Stansfield was born to Marion and Keith Stansfield in Heywood, Lancashire, in England, where she attended Redbrook School, Rochdale. Her first television appearance was on a talent programme in the Granada TV area in 1982. She won it singing The Human League track "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of". The series was produced by the then Head of Light Entertainment at Granada TV, Johnny Hamp.
After releasing several unsuccessful singles in her mid-teens, she co-hosted a children's TV pop show, Razzamatazz with Alistair Pirrie; additionally, Stansfield could be seen in 1983 children's television series The Krankies Klub, alongside comedian Jimmy Cricket and rock band Rocky Sharpe and the Replays. She also sang radio jingles for Manchester companies LBS and Alfasound – her voice being heard on packages for the short lived ILR station Sunset 102 and BBC GMR (Greater Manchester Radio).
After being signed by Arista, she became an international celebrity in the early 1990s.
Her R&B vocal features and texture are similar to[2] that of her American contemporary and Arista label-mate, Taylor Dayne.
