Annabella Lwin
Encyclopedia
Annabella Lwin is an Anglo-Burmese singer, songwriter
and record producer
best known as the lead singer of Bow Wow Wow
.
and an English
mother
in Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon
, Myanmar).Medina, Maximillian Mark; "The Unwitting Pop Music Pioneer" ChopBlock.com (Retrieved: 4 December 2006) Her birth name in Burmese translates to "High, high, cool", given to her by Burmese priests.
In 1980, at the age of thirteen, she was spotted by a friend of Malcolm McLaren
singing at the dry cleaner where she worked part time. Following her successful audition for the lead singer position in McLaren's new group (the yet-to-be-named band
Bow Wow Wow
), he had her transfer from a mixed comprehensive school in London to the Sylvia Young Theatre School
. McLaren dubbed her 'Bess Man'. The group would go on to chart
success with the songs "Go Wild in the Country", "Do You Wanna Hold me?" and "I Want Candy". Lwin later caused controversy the following year by posing nude for the cover of See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang, Yeah. City All Over! Go Ape Crazy, the group's first full-length album
.
When Lwin was ousted from the band in September 1983, she embarked on a solo
career, releasing Fever in 1986 (RCA 8061), which was produced by and recorded with multi-instrumentalist Jim Lea
of Slade
. She formed a new band, Naked Experience, and collaborated across the Atlantic
with seasoned musician
s and songwriter
s such as Billy Steinberg
and Ellen Shipley
. One song, "Carsex", made the Top 10 in the UK Dance Chart
, and its follow-up "Do What You Do" (1995), produced by Steve Lironi, spent one week at #61 in the UK Singles Chart
.
Lwin reunited with the former bass player from Bow Wow Wow in 1997, recreating the sound of the original band for a US tour. The reunion included appearances by a range of musicians from the young up and coming, such as Eshan Khadaroo
of Beat Kitchen, Blue Man, and the established, including Adrian Young
from No Doubt
, both playing drums in place of original member Dave "Barbe" Barbarossa. The original guitarist Matthew Ashman
had died of complications from diabetes in 1995, and various guitarists filled in.
Lwin has recorded original material as a solo artist, and is a featured vocalist on numerous transatlantic dance tracks with producers
/DJs
, such as Tony B of Groove Radio, Jason Nevins
, and the Utah Saints
. (Some mystery surrounds the latter collaboration, as both Lwin's official site and the Utah Saints official site mention the collaboration, but the album appears to have never been available for purchase). Lwin's songwriting also brought her into partnerships with producers such as Guy Chambers
and Michael Lattanzi.
Lwin was a featured vocalist, with Camp Freddy
members Dave Navarro
and Billy Morrison
, during a fund raising concert for victims of the tsunami
caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
. Lwin co-wrote and co-produced a solo song with record producer Carey Beare, which was donated exclusively to the Hands and Hearts Organization for Tsunami Relief in spring 2005.
Lwin is a practicing Buddhist
.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
best known as the lead singer of Bow Wow Wow
Bow Wow Wow
Bow Wow Wow were an English 1980s New Wave band created by Malcolm McLaren to promote his and business partner Vivienne Westwood's New Romantic fashion lines.The group's music is described as having an "African-derived drum sound".-History:...
.
Biography
Lwin was born to a Burmese fatherFather
A father, Pop, Dad, or Papa, is defined as a male parent of any type of offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother...
and an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
mother
Mother
A mother, mum, mom, momma, or mama is a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the ovum that grew into a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to specify a universally...
in Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon
Yangon
Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...
, Myanmar).Medina, Maximillian Mark; "The Unwitting Pop Music Pioneer" ChopBlock.com (Retrieved: 4 December 2006) Her birth name in Burmese translates to "High, high, cool", given to her by Burmese priests.
In 1980, at the age of thirteen, she was spotted by a friend of Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls...
singing at the dry cleaner where she worked part time. Following her successful audition for the lead singer position in McLaren's new group (the yet-to-be-named band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
Bow Wow Wow
Bow Wow Wow
Bow Wow Wow were an English 1980s New Wave band created by Malcolm McLaren to promote his and business partner Vivienne Westwood's New Romantic fashion lines.The group's music is described as having an "African-derived drum sound".-History:...
), he had her transfer from a mixed comprehensive school in London to the Sylvia Young Theatre School
Sylvia Young Theatre School
Sylvia Young Theatre School is an independent fee-paying stage school, in Westminster, London, named after its founder and Principal, Sylvia Young.-Outline:...
. McLaren dubbed her 'Bess Man'. The group would go on to chart
Record chart
A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
success with the songs "Go Wild in the Country", "Do You Wanna Hold me?" and "I Want Candy". Lwin later caused controversy the following year by posing nude for the cover of See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang, Yeah. City All Over! Go Ape Crazy, the group's first full-length album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
.
