Zoë (born Zoë Pollock, 19 January 1972, Peckham, London) is a British pop singer and songwriter, who had brief success in 1991 with two hit singles, "Sunshine on a Rainy Day", which climbed to #4 on the UK Singles Chart, and "Lightning", which reached #37 (and spent three weeks in the UK Top 40). Zoë has released two solo albums and five singles.
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She initially started her career in the mid 1980s, by auditioning for Jimi Cauty and Youth to be the lead singer for their band Brilliant. She began dating Youth, who would later produce her two solo albums.
Zoë released her debut single, "Sunshine On A Rainy Day", in late 1990. It failed to reached the UK Top 40, however it was remixed and re-released in 1991 and it became a Top 10 hit, peaking at #4. Her début album, Scarlet Red and Blue (to which singer Sam Brown contributed) included "Sunshine on a Rainy Day" and another moderately popular song, "Lightning", which peaked at #37 on the UK Singles Chart. The album, however, did not sell well, reaching only #67 on the UK Albums Chart. It featured similar dance-pop tracks as well as soulful ballads. "Holy Days" was the last single from Scarlet Red and Blue, released in February 992, but only managed #72.[1] In 1991, Zoë sang backing vocals on Bananarama's Pop Life album, which was produced by Youth.
In 1996, Zoë re-emerged (still signed to M&G Records) with a revamped image, style and sound. Her new album, Hammer was American rock, and was released to rave reviews in the UK. The title track was released as a single, but failed to reach the UK Singles Chart. After this album she disappeared from the music scene for several years, travelling around the world and becoming a sculptor and potter.
More recently, Zoë recorded an EP under the alias Hephzibah Broom, released by an independent Manchester label. Zoë is now part of the female folk duo Mama, with singer Sarah McQuaid. They released their debut album, Crow Coyote Buffalo, in late 2008. The album includes a folk re-recording of Zoë's signature song, "Sunshine on a Rainy Day", for which the group also made a videoclip.
Zoë moved to Cornwall and married the Scottish poet, Murray Lachlan Young. They had two children together, Lore and Flinty, but they divorced in 2009.[2]