Born on December 25: Annie Lennox (Eurythmics), the singer who dreams of a better world

The only daughter of a boilermaker and a seamstress, little Annie escapes through music from a sometimes harsh daily life.

She began piano lessons at the age of 7 and, a decade later, left the family home behind to study the flute at a London school. However, she quickly decided that this path, too academic, didn't suit her and took on a series of odd jobs while keeping music in a corner of her mind, fascinated by the artists of American Motown. 

It was while working as a waitress that she met Dave Stewart. The two young lovers combined their talents in various groups including The Tourists, before the birth of Eurythmics. It was 1981, the couple was now separated but, in debt and depressed by years of work without success, the duo still believed in a common artistic future.

And they were right to believe in it since, propelled by a radio programmer from Cleveland, their "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" became (finally) a worldwide success. Written by an Annie Lennox tired of their consecutive failures, the song speaks to all those who sometimes wanted to give up, while keeping the optimism dear to Dave Stewart, who had insisted on punctuating the text with positive notes: "Hold your head up, keep your head up, movin' on".

The hit was followed by "Here Comes The Rain Again" and "Would I Lie To You?". The duo now reigned over pop music. Dreams sometimes come true.

But in 1990, it was the breakup. The singer released her first solo album two years later, "Diva". Rather well received (she won the Grammy for best female pop performance), the opus was followed by "Why", four times platinum.

In 1998, Eurythmics reformed for two short years, before the short-haired singer, an icon of the LGTQI+ community, once again set out on her own, releasing two new albums in the process while focusing on her family and humanitarian commitments. She was also honored with the title of "Woman of the Year 2009" by the Nobel Peace Prize jury rewarding her fight for greater equality in the world.

Today, she continues to travel the world to defend the causes that are dear to her, such as with her feminist organization "Annie Lennox and The Circle" with whom she will perform on March 6, 2025 at the legendary Royal Albert Hall in London for a unique concert.

(Céline Massart - Tr.: MH- Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Annie Lennox with Eurythmics at the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm (Sweden) in June 1987