Annabella Lwin
Annabella Lwin | |
|---|---|
 Annabella Lwin performing as Bow Wow Wow in Kant-Kino, Berlin in 1982. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 31 October 1966[1] |
| Origin | Yangon, Myanmar |
| Genres | Alternative rock, new wave, pop |
| Occupation | Singer,songwriter,performer,producer |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Website | Official website |
Annabella Lwin 31 October 1966) is an Anglo-Burmese singer, songwriter and record producer best known as the lead singer of Bow Wow Wow.
Biography
Lwin was born to a Burmese father and an English mother in Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar).[2][3]
In 1980, at the age of thirteen, she was spotted by a friend of Malcolm McLaren singing at the dry cleaning premises in North London where she worked part-time. Following her successful audition for the lead singer position in McLaren's new group (the yet-to-be-named band Bow Wow Wow), he had her transfer from a mixed comprehensive school in London to the Sylvia Young Theatre School. McLaren dubbed her 'Bess Man'.[4] The group would go on to chart success with the songs "Go Wild in the Country", "Do You Wanna Hold Me?" and "I Want Candy". Lwin later caused controversy the following year by posing nude for the cover of See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang, Yeah. City All Over! Go Ape Crazy, the group's first full-length album.
When Lwin was ousted from the band in September 1983,[5] she embarked on a solo career, releasing Fever in 1986 (RCA 8061), which was produced by and recorded with multi-instrumentalist Jim Lea of Slade. She formed a new band, Naked Experience, and collaborated across the Atlantic with seasoned musicians and songwriters such as Billy Steinberg and Ellen Shipley. The One official song release, "Carsex", made the Top 10 in the UK Dance Chart, and re-mixed dance follow-up "Do What You Do" (1995), produced by Steve Lironi, spent one week at No. 61 in the UK Singles Chart.[6]
Lwin reunited with the former bass player from Bow Wow Wow in 1997, recreating the sound of the original band for a US tour. The reunion included appearances by a range of musicians from the young up and coming, such as Eshan Khadaroo of Beat Kitchen, Blue Man, and the established, including Adrian Young from No Doubt, both playing drums in place of original member Dave Barbe. The original guitarist Matthew Ashman had died of complications from diabetes in 1995, and various guitarists filled in.
Lwin has recorded original material as a solo artist, and is a featured vocalist on numerous transatlantic dance tracks with producers/DJs, such as Tony B of Groove Radio, Jason Nevins, and the Utah Saints. (Some mystery surrounds this collaboration, the Utah Saints official site mention the collaboration, but the album appears to have never been available for purchase). Lwin's songwriting also brought her into partnerships with producers such as Guy Chambers and Michael Lattanzi.
In 2005, Annabella Lwin was a featured vocalist, with Camp Freddy members Dave Navarro and Billy Morrison, during a fund raising concert for victims of the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Lwin co-wrote and co-produced a solo song with record producer Carey Beare, which was donated exclusively to the Hands and Hearts Organization for Tsunami Relief in spring 2006.
2007 saw Lwin in a teaser video on U-tube for a song from an un-released album recorded for SonyS2 now defunkt label with an audience of over 1million in 1 month of its release.
2008-2009 Annabella took time out in U.K for a family crises.
Amongst a couple of her own shows In 2010, Lwin appeared on stage with Kathy Valentine & Charlotte Caffey Go-Go's Billy Corrigan,Smashing Pumpkins & other Artists that have made their mark in the music industry for a MAP Benefit concert called 'Women in Recovery.'
Lwin is a practicing Buddhist.[3]
References
- ^ Whiteley, Sheila; "Too Much Too Young: Popular Music, Age and Gender", p.45; Routledge, 2005; ISBN 0-415-31029-6
- ^ "A HISTORY OF BOW WOW WOW (1980–2003)" BowWowWow.org (Retrieved: 6 September 2009)
- ^ a b Medina, Maximillian Mark; "The Unwitting Pop Music Pioneer" ChopBlock.com (Retrieved: 4 December 2006)
- ^ Hess, Scott; the experience was short-lived, as Malcolm was eager to get Annabella in the recording studio & touring all around the country due to her being a novice in front of an audience, starting with die-hard Sex Pistols fans in the UK "The Return of the Mohicans" RollingStone.com, 25 February 1998 (Retrieved: 6 September 2009)
- ^ Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 384. CN 5585.
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 334. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.