Alison Moyet

Geneviève Alison Jane Ballard (born 18 June 1961) is an English singer noted for her powerful bluesy contralto voice.

She came to prominence as half of the duo Yazoo (known as Yaz in North America), but has since mainly worked as a solo artist.

Her worldwide album sales have reached a certified 23 million, with over two million singles sold.

All nine of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the top 30 of the UK Albums Chart, with two of them reaching number one.

She has also achieved nine top 30 singles and six top 10 hits on the UK Singles Chart.

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, the Screamin' Ab Dabs, the Vicars and the Little Roosters (the latter featuring Garrie Lammin, formerly of Cock Sparrer).

After leaving school at age 16, Moyet worked as a shop assistant and trained as a piano tuner.

At the age of 20, Moyet's mainstream pop career began in 1982 with the formation of the synthpop duo Yazoo with former Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke.

In the United States, the band operated under the name Yaz, due to trademark issues with the Yazoo Records record label already operating in the region.

Yazoo had several hits, including "Only You", "Don't Go", "Situation" and "Nobody's Diary", and recorded two albums, Upstairs at Eric's and You and Me Both.

In 1983, Clarke decided to disband Yazoo.

While Clarke went on to form The Assembly (another duo, this time with Eric Radcliffe) and then Erasure (a duo again, with Andy Bell), Moyet signed to CBS, and began her solo career.

In 1984, Moyet released her debut solo album Alf (titled after her punk-era nickname).

Alf was produced by the record producing and songwriting team of Jolley & Swain.

The album was co-written by the duo and Moyet, with the exception of "Invisible", which was written for Moyet by Lamont Dozier.

The record was a hit in Britain, reaching No. 1 in the UK Albums Chart.

Alf spawned three international hit singles, "Love Resurrection" (UK No. 10), "Invisible" (UK No. 21) and "All Cried Out" (UK No. 8).

In the US, "Invisible" was a Top 40 hit.

In some European territories, a fourth single, "For You Only", was also released.

In 1985, Moyet performed at Live Aid alongside Paul Young and later returned unscheduled to the stage (alongside Bob Geldof, David Bowie and Pete Townshend) to provide vocals on "Let It Be" when Paul McCartney's vocal microphone at his piano failed, leaving him unable to be heard for the first stanza of the song.

(Twenty years later, he overdubbed his vocal for the Live Aid DVD release.) Moyet also released a single not featured on Alf, a cover of the standard "That Ole Devil Called Love", which climbed to No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart (it remains Moyet's highest-charting UK single).

Moyet had another big UK hit the following year with "Is This Love?" (co-written by Eurythmics' Dave Stewart, under the pseudonym Jean Guiot), followed in 1987 by her second LP, Raindancing.

Raindancing spawned further hit singles, including a cover of Floy Joy's "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" and "Ordinary Girl".

In 1987, she scored another cover hit with "Love Letters", which peaked at UK No. 4. The video for the song featured comedy duo French & Saunders.

Following a period of personal and career evaluation, she released Hoodoo in 1991.

The album sold respectably in the UK, and Moyet was nominated for a Grammy for the single "It Won't Be Long".

However, the release of Hoodoo marked the beginning of an eight-year fight for Moyet to secure complete control of her artistic direction.

Like many similar artists (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.

The video for the single "Whispering Your Name" again featured Dawn French.

Following the release of Essex, Sony released a greatest hits compilation of Moyet's work.

Singles entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 1 and, following a UK tour, was re-issued as a double CD set which included Live (No Overdubs), a bonus live CD.

Upon re-issue, Singles charted again, 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, she 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.

In 1995, she sang back-up vocals with Sinéad O'Connor for one of Dusty Springfield's last television appearances, singing "Where Is a Woman to Go?"

2001 saw the release of The Essential Alison Moyet CD, and in 2002 The Essential Alison Moyet DVD.

Her most recent album, her ninth, Other, was released 16 June 2017.

Geneviève Alison Jane Moyet was born in Billericay, Essex, to a French father and English mother.

She grew up in the nearby town of Basildon, where she attended Janet Duke Junior School and then Nicholas Comprehensive at secondary level.