Debora Kay Iyall (Cowlitz pronunciation: [ˈʌɪalwahawa]; born 29 April 1954), professional name “Debora Iyall” /ˈaɪ.ɑːl/, a Cowlitz Native American, is an artist and was lead singer for the new wave band Romeo Void.[1] Debora got her surname from her family adopting their ancestor Iyallwahawa's "first" name written at the time as Ayiel.
She was born in 1954 in Soap Lake, Washington, but grew up in Fresno, California. While attending the San Francisco Art Institute, she joined Frank Zincavage and Peter Woods to create Romeo Void in 1979.[2] Inspired by Joy Division, the band was remarkable for their modernization of the punk sound, and for Iyall's forceful, half-spoken delivery. They reached hit status on college radio stations with the suggestive and multi-leveled song "Never Say Never" in 1982. Their song "A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)" landed them in the top 40 of Billboard's Hot 100 chart, and an appearance on Dick Clark's American Bandstand in 1984.
Romeo Void parted ways in 1985, and the following year Iyall released her debut solo album Strange Language on Columbia Records. After a lukewarm reception of the album, Iyall returned to her first love, as an artist and art instructor. Throughout the 1990s she taught art at the 29 Palms Cultural Center and for the Arts Council For San Bernardino. She also led hikes and made presentations for the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum as a paid docent. She presently resides in Sacramento, California, with her husband, audio engineer and instructor Patrick Haight.
Since late 2009, Iyall has been performing new material written with Peter Dunne at a variety of local venues in Northern California. On 17 April 2010, during a performance at Slim's in San Francisco, California, she announced a new album, "Unsettled", currently planned for release in July 2010 (the album was ultimately retitled Stay Strong). In addition to Romeo Void and solo songs from her back catalog, she also performed eight new songs that demonstrated her characteristic vocals and enthusiastic stage presence. The band for this performance included Peter Dunne, (producer and guitar, formerly with Pearl Harbor and The Explosions), Karl Severeid (electric and stand-up bass, formerly with Robert Cray), Dawn Richards (percussion, formerly with Tracy Chapman), and Iyall's nephew, Dakota Iyall (saxophone, flute, keyboards, formerly with Let's Go Bowling). The opening band was Persephone's Bees.
Iyall's second solo album, retitled Stay Strong, was released in July 2010.