Toyah Willcox

Toyah Willcox, born in Birmingham in 1958, is an English performer known for singing, songwriting, acting and presenting. She attended the Old Rep Drama School and took a role in the BBC play Glitter in 1976, which led to work at the National Theatre. From 1977 to 1983 she led the band Toyah, and her hit singles included It's a Mystery, I Want to Be Free and Thunder in the Mountains. She went solo in the mid-1980s. Her Brit Award nominations included British Breakthrough Act and Best Female Solo Artist in 1982, with further nods in that category in 1983 and 1984. Her films include Quadrophenia (1979), Urgh! A Music War (1981), Lies We Tell (2017), Invasion: Planet Earth (2019) and Heckle (2020). She also appeared in The Tempest (1979), which brought her a Best Newcomer nomination at the 1980 Evening Standard Awards. She has also appeared in over 40 stage plays and presented many television shows.