Alison Moyet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alison Moyet MBE
Moyet performing in Hanover, Germany, in 2011
Background information
Birth name	Geneviève Alison Jane Moyet
Also known as	Alf
Born	(1961-06-18) 18 June 1961 (age 63) Basildon, Essex, England
Genres	Synth-pop new wave R&B soul pop rock jazz
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	1981–present
Labels	Cooking Vinyl Columbia Sanctuary W14 Music Sony Music Mute

Geneviève Alison Jane Moyet MBE (born 18 June 1961), also known as Alf, is a famous English singer. She is known for her strong, bluesy voice.

Alison first became well-known as half of the synth-pop duo Yazoo. In North America, the band was called Yaz. After Yazoo, she mostly worked as a solo artist.

By June 2023, Alison Moyet had sold over 23 million albums worldwide. She also sold more than two million singles. All ten of her studio albums and three compilation albums have reached the top 30 in the UK Albums Chart. Two of her albums even reached number one. She has also had many songs in the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart.

Early Life and School

Alison Moyet was born on 18 June 1961 in Basildon, Essex, England. Her father was French, and her mother was English. She grew up speaking a mix of French and English, sometimes called "Franglais." Everyone called her Alison from a young age.

She went to Janet Duke Junior School and then Nicholas Comprehensive in Basildon. Future members of the band Depeche Mode, Andrew Fletcher and Martin Gore, were in the same class as her.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Alison was in several punk rock, pub rock, and blues bands. These included the Vandals, the Screamin' Ab Dabs, the Vicars, and the Little Roosters. After leaving school at 16, she worked in a shop and trained to tune pianos.

Music Career

Starting with Yazoo

Alison Moyet's main music career began in 1982. She was 20 years old. She formed the synth-pop duo Yazoo with Vince Clarke, who used to be in Depeche Mode. In the United States, the band was called Yaz. This was because another record label named Yazoo Records already existed there.

Yazoo had several hit songs, like "Only You", "Don't Go", "Situation", and "Nobody's Diary". They released two albums: Upstairs at Eric's and You and Me Both.

Becoming a Solo Artist

In 1983, Vince Clarke decided to end Yazoo. Alison Moyet then signed with CBS and started her solo career. In 1984, she released her first solo album, Alf. The album was named after her old nickname from her punk days.

Alf was a big success in Britain, reaching number one on the UK Albums Chart. It had three international hit singles: Love Resurrection (UK No. 10), Invisible (UK No. 21), and All Cried Out (UK No. 8).

Live Aid and More Hits

In 1985, Alison Moyet performed at Live Aid, a huge charity concert. She sang with Paul Young. Later, she joined Paul McCartney, Bob Geldof, David Bowie, and Pete Townshend on stage to sing "Let It Be."

She also released a single that year, "That Ole Devil Called Love." It reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, which is her highest-charting UK single ever. The next year, she had another hit with "Is This Love?"

In 1987, she released her second album, Raindancing. This album also had hit singles, including "Weak in the Presence of Beauty" and "Ordinary Girl". She also had a hit with "Love Letters".

1990s: New Music and Challenges

After some time thinking about her career, Alison released Hoodoo in 1991. The album sold well in the UK. She was even nominated for a Grammy Award for her song "It Won't Be Long".

However, releasing Hoodoo started a long period where Alison fought to have full control over her music. Like many artists, she didn't want to just make "pop" songs to get hits. Her next album, Essex (1994), also caused some disagreements with her record label, Sony. They wanted her to re-record some songs to make them more "commercial."

After Essex, Sony released a collection of her greatest hits called Singles. It went straight to number one on the UK Albums Chart.

Because of ongoing disagreements with Sony, Alison didn't release a new studio album for over eight years. During this time, she still sang on songs for other artists like Tricky and Ocean Colour Scene.

2000s: Returning to Music

In 2002, Alison Moyet was able to leave her contract with Sony. She signed with Sanctuary Records and released her first new studio album in eight years, Hometime. This album was very successful. It made her one of the top five best-selling female UK artists in 2002. She was nominated for a BRIT Awards for Best Female Vocalist. Hometime sold over 100,000 copies in the UK.

In 2004, she released Voice, an album of cover versions of famous songs. It reached number seven on the UK Albums Chart.

In 2007, Alison released The Turn. This album included songs she wrote for a stage play called Smaller, in which she also starred. Later in 2008, she reunited with Vince Clarke for some live shows as Yazoo.

Moyet with Jools Holland's Rhythm and Blues Orchestra at the Apollo Theatre, Manchester, December 2010

In 2009, Sony Music released The Best of Alison Moyet. This album featured songs Alison chose herself from her solo albums. She went on tour in the UK and Ireland to support the album.

2010s–Present: Back to Her Roots

Alison Moyet toured with Jools Holland in 2010. She also sang on his album Rocking Horse.

In 2013, Alison announced she had signed a new deal with Cooking Vinyl. She released her album The Minutes on 6 May 2013. She said she wanted to make music that felt true to her own voice. The Minutes debuted at number 5 on the UK Albums Chart. This was her highest debut since Raindancing in 1987.

Moyet in the Gruenspan Hamburg, September 2013

In 2014, she released a live album called Minutes and Seconds – Live. In 2015, deluxe versions of her albums Hometime, Voice, and The Turn were released with extra songs.

In 2016, her first four albums (Alf, Raindancing, Hoodoo, and Essex) were reissued as special Deluxe editions. These included remastered songs, remixes, and unreleased tracks.

Alison's ninth studio album, Other, came out on 16 June 2017. It was described as "intelligent, adventurous electronic pop." She then went on a world tour called The Other Tour.

In 2017, she was a guest artist on the Norwegian band A-Ha's acoustic album, MTV Unplugged – Summer Solstice. She sang "Summer Moved On."

In 2018, she released her second live album, The Other Live Collection, from The Other Tour.

Alison Moyet released her album Key on 4 October 2024. This album has 16 re-worked songs and two brand new ones. She also launched a podcast called 40 Moyet Moments in June 2024. In the podcast, she talks about important moments in her career. Alison plans to go on a world tour in 2025.

Sales and Charts

As of June 2023, Alison Moyet's albums have sold 23 million copies worldwide. She has also sold over two million singles. All ten of her studio albums and three compilation albums have reached the top 30 in the UK Albums Chart. Her studio album Alf (1984) and compilation album Singles (1995) both reached number one. She has also had nine singles in the top 30 and six in the top 10 of the UK Singles Chart.

Theatre Work

In 2001, Alison Moyet performed in the London West End musical Chicago. She played the character Matron "Mama" Morton. She was supposed to be in the play for a short time, but it was so popular that she stayed for six months.

In 2006, she appeared in a play called Smaller. It toured around the country before playing in London.

Personal Life

Alison Moyet has children and is married. In 2013, she moved from Radlett to Brighton.

She has openly talked about her experiences with things like agoraphobia (a fear of open spaces), dyslexia (which affects reading), and ADHD (which affects focus). She also made changes to her lifestyle to be healthier.

In 2014, she received a Gold Badge Award from The Ivors Academy, a group for music writers.

Alison Moyet was given the title Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2021 for her contributions to music.

She supports the football team Southend United.

In 2023, at age 62, Alison Moyet earned a degree in Fine Art Printmaking from the University of Brighton.

Select Discography

Studio albums:

• Alf (1984)
• Raindancing (1987)
• Hoodoo (1991)
• Essex (1994)
• Hometime (2002)
• Voice (2004)
• The Turn (2007)
• The Minutes (2013)
• Other (2017)
• Key (2024)

Awards and Nominations

See Also

In Spanish: Alison Moyet para niños