Her 1st jobs as the adolescent come in television, acquiring a role on the a measure of laundry detergent Love of Life and the classic children' indicate The Electric Company. She is better remembered for singing a themes from either Fame and Flashdance. She played Coco Hernandez inside Fame, Sparkle in Sparkle, and Angela in romance thriller classic Aaron Loves Angela.

She won two a 1983 Academy Award for Best Song and the 1984 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Flashdance (What A Feeling)", from Flashdance.

Inside June 2005, Irene won the third spherical of NBC's hit TV show Hit Me Baby One More Time, performing "Flashdance (What a Feeling)" and covered Anastacia's hit "I'm Outta Love" by having her todays band, Hot Caramel.

Filmography
Aaron Loves Angela (1975) Sparkle (1976) Apple Pie (1976) On Location with: FAME (1980) (short subject) Fame (1980) ''Killing 'em Softly (1982) D.C. Cab (1983) (Cameo) Flashdance (1983) City Heat (1984) Certain Fury (1985) Busted Up (1986) Caged in Paradiso (1990) The Magic Voyage (1992) (voice) Happily Ever After'' (1993) (voice)