Annie Lennox

Annie Lennox
Ann "Annie" Lennox, OBEis a Scottish singer, songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band The Tourists, she and fellow musician David A. Stewart went on to achieve major international success in the 1980s as Eurythmics. With a total of eight Brit Awards, including Best British Female Artist six times, Lennox has won more than any other female artist. She has also been named the "Brits Champion of...
NationalityScottish
ProfessionPop Singer
Date of Birth25 December 1954
CityAberdeen, Scotland
When women get together as a group, it is immensely powerful.
I knew that I wanted to be a singer/songwriter when I was much younger and, um, I've been able to, you know, to realize that dream and I'm very pleased with that...I want to branch out. I want to write. I write poetry...Music is an extraordinary vehicle for expressing emotion-very powerful emotions.
We all fight over what the label 'feminism' means but for me it's about empowerment. It's not about being more powerful than men - it's about having equal rights with protection, support, justice. It's about very basic things. It's not a badge like a fashion item.
I was perceiving myself as good as a man or equal to a man and as powerful and I wanted to look ambiguous because I thought that was a very interesting statement to make through the media. And it certainly did cause quite a few ripples and interest and shock waves.
If someone says something unpleasant, I can't say it doesn't smart a bit. It always does. Someone can take a really nasty swipe if they want because it kind of feels powerful for a person to write in a paper and get that thing out there.
Music is an extraordinary vehicle for expressing emotion - very powerful emotions. That's what draws millions of people towards it. And, um, I found myself always going for these darker places and - people identify with that.
I regard music as something that transcends the labels of gender, class or creed, which is why I think it's such a powerful medium. And as a fashion plate? I have to tell you that I've been given many opportunities to collude with the fashion industry, but I declined because I don't want to be a clotheshorse for anyone.
Collectively, you are so powerful and strong you can do these things.
Even in the '80s when people were gay, it was still difficult for them to come out, whereas nowadays, 20 years on, I think, um, we have a far more open-minded society that embraces the notion of homosexuality, and I think there was this doubt about my gender, you know, and at the time it possibly was controversial but... they missed my message, if you see what I mean, because for me it wasn't about a sexual issue, it was more of a feminist thing.
I'm shy, yeah.There's a huge industry at the moment of celebrity and it's really evolved over the last 10-15 years and, um, although I'm somebody that's in the public eye from time to time, I don't play that game too much. I don't like it because I find it very superficial - I just like to make my music and I like to sing. I don't really hang out.
Catch me and let me dive under, for I want to swim in the pools of your eyes.
It takes a tremendous amount of faith every time I go into the studio. Music comes easy to me -- melody, chord progression, no problem. That's something very simple, and I like to sit down and do that. But to actually literally write something important ...
I identify with other women because of my gender, and I identify with other women if they are mothers because I'm a mother, too. It's very simple. It's nothing complicated, it's not rocket science. It's about empathy. It's about understanding that what happens with one person is potentially what happens to you, and seeing yourself in someone else's shoes. Fundamentally, we are all in the same place: we're born, we live, and we're going to die. In between, we'll have joy and we'll have sadness.
The music industry has always been a beast, which would eat you up and spit you out.