Zoe (singer)
Encyclopedia
Zoë is a British pop
singer and songwriter, who had brief success in 1991 with two hit singles, "Sunshine on a Rainy Day
", which climbed to #4 on the UK Singles Chart
, and "Lightning", which reached #37 (and spent three weeks in the UK Top 40). Zoë has released two solo
album
s and five singles
.
to be the lead singer for their band Brilliant
. She began dating Youth, who would later produce her two solo albums.
Zoë released her debut single, "Sunshine On A Rainy Day", in late 1990. It failed to reached the UK Top 40, however it was remixed and re-released in 1991 and it became a Top 10 hit, peaking at #4. Her début album
, Scarlet Red and Blue (to which singer Sam Brown contributed) included "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" and another moderately popular song, "Lightning", which peaked at #37 on the UK Singles Chart
. The album, however, did not sell well, reaching only #67 on the UK Albums Chart
. It featured similar dance-pop
tracks as well as soulful
ballad
s. "Holy Days" was the last single from Scarlet Red and Blue, released in February 992, but only managed #72. In 1991, Zoë sang backing vocals on Bananarama
's Pop Life album, which was produced by Youth
.
In 1996, Zoë re-emerged (still signed to M&G Records
) with a revamped image, style and sound. Her new album, Hammer was American
rock
, and was released to rave reviews in the UK
. The title track was released as a single, but failed to reach the UK Singles Chart. After this album she disappeared from the music scene for several years, travelling around the world and becoming a sculptor and potter.
More recently, Zoë recorded an EP under the alias Hephzibah Broom, released by an independent Manchester label. Zoë is now part of the female folk duo Mama, with singer Sarah McQuaid. They released their debut album, Crow Coyote Buffalo, in late 2008. The album includes a folk re-recording of Zoë's signature song, "Sunshine on a Rainy Day", for which the group also made a videoclip.
Zoë moved to Cornwall
and married the Scottish
poet
, Murray Lachlan Young
. They had two children together, Lore and Flinty, but they divorced in 2009.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer and songwriter, who had brief success in 1991 with two hit singles, "Sunshine on a Rainy Day
Sunshine on a Rainy Day
"Sunshine on a Rainy Day" is a 1990 single released by British female pop singer and songwriter Zoë.The song was originally released at the end of 1990, when it only managed to reach #53 on the UK Singles Chart. It was not until the remix by Youth in August 1991, that it hit #4 on the same chart...
", which climbed to #4 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, and "Lightning", which reached #37 (and spent three weeks in the UK Top 40). Zoë has released two solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s and five singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
.
Career
She initially started her career in the mid 1980s, by auditioning for Jimi Cauty and YouthMartin Glover
Martin Glover, also known as Youth, is a record producer and a founding member and bassist of the UK band Killing Joke. He is a member of The Fireman along with Paul McCartney. Glover was born in Africa.-Early career:...
to be the lead singer for their band Brilliant
Brilliant (band)
Brilliant were a British pop/rock group active in the 1980s. Although not commercially successful and mauled by the critics, they remain notable because of the personnel involved - Martin Glover aka Youth, formerly of Killing Joke and subsequently a top producer/remixer; Jimmy Cauty, later to find...
. She began dating Youth, who would later produce her two solo albums.
Zoë released her debut single, "Sunshine On A Rainy Day", in late 1990. It failed to reached the UK Top 40, however it was remixed and re-released in 1991 and it became a Top 10 hit, peaking at #4. Her début album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Scarlet Red and Blue (to which singer Sam Brown contributed) included "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" and another moderately popular song, "Lightning", which peaked at #37 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The album, however, did not sell well, reaching only #67 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. It featured similar dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
tracks as well as soulful
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
s. "Holy Days" was the last single from Scarlet Red and Blue, released in February 992, but only managed #72. In 1991, Zoë sang backing vocals on Bananarama
Bananarama
Bananarama are an English female pop duo who have had success on the pop and dance charts since 1982. Rather than relying on a two part harmony, the duo generally sings in unison, as do their background vocalists. Although there have been line-up changes, the group enjoyed their most popular...
's Pop Life album, which was produced by Youth
Martin Glover
Martin Glover, also known as Youth, is a record producer and a founding member and bassist of the UK band Killing Joke. He is a member of The Fireman along with Paul McCartney. Glover was born in Africa.-Early career:...
.
In 1996, Zoë re-emerged (still signed to M&G Records
M&G Records
M&G Records was a record label founded by Michael Levy after he sold his previous label Magnet Records in 1988 to WEA for an estimated £10 million.- History :...
) with a revamped image, style and sound. Her new album, Hammer was American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, and was released to rave reviews in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The title track was released as a single, but failed to reach the UK Singles Chart. After this album she disappeared from the music scene for several years, travelling around the world and becoming a sculptor and potter.
More recently, Zoë recorded an EP under the alias Hephzibah Broom, released by an independent Manchester label. Zoë is now part of the female folk duo Mama, with singer Sarah McQuaid. They released their debut album, Crow Coyote Buffalo, in late 2008. The album includes a folk re-recording of Zoë's signature song, "Sunshine on a Rainy Day", for which the group also made a videoclip.
Zoë moved to Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
and married the Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
poet
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
, Murray Lachlan Young
Murray Lachlan Young
Murray Lachlan Young is a British performance poet whose humorous work enjoyed a spectacular but brief vogue during the mid-1990s. He was the first poet to be given a £1 million record deal, when he signed to EMI amid a blaze of publicity in 1996. He released one album, Vice And Verse.Young was...
. They had two children together, Lore and Flinty, but they divorced in 2009.
Singles
- "Sunshine on a Rainy DaySunshine on a Rainy Day"Sunshine on a Rainy Day" is a 1990 single released by British female pop singer and songwriter Zoë.The song was originally released at the end of 1990, when it only managed to reach #53 on the UK Singles Chart. It was not until the remix by Youth in August 1991, that it hit #4 on the same chart...
" (1990) UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
#53 - "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" (remix) (1991) UK #4
- "Lightning" (1991) UK #37
- "Holy Days" (1992) UK #72
- "Hammer" (1996) UK #177
External links
- McCown, Robbie. "The Disappearance of Zoe". Womenfolk (24 February 2005).
- McCown, Robbie. "Zoe Re-emerges with Acoustic 'Sunshine'". Womenfolk (23 June 2008).
- McCown, Robbie. "Uncommon Folk". Womenfolk (29 December 2008).
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Odessa_(Band)