Emma Anderson
Encyclopedia
Emma Anderson is an English
musician
. She is best known for being a songwriter
, guitarist
and backing singer
in the shoegazing
/Britpop
band, Lush
. As a keen music fan, she used to write a fanzine called Alphabet Soup with school friend Miki Berenyi
when she was a teenager. She attended Queen's College, London
(1982-4) and Ealing College of Higher Education from 1986 - 1990 in London and joined a band called The Rover Girls as a bass
player.
. On 6 March 1988, Lush played their very first performance at Camden Falcon in London. They went on to reasonable success, having a number of Top 40 hits over an eight year career. Anderson told Everett True in Melody Maker
, "I remember when I couldn't play, I wasn't in a band, didn't know anyone else who could play, and now we've got a record out on 4AD
. I sometimes find it impossible to come to terms with what's happening."
Both Anderson and Berenyi became major music press celebrities as part of The Scene That Celebrates Itself
. Music magazines the NME
and Melody Maker
gleefully reported their social activities on a regular basis, which could be said to overshadow their increasingly strong songwriting. As drummer Chris Acland states, "people seem to want to talk abot Lush's relationship to the press more than they want to talk about Lush."
Of the sound of Lush, Emma says, ""We were kind of punk rock in one way. We did think 'Well, if they can do it, why the fuck can't we?' Basically, our idea was to have extremely loud guitars with much weaker vocals. And, really the vocals were weaker due to nervousness - we'd always be going 'Turn them down! Turn them down!'.""
After their biggest hits, the Top 30 "Single Girl", "Ladykillers" and "500 (Shake Baby Shake)" and Top 10 album, Lovelife, the band's drummer Chris Acland
took his own life in 1996. The members were devastated and they split in 1996. Lush officially announced their breakup on 23 February 1997.
In 1997 Anderson formed a new band with vocalist Lisa O'Neill, Sing-Sing
. Emma talks about how it started, "I just started writing songs not really knowing what was going to happen though I kind of knew I didn’t want to form another 4-piece indie band. I demoed those songs for 4AD
with myself singing but was dropped but I wasn’t fazed. I then met Lisa O’Neill via a guy I was going out with at the time. She had worked with Mark Van Hoen whom funnily enough, someone I knew said, was looking for collaborators so it kind of all fell into place and Sing-Sing was born."
They released two albums - The Joy of Sing-Sing in 2001 and Sing-Sing and I in 2005, before officially disbanding on New Year's Day 2008.
Anderson currently resides in London
with her partner and daughter.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
. She is best known for being a songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and backing singer
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
in the shoegazing
Shoegazing
Shoegazing is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged from the United Kingdom in the late 1980s. It lasted there until the mid 1990s, with a critical zenith reached in 1990 and 1991...
/Britpop
Britpop
Britpop is a subgenre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom. Britpop emerged from the British independent music scene of the early 1990s and was characterised by bands influenced by British guitar pop music of the 1960s and 1970s...
band, Lush
Lush (band)
Lush were an English alternative rock band, formed in 1987 and disbanded in 1998. They were one of the first bands to attract the "shoegazing" label...
. As a keen music fan, she used to write a fanzine called Alphabet Soup with school friend Miki Berenyi
Miki Berenyi
Miki Berenyi is an English musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist.- Music :At the age of 14, Berenyi met her friend and future bandmate, Emma Anderson. They became interested in music and together wrote the music fanzine Alphabet Soup...
when she was a teenager. She attended Queen's College, London
Queen's College, London
Queen's College is an independent school for girls aged 11–18. It is located in central London at numbers 43-49, Harley Street. Founded in 1848 by F. D. Maurice, Professor of English Literature and History at King's College London along with a committee of patrons, the College was the first...
(1982-4) and Ealing College of Higher Education from 1986 - 1990 in London and joined a band called The Rover Girls as a bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player.
Musical career
In 1988 she formed Lush with friend and fellow song writer, Miki BerenyiMiki Berenyi
Miki Berenyi is an English musician, singer, songwriter and guitarist.- Music :At the age of 14, Berenyi met her friend and future bandmate, Emma Anderson. They became interested in music and together wrote the music fanzine Alphabet Soup...
. On 6 March 1988, Lush played their very first performance at Camden Falcon in London. They went on to reasonable success, having a number of Top 40 hits over an eight year career. Anderson told Everett True in Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
, "I remember when I couldn't play, I wasn't in a band, didn't know anyone else who could play, and now we've got a record out on 4AD
4AD
4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
. I sometimes find it impossible to come to terms with what's happening."
Both Anderson and Berenyi became major music press celebrities as part of The Scene That Celebrates Itself
The Scene That Celebrates Itself
The Scene That Celebrates Itself was a term used to describe a social and musical scene in the early 1990s within London and the Thames Valley area.The term was invented by the Melody Makers Steve Sutherland in 1990 in a near-contemptuous gesture...
. Music magazines the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
and Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
gleefully reported their social activities on a regular basis, which could be said to overshadow their increasingly strong songwriting. As drummer Chris Acland states, "people seem to want to talk abot Lush's relationship to the press more than they want to talk about Lush."
Of the sound of Lush, Emma says, ""We were kind of punk rock in one way. We did think 'Well, if they can do it, why the fuck can't we?' Basically, our idea was to have extremely loud guitars with much weaker vocals. And, really the vocals were weaker due to nervousness - we'd always be going 'Turn them down! Turn them down!'.""
After their biggest hits, the Top 30 "Single Girl", "Ladykillers" and "500 (Shake Baby Shake)" and Top 10 album, Lovelife, the band's drummer Chris Acland
Chris Acland
Chris Acland was an English musician, best known for being the drummer of the London based shoegazing and britpop musical ensemble, Lush.-Biography:Christopher John Dyke Acland was born in Lancaster Infirmary...
took his own life in 1996. The members were devastated and they split in 1996. Lush officially announced their breakup on 23 February 1997.
In 1997 Anderson formed a new band with vocalist Lisa O'Neill, Sing-Sing
Sing-Sing (band)
Sing-Sing were an English indie pop/dream pop band formed in 1997 in London. It consisted of vocalist Lisa O'Neill and guitarist/vocalist Emma Anderson, formerly of Lush. They worked with a variety of musicians to achieve a unique and eclectic sound which nodded to 60's girl groups, electronica...
. Emma talks about how it started, "I just started writing songs not really knowing what was going to happen though I kind of knew I didn’t want to form another 4-piece indie band. I demoed those songs for 4AD
4AD
4AD is a British independent record label that was started in 1979 by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent, funded by Beggars Banquet Records, and is still active today...
with myself singing but was dropped but I wasn’t fazed. I then met Lisa O’Neill via a guy I was going out with at the time. She had worked with Mark Van Hoen whom funnily enough, someone I knew said, was looking for collaborators so it kind of all fell into place and Sing-Sing was born."
They released two albums - The Joy of Sing-Sing in 2001 and Sing-Sing and I in 2005, before officially disbanding on New Year's Day 2008.
Anderson currently resides in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with her partner and daughter.
Lush
- Scar (mini-LPMini-LPA Mini-LP or Mini-album is a short album, usually retailing at a lower price than an album that would be considered "full-length".-History:...
) - October 1989 - Gala - December 1990
- Spooky - January 1992
- Split - June 1994
- Lovelife - March 1996
- Ciao! The Best of Lush - 2001