Angela McCluskey (28 February 1960 – 14 March 2024) was a Scottish singer-songwriter based in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States. She performed as a solo artist and as a member of the

folk rock Folk rock is a fusion genre of rock music with heavy influences from pop, English and American folk music. It arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music re ...

group Wild Colonials. McCluskey also provided vocals for Curio and recorded the European dance hit and U.S.

Mitsubishi The is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group traces its origins to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu, a unified company that existed from 1870 to 194 ...

commercial hit, " Breathe", among other songs with Télépopmusik (on the albums '' Genetic World'' and '' Angel Milk''). She also sang "Beautiful Things" for

American Express American Express Company or Amex is an American bank holding company and multinational financial services corporation that specializes in payment card industry, payment cards. It is headquartered at 200 Vesey Street, also known as American Expr ...

and later her voice was heard on the Schick Quattro commercial singing "I'm Not the Girl". Her songs have appeared on the soundtracks for the films ''

Rachel Getting Married ''Rachel Getting Married'' is a 2008 American drama film directed by Jonathan Demme, and starring Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Bill Irwin, and Debra Winger. The film premiered at the 65th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, ...

'' (2008), '' Sherrybaby'' (2006), and '' The Beat That My Heart Skipped'' (2005). Her music has also been featured in the television series ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series focusing on the personal and professional lives of surgical internship (medicine), interns, residency (medicine), residents, and attending physician, attendings at the fictional ...

''.

Biography

Angela McCluskey was born in the

Dennistoun Dennistoun () is a mostly residential district in Glasgow, Scotland, located north of the River Clyde and in the city's Glasgow#East End, east end, about east of the city centre. Since 2017 it has formed the core of a Dennistoun (ward), Dennist ...

area of

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, Scotland, on 28 February 1960. She went to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and found work as a publicist, and then in the video department of

EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a British multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company EMI in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succes ...

. In 1993, she relocated to the United States, to

Hollywood, California Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...

. McCluskey was married to composer Paul Cantelon, whom she met in about 1992 in London where he was playing piano in a restaurant. In

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 1993, McCluskey and her friend

Shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...

formed a band called Wild Colonials. Two albums, ''Fruit of Life'' (1994) and ''This Can't Be Life'' (1996), were followed by performances at 1997's Lilith Fair road show. During this period, McCluskey worked with Dr. John,

Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...

Deep Forest Deep Forest is a French music project that originally began as a duo consisting of Michel Sanchez (musician), Michel Sanchez and Éric Mouquet. They compose a style of world music, sometimes called ethnic electronica, mixing ethnic with electro ...

, Joe Henry,

The The are an English rock band from London, formed in 1979 by singer-songwriter Matt Johnson, the only constant member, and often the sole member. achieved critical acclaim and commercial success in the UK, with 15 chart singles, seven reaching ...

Triptych A triptych ( ) is a work of art (usually a panel painting) that is divided into three sections, or three carved panels that are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all m ...

, and Télépopmusik. In 2001, McCluskey and Télépopmusik collaborated on a song titled " Breathe." The song was a transatlantic hit, entering the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaking in the Top 50 on the UK Singles chart. McCluskey collaborated with the group on several of the songs on their debut album, '' Genetic World'' and also lent her vocals to several songs on the group's 2005 follow-up, '' Angel Milk''. In 2004, McCluskey released her debut solo album ''The Things We Do'' on

Manhattan Records Manhattan Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group and operates as a branch of Interscope Capitol Labels Group. Company history Manhattan Records was formed in 1984 by Bruce Lundvall and was later renamed EMI Manhatt ...

Blue Note Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...

. The record was written and recorded in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

and

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. It was produced by Shudder to Think's Nathan Larson. In 2007, Bruce Weber featured McCluskey and her husband, Paul Cantelon, in the short film ''Wine and Cupcakes'', where the couple romps through

Central Park Central Park is an urban park between the Upper West Side and Upper East Side neighborhoods of Manhattan in New York City, and the first landscaped park in the United States. It is the List of parks in New York City, sixth-largest park in the ...

while McCluskey does a spoken-word voice-over of the song, " If I Ruled the World" and then sings " Autumn in New York". In 2009, McCluskey released her second solo album, ''You Could Start a Fight in an Empty House'', including the track "Handle with Grace" (featuring Télépopmusik). In 2011, McCluskey performed her three-person show ''Catch a Falling Star'' in New York while also performing at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

. She also appeared as a featured vocalist on

Robbie Robertson Jaime Royal Robertson (July 5, 1943 – August 9, 2023) was a Canadian musician of Indigenous and Jewish ancestry. He was the lead guitarist for Bob Dylan's backing band in the mid-late 1960s and early-mid 1970s. Robertson was also the ...

