Alison Moyet says her signature vocals came from having to be “voluminous to be heard”

Alison Moyet has revealed that her signature vocal style came from the singer having to be “voluminous to be heard”.

The former Yazoo member said her vocals developed over time as a result of her having to compete to be heard at home.

She told Record Collector: “Because there was all this shouting, I had to be voluminous to be heard, and because of my family, I had no inhibition about showing emotion because everyone wore everything on their skin. It was all out on show.”

Moyet went on to say that her father’s background in occupied France impacted her own upbringing, where everyone was “screaming and shouting” at home, which gave her a sense of courage.

Alison Moyet CREDIT: Harry Herd/Redferns

“He was a young lad in occupied France, and he would earn his extra vitamin biscuits by street fighting,” she added. “So, it was quite brutal. I grew up in this house, where there was screaming and shouting. When I was young, I was inordinately brave.

“I got that from my dad; I was expected to stand up for myself. So, there was no fear about getting up onstage.”

The artist is set to release her new album ‘Key’ this Friday (October 4) which celebrates the 40th anniversary of Moyet being a solo artist and features brand new versions of 16 singles and tracks from her lengthy career. It is available to pre-order/pre-save here.

Speaking about the album recently, Moyet shared: “I wanted to take the opportunity to look at the trajectory of the past four decades and explore songs that, in their original form, were never fully realised or have had their relevance to me altered by time.”

The singer also recently announced a 2025 UK and EU tour. Visit here for tickets.

Elsewhere, Moyet performed a spirited cover of David Bowie‘s ‘Absolute Beginners’ over the summer.

Back in 1985, Moyet shared the stage with Bowie, Peter Townshend and Paul McCartney for a cover of The Beatles‘ ‘Let It Be’ at the Live Aid concert.

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