Deborah Anne Dyer (born 3 August 1967), known mononymously by the stage name Skin, is a British singer, musician and songwriter. She is the lead vocalist of

Skunk Anansie Skunk Anansie are a British Rock music, rock band whose members include Skin (musician), Skin (vocals, guitar), Cass (bass, guitar), Ace (guitar) and Mark Richardson (musician), Mark Richardson (drums). Skunk Anansie formed in 1994, disbanded ...

, who are often grouped as part of the Britrock movement in the UK, and has gained attention for her powerful, wide-ranging

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

voice and striking look. In 2015, Skin joined the judging panel of the Italian version of the talent show ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

'' for one season, and in 2016 she was on the cover of the UK lesbian magazine ''Diva''. After releasing new music and touring with Skunk Anansie, in 2018 Skin was featured as one of the cover stars of ''

Classic Rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

'' magazine's special "She Rocks" issue and was honoured with the Inspirational Artist Award at the Music Week Awards ahead of celebrating 25 years of Skunk Anansie. She also appeared on the cover of ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...

'' magazine in November 2018. Mavis Bayton, author of ''Frock Rock'', stated that "women like Skin,

Natacha Atlas Natacha Atlas (, , ; born 20 March 1964) is an Egyptian-Belgian singer known for her fusion of Arabic and Western music, particularly hip-hop. She once termed her music "'' cha'abi moderne''" (modern folk music). Her music has been influenced by ...

, Yolanda Charles, and Debbie Smith are now acting as crucial role models for future generations of black women".

Early life

Deborah Ann Dyer was born on 3 August 1967 in

Brixton Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...

, London, to Jamaican parents. Her father was in the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

and later worked on

oil rig An oil rig is any kind of apparatus constructed for oil drilling. Kinds of oil rig include: * Drilling rig A drilling rig is an integrated system that Drilling, drills wells, such as oil or water wells, or holes for piling and other construc ...

s. Her mother was a nurse before taking a government position in the environmental department. She describes her parents as "very strict, very Jamaican". At the age of 6, she moved into a

two-up two-down Two-up two-down is a type of small house with two rooms on the ground floor and two bedrooms upstairs. There are many types of terraced houses in the United Kingdom, and these are among the most modest. Those built before 1875, the pre-regulat ...

Acre Lane List of A roads in zone 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it i ...

, with her grandfather, who ran a nightclub in the basement, in which she mentions there was "always music and rum" and posters of

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

and

Muhammad Ali Muhammad Ali (; born Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr.; January 17, 1942 – June 3, 2016) was an American professional boxer and social activist. A global cultural icon, widely known by the nickname "The Greatest", he is often regarded as the gr ...

, which inspired her. As a child, she wanted to be a pianist. At the age of 14, she read ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'', later stating that she loved the "intricacy and complexity of Shakespeare's play".

Skunk Anansie

The band formed in 1994, releasing three albums, '' Paranoid & Sunburnt'', '' Stoosh'' and '' Post Orgasmic Chill''. They sold more than five million records worldwide. Their biggest hit was the single "

Weak Weak may refer to: Songs * Weak (AJR song), "Weak" (AJR song), 2016 * Weak (Melanie C song), "Weak" (Melanie C song), 2011 * Weak (SWV song), "Weak" (SWV song), 1993 * Weak (Skunk Anansie song), "Weak" (Skunk Anansie song), 1995 * "Weak", a son ...

". They disbanded in 2001, after which Skin embarked on a solo career, and reformed in 2009. As of 2024 the band have released six studio albums and toured with

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

, U2, and

Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His debut album ''Let Love Rule (Lenny Kravitz album), Let Love Rule'' (1989) was characterized by a blend of Rock music, rock ...

Solo career

After Skunk Anansie split, Skin released her debut solo album '' Fleshwounds''. The album was toned down from her Skunk Anansie days and did not gain the same acclaim from Skunk Anansie fans. She even ditched her trademark bald look and grew her hair into a boyish crop. While the album was not a massive success in the UK, two singles were released from it: "Trashed" and "

Faithfulness Faithfulness means unfailingly remaining loyal to someone or something, and putting that loyalty into consistent practice regardless of extenuating circumstances. It may be exhibited, for example, by a husband or wife who does not engage in se ...

". "Lost", a double A-side with " Getting Away with It". Skin felt that her record company didn't put any money or effort into promoting the album in England. She felt they did better in Europe with the album selling over half a million copies. After releasing ''Fleshwounds'', Skin went on to perform various solo gigs around Europe. She was also support for the European leg of

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, launching a solo career in 1996. His debut studio album, ''Life thru a Lens'', was re ...

