Belinda Carlisle

Belinda Carlisle, the daughter of Walt and Joanne Carlisle, started her career as a drummer for the punk rock band The Germs in 1977. She later became a significant figure in the pop-rock scene. After graduating from Newbury Park High School in 1976, Carlisle frequented a lot of Hollywood's clubs. Here, she met Charlotte Caffey, Jane Wiedlin, Gina Schock, and Kathy Valentine, and co-founded the Go-Go's, the most successful all-female rock band of all time, in Los Angeles in 1978. Their first album "Beauty and the Beat" was a hit, followed by the less successful "Vacation" and "Talk Show" in 1982 and 84 respectively.

Problems with band members and an uncooperative record company led to the announced breakup of the Go-Go's on May 10, 1985. After the breakup, Carlisle embarked on a successful solo career. Releasing her first solo album, "Belinda," in 1986 with I.R.S. Records, the album, containing hits such as "I Feel the Magic," "Since You've Gone," and "Mad About You," helped solidify Carlisle's solo career.

Carlisle's career took a major turn when she left I.R.S Records and signed with MCA in the US and Virgin Records in the UK. The release of her album "Heaven is a Place on Earth" in 1987 catapulted her to international stardom. This successful album earned Carlisle a Grammy nomination and a number-one spot in the U.S. and the UK. Her follow-up album, "Runaway Horses," hit the Top 5 in Australia and the UK.

Throughout the 1990s, Carlisle continued her career by releasing "Live Your Life Be Free" in 1991 and "Real" in 1993, featuring a more punk rock sound reminiscent of her days with the Go-Go's. In 1996, she released "A Woman and a Man," revitalizing her solo career in Europe. The album was a success, and Belinda gained chart hits with "In Too Deep," "Always Breaking My Heart," and "California."

In 1999, the Go-Go's reunited, and they launched a summer tour in the US. The band also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2011 and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2021. Outside of music, Carlisle demonstrated her commitment to humanitarian and animal rights by engaging with such groups as PETA, ECHO, and Greenpeace. She also co-founded Animal People Alliance, a nonprofit organization that raises funds and trains impoverished women to care for street animals in Calcutta, India.

Carlisle has not only been active in music but also in writing. She authored an autobiography called "Lips Unsealed," which became a New York Times Best Seller. Moving forward, in 2017, Carlisle released her eighth studio album, "Wilder Shores." Most recently in 2023, she released the single "Big Big Love," marking her first release of English language pop music in 27 years and has announced her intention to release a brand new English language pop music studio album, produced by Gabe Lopez.