Born on June 8, 1951 in Skewen, Neath, Wales. She first came to
prominence in 1976 with the song, "Lost in France", which made the UK
top 10. Following a throat operation, she inadvertently developed her
distinct singing voice. She had a transatlantic top 5 hit with "It's a
Heartache" in 1978.
She hit the big time when she became the first Welsh singer to have a
transatlantic #1 hit with
Jim Steinman's
"Total Eclipse of the Heart" (1983), for which she was Grammy
nominated. The accompanying album "Faster than the Speed of Night" also
entered the UK Album chart at #1.
She has found it hard to repeat the success, but recorded "Holding Out
for a Hero" (US #34/UK #2) in 1985 from the
Footloose (1984) soundtrack. In 2004
she recorded the Total Eclipse song in French, and it went to #1 in
France!
She remains active in the music industry having toured all over the
world, including with the singer
Meat Loaf,
and performed at
Michael Douglas
&
Catherine Zeta-Jones' wedding.
Also, she has become a successful business woman.