Alison Moyet Artistfacts

June 18, 1961
Alison Moyet started as a punk rock singer in a band called The Vandals, then became a blues singer, performing in various bands in the South Essex, England, pub circuit. She entered the world of electronic music by accident: when she placed an ad in the British magazine Melody Maker looking for a backup band, Vince Clarke, who had recently left Depeche Mode, answered. He asked her to sing on a song he wrote called "Only You" as a one-off project, but they ended up making two albums together as the group Yazoo. This synthpop sound carried into her solo work.
Moyet's birth name is Genevieve, but everyone calls her either Alison or Alf. Her debut solo album, released in 1984, is called Alf.
Before making music her full-time job, Moyet studied to be a piano tuner at the College of Furniture in London (pianos were considered pieces of furniture). Piano tuning takes years to master, and after a year of study, she decided it wasn't for her.
Moyet describes her look as "girl-next-door," making no effort to tart herself up. Boy George, a big fan, explained: "She's not up there as a sex symbol. Those pop stereotypes are really ugly. There are a lot of girls out there, who, if they're going to believe in that ideal of beauty, are going to be disappointed. It's superficial. If you stay on your own level and understand yourself, you'll always be happy."
After four solo albums, Moyet released her first greatest hits album, Singles, in 1995. It debuted at #1 in the UK.
In 1978 she had a job as a photocopy operator in London, which means she spent her workday making copies. She spent her off hours dorking around with the machine, making copies of her face (original selfies!) but also writing a song, "Goodbye '70s," that ended up on Yazoo's debut album. She didn't last long at the job.
She doesn't play instruments on her songs but she uses both a piano and guitar when she writes songs. She says her piano songs tend to be slower because she has to find her way around the keys.
You've heard Moyet's laugh more than you think. Her spontaneous laugh in the Yazoo song "Situation" has been sampled approximately 100 times, most famously in the '90s hit "Macarena."