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Annie Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish musician and recording artist. She began her recording career as a member of the British pop band The Tourists, and subsequently formed the duo Eurythmics with former bandmate David A. Stewart. The duo gained international prominence over the course of the 1980s with singles such as “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” and “Here Comes the Rain Again”.[1]
In the 1990s, Lennox embarked on a solo career beginning with her debut Diva (1992), which produced the hit singles “Why” and “Walking on Broken Glass”. In 2004, she won both the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Into the West”, written for the original soundtrack to the feature film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.[2] Following the release of her fourth studio album Songs of Mass Destruction (2007), Lennox released her first compilation album The Annie Lennox Collection in 2009.
In addition to her career as a musician, Lennox is also a political and social activist, leading such events as an anti-war rally in London on 3 January 2009 in response to the Gaza War.[3] She also objected to the unauthorised use of the 1999 Eurythmics song “I Saved the World Today” in an election broadcast for Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.[4]
Known as a pop culture icon for her distinctive contralto vocals and visual performances, Lennox has been named “The Greatest White Soul Singer Alive” by VH1 and one of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone.[5] She has earned the distinction of ‘most successful female British artist in UK music history’ due to her global commercial success since the early 1980s. Including her work within Eurythmics, Lennox is one of the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold over 80 million records worldwide.[6]
Early life
Lennox was born on Christmas Day, 1954, in Torry, Aberdeen. Her father worked at the shipyard, and her mother was a cook until she became a housewife. Lennox was an only child and the family lived in a small two-roomed apartment in a block of flats with communal laundry facilities. Despite her family’s financial status, Lennox had piano lessons at school from the age of seven years at the cost of £4.00 per term. She was interested in singing and, with plenty of time to herself, passed some of the time by singing along to the popular music of the time, including music by The Beatles. She was an unhappy teenager, partly because of a struggle over boundaries for her independence with her overprotective father.[7] She attended Aberdeen High School for Girls, now Harlaw Academy.[7][8] In 1964, her early talent was demonstrated when she came second in a talent contest at a Butlins holiday camp. She sang the song “Mairi’s Wedding”.[9]
Royal Academy of Music
In the 1970s, Lennox won a place at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where she studied the flute and classical music for three years. She lived on a student grant and worked at part-time jobs for extra money. Lennox was unhappy during her time at the Royal Academy partly because she was lonely and shy, and she missed many history-of-music lessons.[7]
Lennox’s flute teacher’s final report stated: “Ann has not always been sure of where to direct her efforts, though lately she has been more committed. She is very, very able, however.” Two years later, Lennox reported to the Academy: “I have had to work as a waitress, barmaid, and shop assistant to keep me when not in musical work.” She also played and sang with a few bands, such as Windsong, during the period of her course. In 2006, the academy made her an honorary Fellow.[10] Lennox also was made a Fellow of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama that year.