' and Placebo's world tours. Soon after touring she began to record her second album, '' Fake Chemical State'', which was released for sale on 20 March 2006, preceded by new single " Just Let the Sun" two weeks earlier. The first single actually issued from this album was " Alone in My Room", a download-only track released on 7 November 2005. "Alone in My Room" was also the name given to Skin's first solo tour in two years, which commenced in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

in November 2005. For this album she shaved her head bald again, returning to the look she had in her Skunk Anansie days. Skin's next solo outing was a small promotional "Fake Chemical State" tour. It started in Glasgow on 17 March 2006. She went on to perform many festivals around Europe including

Rock Werchter Rock Werchter is an annual music festival held in the village of Werchter, near Leuven, Belgium, since 1976 and is a large sized rock music festival. The 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012 and 2014 festivals received the Arthur award for ''best festiva ...

in Belgium and the Southside/

Hurricane A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...

festivals in Germany. She performed on the main stage at most of these festivals. In February 2008, she announced that she was working with

Timo Maas Timo Maas (born July 27, 1969) is a German DJ/ producer and remixer. His remix of Azzido Da Bass's single " Dooms Night" helped launch his career in 2000. In its wake, he also released ''Music for the Maases Volume 1'', a mix album consisting ...

and Martin Buttrich on a side project called "Format-3". Her 2008 song "Tear Down These Houses" was released as a part of the soundtrack to ''Parlami d'Amore'', directed by Silvio Muccino. She sings in the opening musical piece "Renaissance", in '' Medici: Masters of Florence'', a Netflix original series released in October 2016. Skin has always had a love of

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

and she moved into the genre when her friend Damian Lazarus gave her a mixer in 2009. Going under the moniker D-Dyer she made her first steps into the DJ world which she has now been doing for the past decade. She plays

Techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

Tech House Tech house is a subgenre of house music that combines stylistic features of techno with house. The term ''tech house'' developed as a shorthand record store name for a category of electronic dance music that combined musical aspects of techno, ...

and Minimal all over the world at classic venues such as Output in New York, Sound Nightclub in LA and

Fabric Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, and different types of fabric. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is no ...

in London. In 2015 Skin collaborated with

techno Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time ( ) and often ...

icon Nicole Moudaber and they released the Breed EP on Nicole's Mood Records. It features five tracks including "Don't Talk To Me I'm Dancing". In 2016 she DJ-ed at

Carl Cox Carl Andrew Cox (born 29 July 1962) is a British house and techno club DJ, radio DJ, motorsport team owner and record producer. He is based in Frankston, Victoria, Australia. Cox has won and been nominated for numerous awards. He has perfor ...

's Revolution in

Ibiza Ibiza (; ; ; #Names and pronunciation, see below) or Iviza is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea off the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. It is 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the city of Valencia. It is the third largest of th ...

Coachella Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valle ...

and also released Techno music under the guise of Juvenal through Mood Records. In 2020, Skin participated in the UK version of '' The Masked Singer'', appearing as Duck. Her identity was revealed in episode six, when she was eliminated. A memoir, ''It Takes Blood and Guts'', co-written with

Lucy O'Brien Lucy O'Brien (born 13 September 1961)Author Biography, O'Brien, Lucy – She Bop: The definitive history of women in rock, pop, and soul, London: Penguin, 1995 is a British author and journalist whose work focuses on women in music. Early musi ...

, was published by

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

in September 2020. On 18 October 2020, Skin began presenting a Sunday-night radio show titled ''The Skin Show'' on

Absolute Radio Absolute Radio is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK as part of the Absolute Radio Network. It broadcasts nationally across the UK via digital audio broadcasting. The station focuses on alternative ...

Personal life

Skin graduated with a BA (Hons) degree in Interior Architecture & Design from Teesside Polytechnic in 1989 and received an honorary Master of Arts degree from Teesside University in 2000. Skin is openly

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

. In 2013, she entered into a civil partnership with Christiana Wyly, daughter of American billionaire Sam Wyly. The relationship ended in 2015. In September 2020, Skin announced her engagement to Rayne Baron. They have a daughter, born in 2021. In January 2021, Skin assumed the role of

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

at Leeds Arts University in Leeds, England. Since the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum in 2016, Skin has talked against Brexit and its effect in terms of rise in racism, labour shortage and impoverishment of British culture in numerous interviews. She was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the

2021 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours for 2021 are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded ...

for services to music. After the results of the 2022 Italian election were announced, Skin said that she was disappointed that the Italian people voted for

Giorgia Meloni Giorgia Meloni (; born 15 January 1977) is an Italian politician who has served as Prime Minister of Italy since 2022. She is the first woman to hold the office. A member of the Chamber of Deputies (Italy), Chamber of Deputies since 2006, s ...

and said that Italy was "sinking towards

fascism Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural social hie ...

