Antony & the Johnsons
| Antony and the Johnsons | |
|---|---|
Anohni performing in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Origin | New York City, New York, United States |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1995–2015 (hiatus) |
| Labels | Secretly Canadian, Rough Trade |
| Website | antonyandthejohnsons |
| Members |
Anohni Julia Kent Parker Kindred Jeff Langston Rob Moose Maxim Moston Doug Wieselman Thomas Bartlett |
Antony and the Johnsons is an American music group presenting the work of Anohni (formerly known as Antony Hegarty) and her collaborators.
British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Anohni's music through his Durtro label. Anohni started the band, its name inspired by the transgender rights activist Marsha P. Johnson. The debut album, Antony and the Johnsons, was released in 1998. In 2001, Hegarty released a short follow-up EP, I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy, which, in addition to the title track, included a cover of "Mysteries of Love", a David Lynch/Angelo Badalamenti song and "Soft Black Stars", a Current 93 cover.
Producer Hal Willner heard the EP and played it to Lou Reed, who immediately recruited Hegarty for his project The Raven. Now gaining more attention, Hegarty signed to US-based record label Secretly Canadian, and released another EP, The Lake, with Lou Reed guest-performing on one of the tracks. Secretly Canadian also re-released Hegarty's debut album in the United States to wider distribution in 2004.
Anohni's second full-length album, 2005's I Am a Bird Now, was greeted with positive reviews and significantly more mainstream attention. The album featured guest appearances by Lou Reed, Rufus Wainwright, Boy George and Devendra Banhart, and circled themes of duality and transformation. I Am a Bird Now featured arrangements by Maxim Moston and Julia Kent and was mixed by Doug Henderson. In September 2005 Antony and the Johnsons were awarded the Mercury Prize for the best UK album of 2005. Rival Mercury nominees, and favorites for the prize, the Kaiser Chiefs suggested that Anohni got in on a technicality; despite the fact she was born in the United Kingdom she spent much of her time in the US – although they later apologized for the suggestion that she wasn't a deserving winner.
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