Anita Blay
| CocknBullKid | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Anita Blay |
| Also known as | thecocknbullkid |
| Born | 1985/1986 (age 31–32) |
| Origin | Hackney, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts |
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Anita Blay, better known by her stage name CocknBullKid (previously thecocknbullkid), is an English singer and songwriter. She released her debut single in 2008 and her debut album, Adulthood, in 2011. She has released music as part of the duo Antony and Cleopatra since 2014.
Blay was born in Clapton, east London to Ghanaian parents and raised in the city's Hackney area. Her mother left the family when she was 12 years old. She cultivated an interest in music as a teenager, songwriting with rapper Plan B at a youth placement scheme when she was 16. She completed A-levels in English, sociology and theology. Blay took a series of day jobs in her late teens, including one at Southwark Council, but found full-time employment incompatible with her lifestyle and decided to pursue music professionally.
Blay adopted the stage name thecocknbullkid, explaining, "Initially I just liked the way it sounded—it gave me aural satisfaction. Then I liked the idea of calling myself a bulls**tter [sic], it's all a bit tongue-in-cheek." She began uploading material to her MySpace profile and networked with music producers, live promoters and managers.
Blay released her debut single, "On My Own", in April 2008, followed by performances at the Glastonbury Festival and on the TV programme Later... with Jools Holland later in the year. She toured Germany with Vice magazine's Vice Live tour in late 2008. Her second single, "I'm Not Sorry" was released in March 2009, and by May 2009, she had signed to Moshi Moshi through Island Records. Following Blay's appearance at the American music festival SXSW, her debut EP, Querelle, was released in the US via Iamsound Records in August 2009 to positive reviews from Prefix and Spin magazines. To mark the EP's release, Blay issued a free mixtape featuring her own tracks alongside songs by artists including Late of the Pier and Diana Ross. Also in 2009, Blay appeared alongside Alessi's Ark, Micachu, Roisin Murphy, and Sinead O'Connor on a cover of Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman", a charity single released to support ActionAid.
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