| Alison Moyet |
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EARLY LIFE AND CAREER Moyet was born in Billericay , Essex , UK to a French father and English mother. She grew up in Basildon , where she attended school. After leaving school at 16, she worked as a shop worker and a piano tuner. She was involved in a number of Punk Rock , Pub Rock and Blues bands in the South East Essex area during the late 1970s and early 1980s , including The Vandals and The Screamin' Ab Dabs , The Vicars and The Little Roosters. Her mainstream pop career began in 1981 when she formed the Electropop duo Yazoo with former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke . (In the United States , the band became known as Yaz, as there was already a band in the States named Yazoo.) Yazoo/Yaz had several hits, including "Situation", "Don't Go", "Ode to Boy" and "State Farm". Yazoo/Yaz was notable for melding very cool, electronic sounds with Moyet's warm, soulful voice, creating an original sound. SOLO CAREER In 1983 Moyet and Clarke decided to go their own ways. While Clarke went on to form Erasure , Moyet signed to CBS (in part because it had been Janis Joplin 's label) and began her solo career. In 1984 she released her debut album ''Alf'' (titled after her punk-era nickname). "Alf" included contributions by popular producers/songwriters Swain and Jolley, and a song, "Invisible", written by Motown legend Lamont Dozier. The record was a hit Britain, reaching number one in the album charts. ''Alf'' spawned 3 hit singles, "Love Resurrection", "Invisible" and "All Cried Out". In the U.S., "Invisible" was a Top 40 hit (something Yazoo had never achieved). In 1985 Moyet performed at the historic Live Aid concert, alongside Paul Young . She also released a single not featured on "Alf", a cover of the standard "That Ole Devil Called Love". The single went to #2 on the UK singles chart. (At present, it remains Moyet's highest-charting UK single.) In 1986 Moyet had another big UK hit with the single "Is This Love?", followed in 1987 by the album ''Raindancing''. ''Raindancing'' spawned further hit singles, including: "Ordinary Girl" and a cover of Floy Joy's "Weak In The Presence of Beauty". Following a period of personal and career evaluation ''Hoodoo'' was released in 1991. ''Hoodoo'', which took several steps away from the glossy pop sheen of "Raindancing" and was a far earthier and more personal album. Compared to her earlier releases, "Hoodoo" received little label support and only minimal promotion. The album sold respectably in Britain, and was nominated for a Grammy for the single "It Won't Be Long". However, the release of ''Hoodoo'' marked the beginning of what was to become a long fight for Moyet to secure complete control of her artistic direction. Like many similar artists of Moyet's calibre (including Aimee Mann and the late Kirsty MacColl ), Moyet was reluctant to record a radio-friendly 'pop' album simply for the sake of creating chart hits. Moyet's next album ''Essex'' (1994) was also a source of controversy for her; in order for the album to be released, her label (now Sony ) insisted that certain ''Essex'' tracks be re-recorded and re-produced, and that there be additional material remixed to create a more 'commercial' package. Following the release of "Essex", Sony released a greatest-hits compilation of Moyet's work the following year. ''Singles'' entered the UK charts at number one. Following incredible CD success and a UK tour, ''Singles'' was re-issued as a double CD set which included "No Overdubs", a bonus live CD. Upon re-issue ''Singles'' again charted, this time in the top 20. Due to prolonged litigation with Sony, Moyet did not record or release a new studio album for over eight years after the release of "Essex". During this time, however, Moyet recorded vocals for Tricky , Sylk-130 , Ocean Colour Scene , The Lightning Seeds and King Britt , and was featured on the British leg of the Lilith Fair tour. Moyet also made her critically acclaimed stage debut in the West End production of the musical '' Chicago '' in 2001. She played the part of Matron ‘Mama’ Morton, and although initially planned to be a short run, Moyet enjoyed the experience so much that the run was extended to six months. 2001 also saw the release of ''The Essential Alison Moyet'' CD, and in 2002 'The Essential Alison Moyet' DVD was released. In August 2002, after years of holding out and refusing to compromise, Moyet was finally released from her Sony contract. Moyet signed to Sanctuary Records and released her first studio album in eight years, ''Hometime'', an album which Sony had refused to release. ''Hometime'' was produced by The Insects , who had also produced works by Goldfrapp and Massive Attack . The release of the CD launched Moyet into the top five best-selling female UK artists of 2002 and resulted in a BRIT nomination for Best Female Vocal. Moyet's most recent work, ''Voice'', was released on 6 September 2004 and entered the UK charts at number seven. The album was later re-issued with a bonus track "Alfie". A DVD of the tour to support "Voice" is slated to be released in 2006. Moyet is currently appearing in the play ''Smaller'' at the Lyric theatre in London's West End along with Dawn French (of French & Saunders fame). DISCOGRAPHY Albums Singles SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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