Belinda Carlisle

Belinda Carlisle is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's. Topping the Billboard charts with the Go-Go's, she sold more than seven million albums in just three years and later went on to a successful solo career with hits "Mad About You", "Summer Rain", "I Get Weak", "Leave a Light On" and "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" and others, which were major successes in the United States and United Kingdom as well as internationally. In August 2011, she received, as a member of the Go-Go's, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The Go-Go's broke up in 1985 and Carlisle embarked on a solo career, although she continued to work with fellow Go-Go Charlotte Caffey.

Belinda Carlisle's first solo album Belinda was released in 1986 which was successful in North America and was certified Gold in the US and Platinum in Canada. Her summer hit "Mad About You" peaked at No. 3 in the US, topped the Canadian Singles Chart, and charted in the top 10 in Australia. "Mad About You" was followed by "I Feel the Magic", and by a cover version of the Freda Payne song "Band of Gold". All three songs were included on her debut album. The single "Since You've Gone", co-written by Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac, was used only for promotion. Susanna Hoffs co-wrote the single "I Need a Disguise". Duran Duran's Andy Taylor played guitar on some album tracks and appeared in her "Mad About You" video clip.

During this time, Carlisle also had songs featured on movie soundtracks, notably "In My Wildest Dreams" from the movie Mannequin, "Shot in the Dark" from Out of Bounds, as well as "Dancing in the City" from the Whoopi Goldberg movie Burglar.

In 1987, Heaven on Earth was released and featured more power-pop style in her songs. The album became a Top 5 bestseller in the UK and Australia, and was nominated for a Grammy Award. The first release from Heaven on Earth was "Heaven Is a Place on Earth", which topped the single charts. The second single from the album was "I Get Weak", which shot to #2 in the US and #10 in the UK. The third single from the album was "Circle in the Sand", another Top 10 hit in the US, the UK, and Germany. "World Without You" was another British hit, followed by 1988 low-charting ballad "Love Never Dies", making this her fifth single from the album in the UK. In the US, the fourth and last single, "I Feel Free", a cover of the Cream classic, failed to reach the Top 40.

In 2009, a remastered edition of the album was released with extra tracks, remixes, and a bonus DVD containing a complete live concert from 1988.

Carlisle's follow-up was Runaway Horses released in October 1989. The album hit the Top 5 in both Australia and the UK, certified double platinum in Australia and platinum in the UK and in Canada. The first release, "Leave a Light On", peaked at #11 in the US, and became another Top 5 smash in the UK, Australia and Canada. The second US single, "Summer Rain", reached #30 in early 1990. In 1990, further singles from the Runaway Horses album were successful as well: the title track, "La Luna", a Top 10 in Switzerland and top 20 hit in Germany and Australia, and "(We Want) The Same Thing" reaching #6 in the UK. Bryan Adams contributed backup vocals for the track "Whatever It Takes".

In 1991, Carlisle released her fourth solo album, Live Your Life Be Free. The single "Do You Feel Like I Feel?" was accompanied by a tongue-in-cheek video, inspired by the B-movie Attack of the 50 Foot Woman. The title track, "Live Your Life Be Free", released as first single outside the US, was a Top 20 hit single in many countries reaching number 12 in the UK and #13 in Australia. Subsequent releases "Half the World" and "Little Black Book" were also hits outside the US.

Her 1992 greatest hits album The Best of Belinda, Volume 1 reached #1, and was certified double platinum in the UK and platinum in Australia. This first greatest hits album included all the hits taken from the Heaven on Earth, Runaway Horses, and Live Your Life Be Free albums.

Carlisle's fifth solo album, Real, was released in 1993 in the US and in Europe. The album was Carlisle's fifth consecutive to reach the UK Top 10 peaking at number #9. Its first single, "Big Scary Animal", peaked at #12 in the UK. The second single from Real was "Lay Down Your Arms", which made the Top 30 in the UK.

At this time, Carlisle also recorded "One by One", on the soundtrack for the 1993 movie The Harvest and sang on The Lemonheads' Come On Feel The Lemonheads album on the track "I'll Do It Anyway".

In 1996, she released in the UK and Australia her sixth solo album, A Woman and a Man. This album revitalized her solo career in Europe, and included several hits. The leadoff single, "In Too Deep", returned Carlisle to the UK Top 10, for the first time in six years, reaching #6. "Always Breaking My Heart", also made the UK Top 10, peaking at #8. The album spawned two more smaller hits in UK: "Love in the Key of C", and "California". The album reached #12 in the UK, and was certified gold. As a result of A Woman and A Man's UK success, the album was released in the US during the summer of 1997.

In 1996, Carlisle recorded "I Wouldn't Be Here (If I Didn't Love You)" for the Two If by Sea official movie soundtrack. In 1997, she recorded "I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" from Walt Disney Animation Studios's Hercules and was released as a single exclusively in France and Germany.

In 1999, Carlisle released a greatest hits album in the UK, a double-disc, A Place on Earth: The Greatest Hits. Carlisle recorded three new tracks for the album's first disc, "All God's Children", "A Prayer for Everyone" and "Feels Like I've Known You Forever". The second disc of the album contained previously released remixes of some of her hits, plus a couple of B-sides which were previously unreleased. A Place on Earth: The Greatest Hits was certified Gold in the UK and went on to sell an excess of one million copies worldwide.

In 2007, Carlisle released her seventh album Voila, which was her first full-length, solo studio album in more than ten years. The album consisted of a mix of French pop tunes and chanson standards, including covers of Françoise Hardy and Édith Piaf classics.

She toured as part of the Regeneration tour in the US, and the Here and Now tour in the UK and Ireland in 2008 and summer of 2009.

In January 2012, Carlisle announced that she would be releasing a new single "Sun".