Susan Ann Sulley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Susan Ann Sulley
|
|
|---|---|
Sulley in 2007
|
|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Susanne Sulley Susan Ann Gayle |
| Born | 22 March 1963 Sheffield, England, UK |
| Genres | Synth-pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels |
|
| Associated acts | The Human League |
Susan Ann Sulley was born on March 22, 1963. She is an English singer. She is best known as one of the two female singers in the synth-pop band The Human League. She sang lead parts on their famous song "Don't You Want Me" with the band's main singer, Philip Oakey.
Susan grew up in Sheffield, England. When she was 17, she and her friend Joanne Catherall were discovered by Philip Oakey. They were dancing in a nightclub called the Crazy Daisy. Oakey asked them to join his band, The Human League.
Susan is a partner in the band, which still makes music and performs today. Being a singer has been her main job her whole adult life. She once said that she and Joanne "didn't want to be in a pop group" at first. They were just schoolgirls who wanted to go to university.
Contents
Early Life and School
Susan Sulley was born in Sheffield, UK, on March 22, 1963. She spent her early years in the Gleadless area of the city. She went to Frecheville Comprehensive School from the late 1970s until mid-1981. Her best friend since age 13 was Joanne Catherall, who also lived in Sheffield and went to the same school.
By early 1981, Susan was sometimes called 'Susanne Sulley'. This was a mix of her first two names, a nickname from school. In 1980, while still in school, she worked part-time at a hair salon. She also had a summer job selling ice cream at a cinema in Sheffield. These were the only jobs she had outside of music.
How The Human League Found Susan
In 1980, The Human League band had some disagreements. Two members left, leaving only Philip Oakey and Adrian Wright. The band had a European tour starting in just one week. Oakey needed new band members quickly. He went out one evening in Sheffield to find a female singer.
Oakey saw Joanne Catherall and Susan Sulley dancing at the Crazy Daisy nightclub. He noticed them because of their unique clothes, perfect makeup, and cool dance moves. Oakey asked both girls to join the tour as dancers and singers.
Joanne knew it was a real offer because Oakey was well-known in Sheffield. She and Susan already had tickets to see The Human League play in Doncaster. Even though they had no singing or dancing experience, they agreed right away.
However, the girls were only 17 and 18. Their parents had to agree to the tour. At first, their parents were not happy and said no. But Oakey visited both families. He convinced them that the girls would be safe. The girls' school also agreed, thinking that visiting Europe would be a good learning experience.
The Human League's first European tour began with Susan and Joanne. They were paid £30 a week to dance and sing backing vocals. The tour was successful, but some fans were not happy. They had bought tickets to see the original all-male band. Joanne remembers people throwing beer cans at her. But Oakey was impressed by the girls' hard work and how professional they were.
1981: The Dare Album and "Don't You Want Me"
In 1981, the group recorded Dare. This became their most successful album. Around this time, music videos and MTV became very popular.
The music video for "Don't You Want Me" came out in November. It was the fourth song from the album. In the video, Susan plays a successful actress who leaves her bitter partner, played by Oakey. The video is set on a wet winter night during a "film shoot." Susan sings to the camera while walking through the scene. She looks great in a trench coat.
This song and its video were a huge success for the band. It became number one in both the UK and the US music charts. Susan was still in school when Dare was recorded. She often jokes that she "has never had a proper job in her life."
The Rest of the 1980s
The band's huge international fame from Dare did not last long. It took them three years to release their next full album, Hysteria, in 1984. Before that, they released a shorter album called Fascination! in America in 1983.
From these, they had some top-ten songs in the UK and US. These included "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" and "Mirror Man", both reaching number two in the UK. The song "Human" from their album Crash was their last big hit of the decade. It was number one in the US and number eight in the UK. After that, the band's popularity went down. Their next songs did not even reach the top forty. Around 1986, Susan started using her formal name, Susan, instead of Susanne.
The mid-to-late 1980s were a challenging time for Susan. She had to deal with the difficulties that came with being famous. Also, disagreements within the band and pressure to make more hits caused problems. In 1995, Susan said about that time: "I hated the 1980s; it was horrible … absolutely all of it."
The 1990s
In 1990, the band released Romantic?, their last album with Virgin Records. It included a small hit song called "Heart Like a Wheel." The Romantic? album did not bring back the band's huge success from 1981. When the album's second song, "Soundtrack for a Generation," did not do well, Virgin Records decided not to continue working with the band.
Even though they were disappointed, the group stayed together and kept working on new music. The Human League made a surprising comeback in 1994. They signed with East West Records. Their song "Tell Me When" became their first major hit since 1986's "Human." The album that came with it, Octopus, sold very well.
"One Man in My Heart"
In 1995, the Octopus album gave the UK another hit song called "One Man in My Heart". This song made Susan more visible in the band's history. It was a slow song, a ballad, sung by Susan as the main singer. Oakey and Joanne Catherall sang backing vocals.
The music video for the song was stylish and set in a café in Paris. It gave Susan, who was 32 at the time, a great chance to show her strong presence on screen, like she did in "Don't You Want Me." The song was moderately successful, reaching number thirteen in the UK charts. Years later, The Guardian newspaper called it "one of the best love songs of the 1990s." It has been remixed and re-released many times since then.
2000 to Today
The Human League still performs regularly to sold-out crowds around the world. In 2006, they played for 18,000 people at the Hollywood Bowl. They also appeared on the US TV show Jimmy Kimmel Live!. In late 2006, the band finished another tour in the UK and Europe, with many shows selling out.
In a 2007 interview, Susan said that the band's main goal was to record new music. They hoped to release a new album while continuing to play live shows in the UK and other countries.
When asked in 2004 what the best part of her career was, Susan said: "I think it's still happening. The fact we're still doing it now. After all these years – I'm 41 now, and really, I shouldn't be in a pop group any more, but I am and it's still my job! I wake up in the morning and I haven't got to go to a nine-to-five. I've got this life and I'm very, very lucky!"
Influence on Other Artists
Victoria Beckham from The Spice Girls has said that Susan Sulley inspired her to become a pop musician.
Film and Television Appearances
- 1999 Hunting Venus (Buffalo Films, directed by Martin Clunes) – She played herself.
- 2007 VH1 – She was a presenter.
How Her Name Has Been Used Professionally
Susan Ann Sulley is her birth name. However, she has been known by different names during her career. The table below shows how her name has changed over time. Sometimes, journalists use an older name, and she usually does not correct them.
| 1963–1981 |
|
|---|---|
| 1981–1986 |
|
| 1986–2001 |
|
| 2001–2007 |
|
| 2007–present |
|
Note: Her middle name can be spelled Ann or Anne by the media. It is only used professionally.
Awards and Nominations
- 1982 BRIT Awards – (as 'The Human League') – Won 'Best British Breakthrough Act'.
- 2004 Q Awards – (as 'The Human League') – Won 'The Q Innovation in Sound Award'.
- Nominated for a Grammy Award in 1982 for Best International Act (as 'The Human League').
See also
In Spanish: Susan Ann Sulley para niños
