Carole Ann Pope (born 6 August 1950) is a British-born Canadian rock singer-songwriter, whose provocative blend of hard-edged new wave rock with explicit

homoerotic Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, including both male–male and female–female attraction. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be tempor ...

and

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often Eroticism, erotic practices or Sexual roleplay, roleplaying involving Bondage (BDSM), bondage, Discipline (BDSM), discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given ...

-themed lyrics made her one of the first openly

lesbian A lesbian is a homosexual woman or girl. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate nouns with female homosexu ...

entertainers to achieve mainstream fame.

Early life

Pope was born on 6 August 1950 in the rural outskirts of

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

in England. She was the oldest of four children born to Jack Pope, a salesperson, a member of the

Communist Party of Great Britain The Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB) was the largest communist organisation in Britain and was founded in 1920 through a merger of several smaller Marxist groups. Many miners joined the CPGB in the 1926 general strike. In 1930, the CPGB ...

, and a circus stilt walker, and to Celia, a music hall performer. Pope grew up with two sisters, Diane and Elaine, and a brother, Howard. At the age of five, Pope emigrated with her parents to

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

. After a couple of years there, the family moved to the

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

suburb of

Scarborough, Ontario Scarborough (; 2021 Canadian census, 2021 Census 629,941) is a district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is situated in the eastern part of the City of Toronto. Its borders are Victoria Park Avenue to the west, Steeles Avenue (Toronto), Steele ...

."Carole Pope unpeeled"
''The Globe and Mail'', Elizabeth Renzetti. 25 November 2000 She studied at

Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute (CCI or Cedarbrae CI), formerly Cedarbrae Secondary School is a semestered public secondary school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the Woburn neighbourhood in former suburb of Scarborough. It was es ...

Music career

1968–1988: Rough Trade

Pope met her longtime musical partner

Kevan Staples Rough Trade (1968–1988) was a Canadians, Canadian Rock music, rock band centred on singer Carole Pope and multi-instrumentalist Kevan Staples. The band was noted for their provocative lyrics and stage antics; singer Pope often performed in bond ...

at a band audition in Scarborough. In 1968, they began performing together as a duo in Yorkville, which was Toronto's live music and arts district at the time. In 1970, they adopted the name O, changing it to The Bullwhip Brothers the following year. Clive A. Smith was also a member of O; Smith would later go on to co-found Canadian animation studio

Nelvana Nelvana Limited (; also known as Nelvana Enterprises, Nelvana International or Nelvana Digital; commonly known as Nelvana; stylized as "nelvana") is a Canadian animation studio and entertainment production company owned by Corus Entertainment s ...

and play such iconic on-screen characters as Mr. Pencil. In 1975, Pope and Staples recruited several backup musicians and formed the band Rough Trade. Pope often performed in black leather pants and bondage attire. The band's first album, ''Rough Trade Live'', was produced by Jack Richardson. Whilst with Rough Trade, Pope sang backup vocals on

Murray McLauchlan Murray Edward McLauchlan, (born 30 June 1948) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, guitarist, pianist, and harmonica player. He is best known for his Canadian hits "The Farmer's Song," "Whispering Rain," and "Down by the Henry Moore". Early life ...

's album ''Into a Mystery,'' in 1980, and would go on to win the

Juno Award The Juno Awards (stylized as JUNOS), or simply known as the Junos, are awards presented by Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences to recognize outstanding achievements in Canada's mu ...

for Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1981 and subsequently the Juno Award for Best Female Vocalist in 1982 and 1983. Rough Trade released their first studio album, Avoid Freud, and also made an appearance in the Canadian horror film,

Deadline Deadline(s) or The Deadline(s) may refer to: * Time limit, a narrow field of time by which an objective must be accomplished Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Deadline (DC Comics), a fictional villain * ''Deadline'' (magazine), a Britis ...

, in 1980. They would win a

Genie Award The Genie Awards were given out annually by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to recognize the best of Canadian cinema from 1980–2012. They succeeded the Canadian Film Awards (1949–1978), known as the "Etrog Awards" for sculptor ...

"Carole Pope: Not Going Gently"
''GO Magazine'', 24 April 2012. by Andrew Vail and four gold and two platinum records as the decade progressed. She and Kevan Staples co-wrote the 1983 single "Transformation" along with the track "Design for Living", for singer/songwriter Nona Hendryx's second studio album, Nona. Pope also appeared as a guest vocalist on the

Payola$ Payolas (stylized as Payola$) was a Canadian rock band that was most prominent in the 1980s. Evolving from a new wave sound toward mainstream pop rock, they were best known for the single "Eyes of a Stranger", from their 1982 album '' No Strang ...

single "Never Said I Loved You," which was a top 10 hit in 1983. She would team up again with Payola$ founder

