Biography
Sarah Cracknell came into the world on April 12, 1967, in Chelmsford, Essex, and grew up chiefly in the Windsor area, where she spent her early years at convent school before pursuing a brief period of drama studies. Her initial musical steps arrived in 1982 through the Worried Parachutes, after which she issued the solo single “Love Is All You Need” in 1987. A subsequent spell in Prime Time placed her alongside Mick Bund, later founder of Mexico 70, before she formed Lovecut DB with Douglas Benford and released the 1991 single “Fingertips.”
That same year she was enlisted to supply vocals for Saint Etienne’s third single, “Nothing Can Stop Us.” Her poised delivery aligned seamlessly with the trio’s polished indie-dance aesthetic, and after extensive work on the 1991 debut album Fox Base Alpha she became a permanent member. Two further Saint Etienne records followed—So Tough in 1993 and Tiger Bay in 1994—before she launched her own career with the summer 1996 single “Anymore” and the full-length Lipslide the next spring.
While Saint Etienne prepared and issued their fifth album, Sound of Water, in summer 2000, Cracknell also completed the September EP Kelly’s Locker. She remained central to the group’s output on the 2002 release Finisterre and the 2005 album Tales from Turnpike House, and she lent her voice to numerous outside projects with Madness, the 6ths, Marc Almond, Paul van Dyk, and additional collaborators. One such track, Mark Brown’s “The Journey Continues,” reached the U.K. charts.
After Saint Etienne delivered Words and Music by Saint Etienne in 2012, she turned to a new solo effort. Signing with Cherry Red Records, she entered the studio with Colorama’s Carwyn Ellis, who handled production and performed most of the instrumentation. The resulting Red Kite, shaped by folk and chamber-pop textures, appeared in June 2015 and featured contributions from Nicky Wire and the Rails.
That same year she was enlisted to supply vocals for Saint Etienne’s third single, “Nothing Can Stop Us.” Her poised delivery aligned seamlessly with the trio’s polished indie-dance aesthetic, and after extensive work on the 1991 debut album Fox Base Alpha she became a permanent member. Two further Saint Etienne records followed—So Tough in 1993 and Tiger Bay in 1994—before she launched her own career with the summer 1996 single “Anymore” and the full-length Lipslide the next spring.
While Saint Etienne prepared and issued their fifth album, Sound of Water, in summer 2000, Cracknell also completed the September EP Kelly’s Locker. She remained central to the group’s output on the 2002 release Finisterre and the 2005 album Tales from Turnpike House, and she lent her voice to numerous outside projects with Madness, the 6ths, Marc Almond, Paul van Dyk, and additional collaborators. One such track, Mark Brown’s “The Journey Continues,” reached the U.K. charts.
After Saint Etienne delivered Words and Music by Saint Etienne in 2012, she turned to a new solo effort. Signing with Cherry Red Records, she entered the studio with Colorama’s Carwyn Ellis, who handled production and performed most of the instrumentation. The resulting Red Kite, shaped by folk and chamber-pop textures, appeared in June 2015 and featured contributions from Nicky Wire and the Rails.
Albums
