| Annabella Lwin | |
|---|---|
Annabella Lwin performing with Bow Wow Wow in Kant-Kino, Berlin in 1982. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Myint Myint Aye မြင့်မြင့်အေး |
| Born | 31 October 1966 [1] |
| Origin | Yangon, Myanmar |
| Genres | Alternative rock, new wave, pop |
| Occupations | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Associated acts | Bow Wow Wow |
| Website | Official website |
Annabella Lwin (IPA: [lwɪ̀ɴ]; born Myint Myint Aye, Burmese: မြင့်မြင့်အေး, [mjɪ̰ɴ mjɪ̰ɴ ʔé]; 31 October 1966) is an Anglo-Burmese singer, songwriter and record producer best known as the lead singer of Bow Wow Wow.
Lwin was born to a Burmese father and an English mother in Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar).[2][3] Her birth name in Burmese translates to "High, high, cool", given to her by Burmese priests.[4]
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'.[5] 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,[6] 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 musicians and songwriters 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.[7]
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.[3]
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