's album ''

How to Become Clairvoyant ''How to Become Clairvoyant'' is the fifth solo release from Canadian singer-musician Robbie Robertson. It was released on April 5, 2011, and peaked at No. 13 on the US Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart. Critical reviews were generally ...

''. She also achieved a chart-topping hit that year with "In the Air", her collaboration with Morgan Page, which went to No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Airplay Chart. McCluskey's third solo record, ''Lambeth Palace,'' was released in 2012 and featured collaborations with Morgan Page, Ambrosia Parsley, and Richard Fortus. She also sang on "Stargazing", a collaboration with

Delerium Delerium is a Canadian new-age ambient electronic musical duo that formed in 1987, originally as a side project of the influential industrial music act Front Line Assembly. Throughout the band's history, their musical style has encompassed a ...

featured on their album ''Music Box Opera.'' The following year, McCluskey released ''XIX'' with the duo Christian Rich and also ''We Are the Future'' with Andy Caldwell (released on Nettwerk). In 2016, she sang on a song by Big Gigantic titled "Little Things." The group stated that they had heard a song on Pandora by Télépopmusik featuring McCluskey's vocals, which caught their attention. McCluskey died following surgery for an arterial tear, on 14 March 2024, at the age of 64.

Discography

* ''The Things We Do'' (Manhattan/Blue Note, 2004) * ''Angela McCluskey EP'' (2004) * ''You Could Start a Fight in an Empty House'' (Bernadette, 2009) * ''Handle with Grace EP'' (Bernadette, 2010) * ''Here Comes the Sun'' (Bernadette, 2011) * ''Lambeth Palace (EP)'' (Believe, 2012) * ''The Roxy Sessions'' (Bernadette, 2016)

with The Garden of Eden

* ''The Garden of Eden'' (1988)

with Wild Colonials

* '' Fruit of Life'' (1994) * '' This Can't Be Life'' (1996) * ''Reel Life vol. 1'' (2000) * '' Life As We Know It EP'' 1/4'' (2007)

with Télépopmusik

'' Genetic World'' (2001) *"Breathe" *"Smile" *"Love Can Damage Your Health" *"Yesterday Was a Lie" '' Angel Milk'' (2005) *"Don't Look Back" *"Love's Almighty" *"Brighton Beach" *"Nothing's Burning"

As a featured artist

- "Will You Be Ready ft. Angela McCluskey and Chitose Hajime" on '' Music Detected'' (2002) *

Parov Stelar Marcus Füreder (born 27 November 1974), better known by his stage name Parov Stelar, is an Austrian musician, producer, composer and DJ. He is considered a pioneer of Electro swing and is one of the most internationally successful artists ...

- "Parov Stelar feat. Angela McCluskey - Don't Believe What They Say" on ''The Demon Diaries'' (2015) *

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...

- "Is It Love ft. Angela McCluskey" on '' The Kendrick Lamar EP'' (2009) * Morgan Page – ''Tell Me Why'' (2010) *

– "When the Night Was Young" on ''

'' * Morgan Page, Sultan & Ned Shepard and BT – ''

In the Air IN, In or in may refer to: Dans * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Independen ...

'' (Nettwerk, 2012) *

– "Stargazing" on ''Music Box Opera'' (Nettwerk, 2012) * Angela McCluskey & Christian Rich – "XIX" (2012) *

Andy Caldwell Andy Caldwell is an American electronic house music DJ and producer. He became known through the San Francisco house scene in the early part of the 2000s, first as a member of the live house act Soulstice, and later as a solo artist. Caldwell ...

– "We Are the Future" (Nettwerk) * Maor Levi ft. Angela McCluskey - Pick Up The Pieces *

Paul Oakenfold Paul Mark Oakenfold (; born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Ma ...

feat. Angela McCluskey - You Could Be Happy *

Azealia Banks Azealia Amanda Banks ( ; born May 31, 1991) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, she began releasing music through Myspace in 2008 before being signed to XL Recordings at age 18. S ...

- " Ice Princess" (uncredited chorus vocals) * Christian Rich - "Real Love" FW14 (2015) * Big Gigantic - "The Little Things" (2 March 2016)

References

External links

Official website
* * * Weber's short film,
Wine and Cupcakes
', 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:McCluskey, Angela 1960 births 2024 deaths 21st-century Scottish women singers Scottish pop singers Scottish women singer-songwriters Scottish singer-songwriters Scottish emigrants to the United States British women rock singers Musicians from Glasgow Musicians from Los Angeles