" once again.

Discography

Solo studio albums

*'' Fleshwounds'' (2003) *'' Fake Chemical State'' (2006)

Guest appearances

* Vocals on "Carmen Queasy" from

Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: Entertainment *Maxim (magazine), ''Maxim'' (magazine), an international men's magazine ** Maxim (Australia), ''Maxim'' (Australia), the Australian edition ** Maxim (India), ''Maxim'' (India), the Indian edition *Maxim ...

's (of

The Prodigy The Prodigy are an English electronic music band formed in Braintree, Essex, in 1990 by producer, keyboardist, and songwriter Liam Howlett. The original line-up also featured Rapping, MC and vocalist Maxim (musician), Maxim, dancer and occasi ...

) 2000 solo album, ''Hell's Kitchen'' – UK Chart Number 33 * Vocals on " Licking Cream" from

Sevendust Sevendust is an American Rock music, rock band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1994 by bassist Vinnie Hornsby, drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist John Connolly (musician), John Connolly. After their first demo, lead vocalist Lajon Witherspoon an ...

's second album, ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

'' * Vocals on "You Can't Find Peace", by Pale3, which was made for the

Tom Tykwer Tom Tykwer (; born 23 May 1965) is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, and composer. He is best known internationally for directing the thriller films ''Run Lola Run'' (1998), ''Heaven (2002 film), Heaven'' (2002), ''Perfume: The Sto ...

film (''The Princess and the Warrior'') * Vocals on "Good Times", by Ed Case – UK Chart Number 68 * Vocals on "If This Ain't Love" by Erick Morillo & Eddie Thoneick – released 2012 * Contributes vocals to "Still Standing" from ''Unity – The Official Athens 2004 Olympic Games Album'' * Performs "Kill Everything" on the OST of * Contributes vocals to "" on the album by Marlene Kuntz * Contributes vocals on "" (Seasons of Love) from the cast album to the Italian production of''Rent'' * Vocals on "Meat" from

Tony Iommi Anthony Frank Iommi Jr. (born 19 February 1948) is an English musician. He co-founded the pioneering Heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was the band's guitarist, leader, primary composer, and sole continuous member for over ...

's album '' Iommi'' * Vocals on "Comfort of Strangers" on the OST to ''

Timecode A timecode (alternatively, time code) is a sequence of numeric codes generated at regular intervals by a timing synchronization system. Timecode is used in video production, show control and other applications which require temporal coordinatio ...

'' * Vocals on "Remains" on the third part of Bastille's Other People's Heartache EP * Contributes to charity single "It's Only Rock And Roll" * " Not an Addict" (with K's Choice) – live at Pinkpop 1996 * "Army of Me" (with

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct voice, three-octave vocal range, and eccentric public per ...

) – live version on ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'', 5 May 1995 * "Anti Love Song" (

Betty Davis Betty Davis (born Betty Gray Mabry; July 26, 1944 – February 9, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter, and model. She was known for her controversial sexually oriented lyrics and performance style, and was the second wife of trumpeter ...

cover; live on Taratata with

) * Vocals on "Nothing Matters" by Mark Knight.

References

Sources

External links

Official Skin websiteSkin at V2 MUSIC UK
– her record label *
The Skin Show on Absolute Radio
*
BBC Radio 4 Front Row : Skin on her new memoir
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skin 1967 births 20th-century Black British women singers 20th-century British women singers 21st-century Black British women singers 21st-century British women singers Alternative metal musicians Alumni of Teesside University Bisexual singers Bisexual songwriters Bisexual women musicians Black British LGBTQ people 21st-century Black British musicians Black British rock musicians British bisexual musicians British bisexual women British LGBTQ singers British LGBTQ songwriters English autobiographers English people of Jamaican descent English women rock singers Leeds Arts University LGBTQ people from London LGBTQ women singers Living people Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Brixton Singers from the London Borough of Lambeth Women heavy metal singers