Skin

Deborah Anne Dyer (born 3 August 1967), known mononymously by the stage name Skin and often erroneously as the name of her band Skunk Anansie, is a British singer, songwriter, and electronic music DJ.

She is the lead vocalist of British rock band Skunk Anansie, a band often grouped as part of the Britrock movement in the UK, and has gained attention for her powerful, wide-ranging soprano voice and striking look.

Deborah Ann Dyer was born on 3 August 1967 in Brixton, London, to Jamaican parents.

Her father was in the Royal Air Force and later worked on oil rigs.

Her mother was a nurse before taking a government position in the environmental department.

She describes her parents as "very strict, very Jamaican".

At the age of 6, she moved in with her grandfather into a two-up two-down in Acre Lane, Brixton, who ran a nightclub in the basement, in which she mentions there was "always music and rum" and posters of Bob Marley and Muhammad Ali, which inspired her.

As a child, she wanted to be a pianist.

At the age of 14, she read Macbeth, later stating that she loved the "intricacy and complexity of Shakespeare's play".

After forming in 1994, the band released three albums, Paranoid & Sunburnt, Stoosh and Post Orgasmic Chill, which sold more than 4 million copies worldwide; their biggest hit was the single "Weak".

Skunk Anansie have been unapologetic in their reluctance to alter their substance or aesthetic to satisfy others around them since their inception in 1994.

Their early singles established the tone.

First, an anti-fascist anthem, Little Baby Swastikkka.

The sequel, Selling Jesus, is a critical examination of organized religion and corporate avarice.

The band hit it off right on, releasing six studio albums and touring with David Bowie, U2, and Lenny Kravitz.

After Skunk Anansie split, Skin released her debut solo album Fleshwounds.

The album was toned down from her Skunk Anansie days and did not gain the same acclaim from Skunk Anansie fans.

She even ditched her trademark bald look and grew her hair into a boyish crop.

While the album was not a massive success in the UK, two singles were released from it: "Trashed" and "Faithfulness".

"Lost", a double A-side with "Getting Away with It", was a planned third single but was pulled shortly before release; promo CDs were sent out to radio stations but it received no airplay.

Elsewhere in Europe the album's success was greater.

For example, in Italy it peaked at number 6 in the album chart and in Germany at number 18.

After releasing Fleshwounds, Skin went on to perform various solo gigs around Europe.

She was also support for the European leg of Robbie Williams' and Placebo's world tours.

The band disbanded in 2001, after which Skin embarked on a solo career, and reformed in 2009.

they are still recording and touring.

The first single actually issued from this album was "Alone in My Room", a download-only track released on 7 November 2005.

"Alone in My Room" was also the name given to Skin's first solo tour in two years, which commenced in Berlin in November 2005.

For this album she shaved her head bald again, returning to the look she had in her Skunk Anansie days.

Skin's next solo outing was a small promotional "Fake Chemical State" tour.

Soon after touring she began to record her second album, Fake Chemical State, which was released for sale on 20 March 2006, preceded by new single "Just Let the Sun" two weeks earlier.

It started in Glasgow on 17 March 2006.

She went on to perform many festivals around Europe including Rock Werchter in Belgium and the Southside/Hurricane festivals in Germany.

She performed on the main stage at most of these festivals.

In February 2008, she announced that she was working with Timo Maas and Martin Buttrich on a side project called "Format-3".

Her 2008 song "Tear Down These Houses" was released as a part of the soundtrack to Parlami d'Amore, directed by Silvio Muccino.

In 2015, she joined the judging panel of the Italian version of the talent show The X Factor for one season, and in 2016 she was on the cover of the UK lesbian magazine Diva.

After releasing new music and touring with Skunk Anansie, in 2018 Skin was featured as one of the cover stars of Classic Rock magazine's special "She Rocks" issue and was honoured with the Inspirational Artist Award at the Music Week Awards ahead of celebrating 25 years of Skunk Anansie.

She also appeared on the cover of Kerrang! magazine in November 2018.

Mavis Bayton, author of Frock Rock, stated that "women like Skin, Natacha Atlas, Yolanda Charles, and Debbie Smith are now acting as crucial role models for future generations of black women".