. First issued in the United Kingdom in 2016, Remnants was later released in the United States in February 2017. The album reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart and number 88 on the Billboard 200. The album spawned the singles "Long Live Love" and "Love Is Love Is Love" which topped the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart; "Love Line" was released as the album's final single and peaked at number 5. In 2017, Rimes made a cameo appearance in the film Logan Lucky where she sang "America the Beautiful".
June 2018, Rimes released Re-Imagined through EverLe Records and the Thirty Tigers label. The EP contains five tracks from her back catalogue that she re-recorded. Also included was a collaboration with former Fleetwood Mac lead singer Stevie Nicks on a re-recording of "Borrowed". Later in 2018, Rimes appeared in the Hallmark Channel original television film titled It's Christmas, Eve. She recorded the film's soundtrack, which was released in October 2018. Included were covers of Christmas standards, as well as new recordings composed with producer Darrell Brown. In 2019, Rimes released her first live album, .
In 2020, Rimes competed as "Sun" on the fourth season of the Fox reality singing competition The Masked Singer. Her identity was revealed during the season finale on December 16, 2020, where she was declared the winner of the season. She was later a guest panelist in the season five finale. Darius Rucker also joined her in the show. In November 2020, Rimes released her sixteenth studio record . Its 12 tracks were built from chants and daily mantras rather than traditional songs. A corresponding health and wellness podcast titled Wholly Human followed that focused on similar themes. Rimes produced and composed the album with longtime musical collaborator Darrell Brown. "As I started meditating I started chanting and singing. And as I felt what was coming through needed to come through and felt good, I would press record on my phone and get it down, then expand it from there," Rimes explained of the projects.
In 2022, Rimes released the album God's Work. Rimes celebrated her 25th year in the music industry with a special CMT Crossroads episode featuring Carly Pearce, Brandy Clark, Ashley McBryde and Mickey Guyton airing on April 14, 2022. In April 2023, Rimes collaborated with Tenille Arts on "Jealous of Myself".
As Rimes matured into adulthood, critics continued to take notice of her voice. In reviewing a 2005 concert, Chrissie Dickinson of The Chicago Tribune found that while her stage presence was lacking, Rimes's voice had significant power: "But what Rimes lacked in stage electricity she made up for in vocal power. She has superlative control over that big voice, a soaring instrument that can belt and whisper within the same song." In reviewing her 2011 album Lady & Gentlemen Stephen Thomas Erlewine stated, "Throughout it all, Rimes hits her marks with ease...she's become a stronger, more nuanced singer over the years." Jessica Goodman of Glamour found that her 2016 song "Remnants" "showcases the powerhouse vocals that made Rimes famous all those years ago."
Rimes was most notably influenced by Patsy Cline. Listeners and critics drew similarities to Cline's voice through Rimes's phrasing and vocal delivery Rimes later stated that Cline's voice largely influenced the way she created her own unique sound. "Patsy was such a huge part of how I created my sound. From Cline, really it was about this true, honest, emotional connection and the way that she could just take you to a place that you don't normally go within yourself when you listened to her music," she told popculture. In 2013, Rimes performed a tribute to Cline at the American Country Awards she sang a tribute medley of Cline's songs. "I mean I know how much I've been influenced by her and how I feel about her and then you see a sea of people and artists who have been just as influenced and she's touched so many people," she told E!.
Shortly after the couple parted ways, Rimes met dancer Dean Sheremet at the 36th Academy of Country Music Awards in 2001. By December, the pair became engaged. In 2002 and at age 19, Rimes married Sheremet in a church ceremony in Dallas, Texas. In 2003, the couple purchased a 1.7 million dollar home, located in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2007, Sheremet directed the choreography for Rimes's single "Nothin' Better to Do". According to People, the couple spent more time apart in later years of their marriage as Rimes devoted energy towards an acting career in Los Angeles while Sheremet remained in Nashville. In July 2009, the couple separated and in September, Rimes announced their plans to divorce. The divorce was finalized on June 19, 2010, exactly six months after Sheremet filed divorce documents for dissolution of marriage.
Rimes began an extramarital affair with actor Eddie Cibrian, with whom she worked on the TV film Northern Lights Reports surfaced in March 2009 of the couple embracing while eating at a restaurant. Television personality Brandi Glanville, Cibrian's then-wife and mother of his two sons, filed for divorce as a result of the affair in August 2009, ending eight years of marriage. In June 2010, Rimes spoke for the first time about the end of her first marriage, stating; "I take responsibility for everything I've done. I hate that people got hurt, but I don't regret the outcome." That month, Rimes moved into Cibrian's California home. In an interview with ABC, Rimes discussed her new relationship: "What happened is not who I am, period. But I do know how much I love him. So I've always said I don't live my life with regret. I can't." In December 2010, it was announced via Billboard that Rimes and Cibrian were engaged. Rimes and Cibrian married on April 22, 2011, at a private home in California. The 40-person ceremony also included Cibrian's sons from his first marriage.
In 2013, the couple bought a home in Hidden Hills, California, listed for three million dollars. By 2018, Rimes and Glanville reconciled, with Glanville stating: "I think we both grew up quite a bit, and we both love Eddie's parents. We both love the kids, and Eddie's going to be in my life for the rest of my life. ... We're like sister wives. It's me and LeAnn and Eddie."
In 2002, Rimes's lawsuit with her father was "settled on undisclosed terms." "It is difficult to express just how happy I am that all of the legal troubles between my daughter and I are over," Rimes's father commented. Rimes reconciled with her father for her wedding. During her wedding ceremony to Dean Sheremet, Wilbur Rimes walked his daughter down the aisle. "I've never hated my dad. I just wanted a dad. I guess I just really disliked where he was in my life. I just wanted him to be my father," she told ABC News.
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