Sharleen

Sharleen Spiteri appears on stage at the Cabaret tent relieved to see the sizeable crowd: “I’d worried no one would show up.” In fact it’s a “decent turnout” (in the words of the Guardian’s own Alexis Petridis) for the Texas frontwoman speaking about her musical career, which has lasted as long as her adult life. So long, in fact, that she’d only ever been to one festival ever before she started performing at them.“I’ve been in a band since I was 17 years old. The truth is, I went to one festival in Scotland, and we…

As both a solo artist and a founding member of pop rock band Texas, Sharleen Spiteri has sold tens of millions of records across her almost 35-year career. Now 55, she’s still not stopping: in a few weeks, she will perform with the band at Glastonbury.The foundations for Spiteri’s enduring musical career were laid early: she grew up in suburban Glasgow in a family where everyone played an instrument and sang. As a teenager she was obsessed with the Clash, Siouxsie Sioux and Prince and, while working as a hairdresser, she…

Sharleen SpiteriSharleen Spiteri in 1971 and 2023. Later photograph: Pål Hansen/The Guardian. Styling and props: Andie Redman. Hair: Raphael Salley. Makeup: Sarah Reygate. Archive image: courtesy of Sharleen SpiteriFounding member of pop rock band Texas, Sharleen Spiteri was born in Glasgow in 1967, to Vilma, a seamstress, and Eddie, a merchant seaman. Spiteri left her job as a hairdresser at the age of 17 to form the group with Altered Images’ Johnny McElhone. They had their first hit in 1989 with I Don’t Want a Lover,…