Siouxsie Sioux
| Siouxsie Sioux | |
|---|---|
Siouxsie performing in 1980 in Edinburgh, Scotland
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Susan Janet Ballion |
| Born |
27 May 1957 London, England |
| Genres | Post-punk, new wave, gothic rock, alternative rock, exotica |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, singer, producer |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Labels | Polydor, Geffen, Sioux, W14 |
| Associated acts | Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Creatures |
| Website | www |
Susan Janet Ballion, better known by her stage name Siouxsie Sioux (/ˈsuːziː suː/, born 27 May 1957), is an English singer, songwriter, musician and producer. She is best known as the lead singer of the alternative rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees (1976–1996) and the drums-and-voice duo the Creatures (1981–2005). Siouxsie and the Banshees released 11 studio albums and several UK Top 20 singles including "Hong Kong Garden", "Happy House", "Peek-a-Boo" plus a US Billboard Top 25 hit "Kiss Them for Me". With the Creatures, Siouxsie recorded four studio albums and the hit single "Right Now". She has also sung with artists such as Morrissey and John Cale. After disbanding the Creatures in the mid-2000s, she continued as a solo artist and released Mantaray in 2007.
AllMusic named Siouxsie as "one of the most influential British singers of the rock era". Her songs have been covered by Jeff Buckley,Tricky and LCD Soundsystem. Her records have also been praised by artists such as PJ Harvey and TV on the Radio. In 2011, she was awarded for Outstanding Contribution to Music at the Q Awards and in 2012, at the Ivor Novello Awards, she received the Inspiration Award.
Siouxsie was born Susan Janet Ballion on 27 May 1957 at Guy's Hospital in Southwark, England. She is 10 years younger than her two siblings. Her brother and sister were born while the family was based in the Belgian Congo. Her parents met in that colony and stayed working there for a few years. Her mother, Betty, was half-Scots, half-English and was a bilingual secretary who spoke French, and her father was a bacteriologist who milked venom from snakes. He was a Walloon from the French-speaking part of Belgium. In the late 1950s, before Siouxsie's birth, the family moved to England. The Ballions lived in a suburban district in Chislehurst. Siouxsie had an isolated youth. Her comrades invited her home but she couldn't reciprocate as her father drank at home and didn't work. She was aware of her family being different. The Ballions weren't part of the community. Their house was different: Elsewhere, "life in all its normality was being paraded". She later said: "The suburbs inspired intense hatred".
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