When Lwin was ousted from the band in September 1983, she embarked on a solo
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
career, releasing Fever in 1986 (RCA 8061), which was produced by and recorded with multi-instrumentalist Jim Lea
Jim Lea
Jim Lea , is an English musician, most notable for playing bass guitar, keyboards, violin, guitar, and singing backing vocals in Slade.-Career:...
of Slade
Slade
Slade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton, who rose to prominence during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. With 17 consecutive Top 20 hits and six number ones, the British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles...
. She formed a new band, Naked Experience, and collaborated across the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
with seasoned musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s such as Billy Steinberg
Billy Steinberg
William Endfield "Billy" Steinberg is an American songwriter. He has achieved most of his success as part of a song writing team, most notably with Tom Kelly. He has also co-written several hit songs with Rick Nowels.-Biography:...
and Ellen Shipley
Ellen Shipley
Ellen Shipley, born 24 March 1949 in New York, is a US musician and songwriter.-Biography:Shipley is best known for work with Rick Nowels. Together they've written for Kim Wilde and worked on the Belinda Carlisle albums Belinda, Heaven on Earth, Runaway Horses, and Live Your Life Be Free...
. One song, "Carsex", made the Top 10 in the UK Dance Chart
UK Dance Chart
The UK Dance Chart is a chart compiled by The Official Charts Company from sales in record stores and digital downloads. Although the chart does not currently receive any airplay on the radio or television, the chart can be viewed on the BBC Radio 1 and The Official Charts Company website.Digital...
, and its follow-up "Do What You Do" (1995), produced by Steve Lironi, spent one week at #61 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
Lwin reunited with the former bass player from Bow Wow Wow in 1997, recreating the sound of the original band for a US tour. The reunion included appearances by a range of musicians from the young up and coming, such as Eshan Khadaroo
Eshan Khadaroo
Eshan Khadaroo is a British drummer and percussionist who plays a wide variety of styles including pop, rock, funk. hip-hop, worldbeat and experimental...
of Beat Kitchen, Blue Man, and the established, including Adrian Young
Adrian Young
Adrian Samuel Young is the drummer for the rock band No Doubt.-Biography:Young's parents were hippies. He has four brothers: Alex, Damian, Jeff and Aaron. His father is a teacher in Cypress CA and his stepmother, Jeanne, is currently suffering from ALS...
from No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
, both playing drums in place of original member Dave "Barbe" Barbarossa. The original guitarist Matthew Ashman
Matthew Ashman
Matthew James Ashman was an English guitarist with Adam and the Ants and Bow Wow Wow. He died of diabetes-related complications in 1995, aged 35.-Career:...
had died of complications from diabetes in 1995, and various guitarists filled in.
Lwin has recorded original material as a solo artist, and is a featured vocalist on numerous transatlantic dance tracks with producers
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
/DJs
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
, such as Tony B of Groove Radio, Jason Nevins
Jason Nevins
Jason Nevins is an American DJ, producer and remixer, who is most widely known for his pop dance productions.-Career:In the early 1990s, Nevins began releasing singles under various monikers through various dance labels, but achieved global recognition in 1998 with his production of Run-DMC's...
, and the Utah Saints
Utah Saints
Utah Saints is a dance band based in Leeds, England. The music is produced by Jez Willis and Tim Garbutt, who are joined on-stage by other musicians whenever the band plays live...
. (Some mystery surrounds the latter collaboration, as both Lwin's official site and the Utah Saints official site mention the collaboration, but the album appears to have never been available for purchase). Lwin's songwriting also brought her into partnerships with producers such as Guy Chambers
Guy Chambers
Guy Chambers is an English songwriter and record producer, perhaps best known for his long partnership with Robbie Williams.- Biography :...
and Michael Lattanzi.
Lwin was a featured vocalist, with Camp Freddy
Camp Freddy
Camp Freddy is a group of established musicians who play rock and roll covers at various shows around America. The band is composed of core members Dave Navarro , Billy Morrison , Matt Sorum , Donovan Leitch, Jr. and Chris Chaney...
members Dave Navarro
Dave Navarro
David Michael "Dave" Navarro is an American guitarist who plays in the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction and cover band Camp Freddy. He has also played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Panic Channel, and many others.- Early life :...
and Billy Morrison
Billy Morrison
Billy Morrison is an English guitarist, singer and actor who performs with the Los Angeles-based cover band Camp Freddy. Morrison is also a member of Billy Idol's current touring band, and has previously fronted the hard rock act Circus Diablo...
, during a fund raising concert for victims of the tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
. Lwin co-wrote and co-produced a solo song with record producer Carey Beare, which was donated exclusively to the Hands and Hearts Organization for Tsunami Relief in spring 2005.
Lwin is a practicing Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
.