Betty Boo

Born in London on 6 March 1970, vintage-loving rap-pop queen Alison Moira Clarkson aka Betty Boo – who is of mixed Dusun and Scottish heritage – was originally named Betty Boop due to her resemblance to the cartoon character but settled on her current moniker in order to avoid legal issues. She began honing her musical skills in hip-hop groups and signed to UK indie Music of Life with the She Rockers, releasing the "Give It A Rest" single in 1988, which was produced by Public Enemy's Professor Griff. A fortuitous meeting with Public Enemy in New York encouraged her to pursue a solo career and she was given her first taste of fame as a guest vocalist on the 1989 UK top ten single "Hey DJ – I Can't Dance (To That Music You're Playing)" by The Beatmasters, which was included on their debut studio album Anywayawanna. Her solo career took off in 1990 with her debut single "Doin' The Do," soaring to number seven in the UK and to the top of the Billboard dance chart in the US. Her platinum-selling debut album, Boomania, landed that same year. She continued to hit all the right notes with her second single, "Where Are You Baby?," which reached number 3 in August 1990 and gave her biggest solo hit to date. The following year, she was voted best British Breakthrough Act at the BRIT Awards. Her second full-length album Grrr! It's Betty Boo was released in 1992 via WEA Records but failed to reach the same commercial highs as its predecessor, although it did spawn a hit single in "Let Me Take You There," which reached number 12 in the UK. A best-of album, Doin' the Do: The Best of Betty Boo, was released in 1999 but she remained relatively quiet during the early '00s until forming WigWam with Blur's Alex James and releasing a self-titled single in 2006. A new Betty Boo solo single, "Take Off," emerged the following year but she had begun securing work as a songwriter, going on to pen songs for the likes of Girls Aloud, Louise Nurding, Dannii Minogue, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. She revived her Betty Boo alias for a guest feature on "Virtually Art" by The Feeling in 2011 but made her official comeback in 2022 with the "Get Me to the Weekend" and "Shining Star" singles, followed by her first studio album as Betty Boo in 30 years, Boomerang.

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