Paul Hyde Paul Reginald Nelson (born 21 May 1955), known by the stage name Paul Hyde, is a British-born Canadian singer-songwriter. He co-founded the rock band Payola$ with Bob Rock, serving as the band's main lyricist and vocalist. He later performed and ...

to sing the duet "My Brilliant Career" on his album ''Living Off the Radar'' in 2000. She also sang the role of Primavera Nicholson in the COC production of R. Murray Schafer's Patria I in November 1987. Although Rough Trade did not record or perform extensively after its final Deep Six in '86 tour, they did not officially break up until 1988. Since breaking up, the band has had numerous reunions, and in 2022, ''Rough Trade - The Musical'', a musical based on the band's music (and the life of Pope's late brother, Howard), debuted at

Joe's Pub Joe's Pub, one of the six performance spaces within The Public Theater, is a music venue and restaurant that hosts live performances across genres and arts, ranging from cabaret to modern dance to world music. It is located at 425 Lafayette Str ...

, 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 ...

1988–1999: Solo Beginnings

After Rough Trade disbanded, Pope released her debut solo single in 1988, which was a cover of The Flirtations' 1968 soul hit, Nothing but a Heartache. The B-side was her self-penned song, ''I'm Not Blind''. She relocated to Los Angeles in 1989 to pursue opportunities in soundtrack work and acting, and produced the soundtrack for The Silencer, a thriller movie directed by Amy Goldstein, which was released in 1992. In 1995, Pope announced she was no longer living in Los Angeles. That same year, she released her debut EP, Radiate, featuring drummer

Jack Irons Jack Steven Irons (born July 18, 1962) is an American drummer. He is the founding drummer of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers until he departed in 1988 and is a former member of Pearl Jam and Eleven. Alongside his work with Red Hot Chili Pep ...

. A music video was produced to promote the EP's third track, Kiss The Ground. Pope also starred in the

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

, ''Quiet Please, There's a Bitter, Petulant Diva on Stage, at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.'' In 1997, Pope provided the voice for the schoolteacher in the animated version of Pippi Longstocking, and in 1999 playwright Bryden MacDonald staged Shaking the Foundations, a musical revue based on the music of Rough Trade.

2000–2005: Release of autobiography and first solo album

In 2000, Random House published Pope's autobiography, ''Anti Diva''. The book included Pope's first public acknowledgement that she had been in a relationship with British singer

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), better known by her stage name Dusty Springfield, was a British singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano voice, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop mus ...

in the early 1980s. That year she and Staples contributed a track to the Dusty Springfield tribute album ''Forever Dusty: Homage to an Icon''. Anti Diva also revealed fleeting 1970s dalliances with comic actress

Andrea Martin Andrea Louise Martin (born January 15, 1947) is an American and Canadian actress, best known for her work in the television series '' SCTV'' and '' Great News''. She has appeared in films such as '' Black Christmas'' (1974), '' Wag the Dog'' (1 ...

and music producer

Bob Ezrin Robert Alan Ezrin (born March 25, 1949) is a Canadian music producer and keyboardist, best known for his work with Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Kiss, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, Peter Gabriel, Andrea Bocelli and Phish. As of 2010, Ezri ...

. Years later, Pope discussed attending Dusty Springfield's funeral where she spent time with the

Pet Shop Boys Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...

, amongst other notables. Soon afterwards, Pope re-recorded the Rough Trade single " High School Confidential" for the ''

Queer as Folk ''Queer as Folk'' may refer to: * Queer as Folk (British TV series), ''Queer as Folk'' (British TV series), 1999–2000 * Queer as Folk (American TV series), ''Queer as Folk'' (American TV series), a 2000–2005 American and Canadian version of th ...

'' season 1 soundtrack and appeared in the Toronto production of ''

The Vagina Monologues ''The Vagina Monologues'' is an episodic play written in 1996 by Eve Ensler which developed and premiered at HERE Arts Center, Off-Off-Broadway in New York and was followed by an Off-Broadway run at the Westside Theatre. The play explores ...

'' in 2001. She would then move to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

to continue writing and recording. In 2005, 21 years after her last EP, Pope returned to Los Angeles and released ''Transcend'', her debut full-length solo album."JUNE FEATURE INTERVIEW: MUSIC ICON AND PIONEER CAROLE POPE"
''Tuck Magazine'', 1 June 2012

2011–present: Second solo album, EP, and collaborations

In 2011, Pope released ''Landfall'', her second full-length album, featuring a duet with

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded eleven studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical opera ...

