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Sheena Easton biography

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Quick Facts

  • NAME: Sheena Easton
  • OCCUPATION: Singer
  • BIRTH DATE: April 27, 1959 (Age: 54)
  • EDUCATION: Royal Scottish Academy of Music
  • PLACE OF BIRTH: Bellshill, Scotland, United Kingdom
  • Maiden Name: Sheena Shirley Orr
  • AKA: Sheena Easton
  • AKA: Sheena Orr
  • Full Name: Sheena Shirley Easton
  • ZODIAC SIGN: Taurus

Best Known For

Grammy Award–winning singer Sheena Easton is recognized for such hits as "Morning Train," "For Your Eyes Only" and "Sugar Walls."


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Synopsis

Sheena Shirley Orr was born on April 27, 1959, in Bellshill, Scotland. The pop star is best known as Sheena Easton (her ex-husband's last name); she broke out on the scene as a pop singer in the early 1980s. Easton churned out several hits over the decades as well as two Grammy Awards. The performer is best known for the hit "Morning Train" and the James Bond movie theme song "For Your Eyes Only,

Quotes

"What lights me up is being a mom and singing. That's what I'm about now. It's not about what's going to make me the most famous. I don't care about that kind of stuff anymore."

– Sheena Easton

" as well as for collaborations with Kenny Rogers and Prince. Over the years, Easton has delved into various music genres and acting, as well as other business ventures. This mother of two adopted children, who has been married four times, continues to perform while raising her family.

Early Years

Sheena Easton, the successful Scottish singer, was born Sheena Shirley Orr on April 27, 1959, in Bellshill. (She became a U.S. citizen in 1992.) She was the youngest of six kids. When her father Alex, a steel mill worker, passed away when Easton was just 10, her mom had to work as a laborer to support the family.

At an early age, Easton knew that she wanted to sing for the world. Her music influences varied when she was growing up, from Barbra Streisand to Motown, to rock 'n' roll and '70s soul. She attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music while performing in the group Something Else.

Career Success

Easton's breakout moment came from appearing on a BBC reality show, The Big Time, which focused on amateurs trying to reach their dreams. Afterward, the singer got a record deal, and her debut singles "Modern Girl" and "9 to 5" made it onto the charts in England. She became the first female artist since the 1950s to have two Top 10 hits at the same time in Britain. An album followed in 1981, as did her recognition in the United States. Her song "9 to 5" was retitled "Morning Train" (since Dolly Parton had a track of the same name already in circulation), and quickly became a smash hit. Easton had arrived, and that was confirmed when she took home the Grammy Award as Best New Artist. Other hits followed, including "For Your Eyes Only," the theme song to the 1981 James Bond movie of the same name. In 1983, she scored again with the Kenny Rogers duet "We've Got Tonight."

With her 1984 album A Private Heaven, Easton went for more of a dance vibe and a racier persona, especially with the somewhat scandalous song "Sugar Walls," which was produced by Prince. (She and Prince would go on to work together again on his 1987 song "U Got The Look.") The Family Resource Center, led by Tipper Gore, targeted "Sugar Walls" for its suggestiveness, but Easton stood up to the criticism. It didn't seem to hinder her career, as that same year she was honored as the only artist in history to have Top 5 hits on Billboard's major five charts—pop, R&B, country, adult contemporary and dance.

Afterward, Easton continued to test her musical boundaries. In 1985, she won a Grammy Award for best Mexican artist performance for a duet with Luis Miguel. In 1993, she released an album of jazz/blues standards.

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