Siobhan Fahey

Early life Siobhan Maire Fahey was born on 10 September 1958 in County Meath, Ireland. When she was 14, she and her family moved to Harpenden, Hertfordshire, and, two years later, she left home for London and became involved in the punk scene of the late 1970s.

Career Bananarama (1981–1988, 2017–2018)

Fahey took a course in fashion journalism at the London College of Fashion, where she met Sara Dallin in 1980. Along with Keren Woodward, they founded Bananarama and recorded their first demo "Aie a Mwana" in 1981. Bananarama then worked with the male vocal trio Fun Boy Three, releasing two top-five singles with them in early 1982 before having their own top-five hit with "Shy Boy" later that year. Fahey, with Dallin and Woodward, co-wrote many of the group's hits, including "Cruel Summer", "Robert De Niro's Waiting...", "I Heard a Rumour", and "Love in the First Degree".

Shakespears Sister (1988–1996)

In 1988, frustrated with the direction she felt Bananarama was heading, Fahey left the group and formed Shakespears Sister. Initially, Fahey effectively was Shakespears Sister, though American singer/songwriter Marcella Detroit later became an official member, making the outfit a duo. Their 1992 single "Stay" spent eight weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart and won the 1993 Brit Award for Best British Video. At the 1993 Ivor Novello Awards, Fahey, Detroit, and Dave Stewart received the award for Outstanding Contemporary Song Collection. Fahey often appeared in the band's music videos and on-stage as a vampish glam figure. After two successful albums, tensions began to rise between Fahey and Detroit Following this, Fahey left the label and, after a lengthy battle, she finally obtained the rights to release the album (entitled #3) independently through her own website in 2004.

Fahey's track "Bitter Pill" was partially covered by the pop band The Pussycat Dolls on their 2005 debut album PCD. The verses (which were slightly altered) and the overall sound of the song are from "Bitter Pill", but added in was the chorus of Donna Summer's "Hot Stuff". The song was renamed "Hot Stuff (I Want You Back)" and a remix was included as a B-side to their hit single "Beep".

In 2008, Fahey appeared in the Chris Ward-written and directed short film What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor (based on the life of artist/model Nina Hamnett, self-styled "Queen of Bohemia"), with Fahey playing the role of Hamnett opposite actor Clive Arrindel, Donny Tourette (frontman with punk band Towers of London) and Honey Bane (former vocalist of the punk band Fatal Microbes).

In 2009, Fahey decided to resurrect the Shakespears Sister name and released a new album. Entitled Songs from the Red Room, it was released on her own record label, SF Records and included various singles she had released under her own name in recent years. Fahey performed her first live show in almost 15 years as Shakespears Sister in Hoxton, London on 20 November 2009. In 2014 she joined the line-up of Dexys Midnight Runners for some shows, including at Glastonbury Festival.

In 2017, it was announced that Fahey had joined her former Bananarama bandmates for an upcoming UK tour. This was the first live tour Fahey has done as a member of Bananarama.

In 2019, Fahey reunited with Marcella Detroit for Shakespears Sister dates, commencing with an appearance on BBC1's The Graham Norton Show on 10 May 2019.

Personal life Fahey married Dave Stewart of Eurythmics in 1987; the couple divorced in 1996. They have two sons, Samuel (born 26 November 1987) and Django James (born 1991). The two brothers formed a musical band called Nightmare and the Cat. As an infant, Samuel Stewart appeared in early Shakespears Sister videos for "Heroine" and "You're History". Django Stewart is also an actor. Samuel is currently the guitarist for the American indie rock band Lo Moon.

Prior to her marriage to Stewart, Fahey was romantically involved with Jim Reilly, the drummer for the Northern Irish punk rock band Stiff Little Fingers and Scottish singer Bobby Bluebell of the Bluebells, with whom she co-wrote the UK No. 1 "Young at Heart".

Discography Studio albums Title Album details The MGA Sessions Released: 9 December 2005 Label: SF Format: CD, digital download

With Bananarama

Deep Sea Skiving (1983) Bananarama (1984) True Confessions (1986) Wow! (1987)

With Shakespears Sister

Sacred Heart (1989) Hormonally Yours (1992) 3 (2004) Songs from the Red Room (2009)

Singles Title Year Peak chart positions Album UK UK Indie "Bitter Pill" 2002 108 27 Songs from the Red Room "Pulsatron" 2005 95 25 "Bad Blood" — — "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

As featured artist Title Year Peak chart positions Album UK "Walk into the Wind"(Vegas featuring Siobhan Fahey) 1993 65 Vegas "Fear Is Real"(Psychonauts featuring Siobhan Fahey) 2003 194 Songs for Creatures "She's Lost Control"(Erreur Fatale featuring Siobhan Fahey) 2004 — Peep Show "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Promotional singles Title Year Album "Cold" 2004 Songs from the Red Room