Zoë Pollock (born 19 January 1969 in

Peckham Peckham ( ) is a district in south-east London, within the London Borough of Southwark. It is south-east of Charing Cross. At the 2001 Census the Peckham ward had a population of 14,720. History "Peckham" is a Saxon place name meaning the vi ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

) is a British pop singer and songwriter, who had brief success in 1991 with two hit singles, " Sunshine on a Rainy Day", which climbed to number 4 on the UK Singles Chart, and "Lightning", which reached number 37 (and spent three weeks in the UK Top 40). Zoë has released three

solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity * Kylo Ren (Ben Solo), a ''Star Wars'' character * Napoleon Solo, fr ...

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

s and five singles.

Career

She initially started her career in the mid-1980s, by auditioning for Jimi Cauty and

Youth Youth is the time of life when one is young. The word, youth, can also mean the time between childhood and adulthood (Maturity (psychological), maturity), but it can also refer to one's peak, in terms of health or the period of life known as bei ...

to be the lead singer for their band Brilliant. She began dating Youth, who would later produce her two solo albums. Zoë released her debut single, "Sunshine on a Rainy Day", in late 1990, with two different music videos. It failed to reach the UK Top 40. However, it was remixed and re-released in 1991 and it became a Top 10 hit, peaking at number 4. Her début

, ''Scarlet Red and Blue'' included "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" and the follow-up single "Lightning", which peaked at number 37 on the UK Singles Chart. The album, despite good promotion and reviews, however, did not sell well, reaching only number 67 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...

. It featured similar

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

tracks as well as soulful

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

s. "Holy Days" was the last single from ''Scarlet Red and Blue'', released in February 1992, but only managed number 72. In 1991, Zoë sang backing vocals on

Bananarama Bananarama is an English pop group formed in London in 1980. The group, originally a trio, consisted of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when ...

's '' Pop Life'' album, which was produced by

. In 1996, Zoë re-emerged (still signed to M&G Records) with a revamped image, style and sound. Her album, ''Hammer'', was American

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

. The title track was released as a single, but failed to reach the UK Singles Chart. After this album she disappeared from the music scene for several years, travelling around the world and becoming a sculptor and potter. Zoë recorded an EP under the alias Hephzibah Broom, released by an independent Manchester label. Zoë became part of the female folk duo Mama, with singer Sarah McQuaid. They released their debut album, ''Crow Coyote Buffalo'', in late 2008. The album includes a folk re-recording of Zoë's signature song, "Sunshine on a Rainy Day", which the group also made a music video for. In 2021, Zoë released ''Lago Ausente'', an album of original songs that celebrate her love of nature and plant medicine. Produced by Liam Fletcher, the album features guest performances by guitarists Fabiano do Nascimento and Sebastian Juliussen, percussionist Ricardo ‘Tiki’ Pasillas, shakuhachi player Adrian Freedman, violinist Bridget O’Donnell, cellist Julia Morneweg and double bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado, plus Fletcher himself on harmonium and synthesiser.

Personal life

Zoë moved to

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

and in 1998 married Murray Lachlan Young, a British

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

. They have two children, and divorced in 2009.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zoe 1969 births Living people English women songwriters English women pop singers People from Peckham Singers from the London Borough of Southwark