. That year she also was a guest vocalist on the album ''The Hills Are Alive'' by the Brooklyn Rundfunk Orkestrata. Pope is an ambassador for the

Harvey Milk School Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

in New York City and a board director for the

Songwriters Association of Canada A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

. In 2015, Pope signed with Squirtgun Records (distributed by eOne Entertainment) to re-release the ''Music for Lesbians'' EP on 23 June 2015. On 22 September 2017, Pope released the single, ''This Is Not A Test''. An accompanying music video, directed by Jasun Mark, was released on 8 May 2018. Later that same year, Pope collaborated with keyboardist

Kevin Hearn Kevin Neil Hearn (born July 3, 1969) is a Canadian musician who is a member of Barenaked Ladies, and his own group, Kevin Hearn and Thin Buckle. He primarily plays keyboard (instrument), keyboards and guitars. He is also a member of Rheostatics ...

to release the single, ''Resist It'', on 22 October 2018, which was later accompanied by a music video directed by Phillip Harder. A third single, ''I'm There'', produced in collaboration with Spoons' keyboardist Rob Preuss, was released the following year. In 2021, Pope collaborated with Ottawa band Church of Trees to release the song "World's A Bitch". Later that same year, Pope worked with Canadian performer Clara Venice to produce the single "Speaking In Code". Venice had previously added her

Theremin The theremin (; originally known as the ætherphone, etherphone, thereminophone or termenvox/thereminvox) is an electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer (who is known as a thereminist). It is named aft ...

skills to Pope's 2017 single, This Is Not A Test. Pope served as a guest judge on the second episode of the third season of ''

Canada's Drag Race ''Canada's Drag Race'' is a Canadian reality competition television series based on the American series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and is the Canadian edition of the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by Blue Ant Studios. In a similar format to t ...

'' in 2022, and narrated Marusya Bociurkiw's 2023 documentary film '' Analogue Revolution: How Feminist Media Changed the World''. On July 21, 2023, it was revealed that a documentary based on Pope's autobiography is currently in the works. The documentary, titled ''AntiDiva: The Confessions of Carole Pope'', is being funded by The Canada Media Fund. The production of the documentary is being handled by

Gay Agenda "Gay agenda" or "homosexual agenda" is a pejorative term for the normalization of non-heterosexual sexual orientations. The term has been used to disparage advocacy for LGBTQ rights, rooted in the belief that LGBTQ activists seek to recruit het ...

, and it is scheduled to debut on CBC’s Documentary Channel in 2025.

Personal life

Pope currently lives 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, ...

, although she has previously resided in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Health

In March 2018, Pope was forced to cancel a scheduled performance in Toronto due to a fractured ankle. Subsequently, she was compelled to cancel all of her scheduled performances for the remainder of the year due to mobility challenges that she had encountered during her tour. This ultimately resulted in a diagnosis of

spinal stenosis Spinal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the spinal canal or neural foramen that results in pressure on the spinal cord or nerve roots. Symptoms may include pain, numbness, or weakness in the arms or legs. Symptoms are typically gradual in ...

. In order to assist with her living expenses following surgery, a fundraiser was established on

GoFundMe GoFundMe is an American for-profit crowdfunding platform that allows people to raise money for events ranging from life events such as celebrations and graduations to challenging circumstances like accidents and illnesses. From 2010 to the ...

Solo discography

Albums

* ''Transcend'' (2005) * ''Landfall'' (2011)

EPs

* ''Radiate'' (1995) * ''The Silencer'' (1999) * ''Music for Lesbians'' (2014; 2015 re-release with Squirtgun/eOne)

Singles

*" Nothing but a Heartache" / "I'm Not Blind" (1988) ''(B-side "I'm Not Blind" reissued in 2022)'' *"Transcend" (1999) *"World Of One" (2000) * "Johnny Marr" (2007) * "Shining Path/Tell Me" (2010) * "Viral 01/Viral 02" (2011) * "Francis Bacon" (2013) * "Lesbians in the Forest" (featuring

Peaches The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and the glossy-skinned, non-fuzzy varieties called nectarines. Peac ...

) (2013) * "Vagina Wolf" (2014) * "This Is Not a Test" (2017) * "Resist It" (with

) (2018) * "I'm There" (with Rob Preuss) (2019) * "All Touch / No Contact Live" (2020) * "I Want to Live" (2020) *"World's a Bitch" (2021) (with

Church of Trees Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

and Rob Preuss) *"Speaking in Code" (2021) (with Clara Venice) *"More Or Less" (2024) *"Play Fisty For Me" (2024) *"I Miss My Land" (2024) *"Carole Pope (Live)" (2024)

Filmography

References

External links

Carole Pope
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pope, Carole Living people Women new wave singers Lesbian singers Lesbian songwriters Canadian lesbian musicians Canadian women rock singers Juno Award for Artist of the Year winners Canadian LGBTQ singer-songwriters English emigrants to Canada Singers from Manchester Singers from Toronto Canadian new wave musicians Juno Award for Breakthrough Artist of the Year winners Rough Trade (band) members 1950 births 20th-century Canadian women singers 21st-century Canadian women singers Canadian contraltos 20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people Canadian Screen Award winning musicians