Rock diva takes to the stage
Bonnie Tyler fans can expect a Total Eclipse of the Heart when the electrifying Welsh songbird performs at Emperors Palace, in August.
AfroAsia Events has announced that Tyler, the husky-voiced pop-rock diva behind hits such as Lost in France, It’s a Heartache and Holding out for a Hero, will perform in the Centre Court on August 29 and 30.
The concert marks the long-awaited return to South African stages of Tyler, who last appeared in the country 20 years ago.
Having released a succession of irresistible classic songs in the 1970s and 1980s, she continues to occupy a special place in the hearts of many South Africans.
Tyler was born Gaynor Hopkins, in South Wales, and grew up surrounded by a large family.
She was exposed to Motown music at an early age, and was particularly struck by the raw vocal power of two singers who would later have a huge influence on her singing style, Janis Joplin and Tina Turner.
She entered a talent contest at the age of 17 (coming second to a professional singer and winning the princely sum of one British Pound) and went on to join the group Bobby Wayne and the Dixies for two years, before forming her own band, Imagination, and becoming a regular performer on the Welsh pub and club circuit.
“I decided I would change my name for the stage,” she said.
“I put together a list of surnames and Christian names from a newspaper.
“I thought Bonnie Tyler sounded better than Hopkins.
“Now I like Gaynor and wish that I hadn’t changed it.”
Tyler’s hard work eventually paid off and she secured a record deal, but it was only after she had surgery to remove throat nodules in 1976 that her voice developed its trademark huskiness, earning her the moniker “the female Rod Stewart”.
Her breakthrough hit in the UK and Europe, Lost in France, was followed by the mega-success of It’s a Heartache, which climbed to the top five in the USA, as well.
Her subsequent string of releases failed to fare as well, however.
It was only in the early 1980s, when Tyler seized control of her career, that she made the choice that would propel her to superstardom: partnering with Bat Out of Hell producer and songwriter Jim Steinman.
Steinman instantly recognised the value of Tyler’s raw, passionate, powerful vocal style, and harnessed it to perfection on the album Faster Than the Speed of Light.
It would prove to be creative alchemy: within four weeks of the release of Total Eclipse of the Heart, the epic single had knocked Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean off the top of the UK charts.
It went on to sell over five million records and earned Tyler two Grammy nominations.
The album shot straight into the UK album charts at number one, making Tyler the first female artist ever to achieve this feat, and went on to achieve platinum status in several countries, including South Africa.
Subsequent albums yielded standout songs such as the duets with Shakin’ Stevens (A Rockin’ Good Way) and Todd Rundgren (Loving You’s a Dirty Job, But Somebody’s Got to Do It).
She has continued to enjoy success, particularly in Europe, where she has embarked on successful collaborations and duets, exploring other genres, such as soft-pop and folk, and making regular television appearances on charity drives and reality shows.
Tyler has been working on a new album, titled Rocks and Honey, which reportedly has a country-rock flavour and is due to be released this year.
