Anohni

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11 Feb 2024

Anohni

Anohni Hegarty, formerly known as Antony Hegarty, is an English-born singer, songwriter, and visual artist known for her solo work and as the lead vocalist of the band Anohni and the Johnsons, previously known as Antony and the Johnsons.
Her musical journey began by performing with a group of New York musicians under the name Antony and the Johnsons. Their debut album, released in 2000 on David Tibet's label Durtro, showcased Anohni's unique vocal style. However, it was their second album, "I Am a Bird Now" (2005), that brought them widespread acclaim and success. This album earned Anohni the prestigious Mercury Music Prize.

In 2016, Anohni made history as the first openly transgender performer to receive an Academy Award nomination. The nomination was for the song "Manta Ray," which she co-wrote with J. Ralph for the film "Racing Extinction." Her debut solo album, "Hopelessness," was released in May 2016 and received widespread critical acclaim, earning her another Mercury Music Prize nomination and a Brit Award.

Continuing her artistic journey, Anohni released her sixth album, "My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross," in 2023 under the name Anohni and the Johnsons. Throughout her career, she has captivated audiences with her unique voice, powerful lyrics, and thought-provoking artistry.

Anohni, born in 1971 in Chichester, England, identified as transgender from a young age. Her family relocated several times during her childhood, spending a year in Amsterdam in 1977 before settling in the San Francisco Bay Area of California in 1981. In San Jose, Anohni attended Lincoln High School, where she studied music and developed a passion for collecting records.

Reflecting on her musical influences, Anohni mentioned artists like OMD, Kate Bush, Culture Club, Alison Moyet, and Marc and the Mambas, particularly connecting with the emotional depth of Marc Almond's side project. She also saw a reflection of herself in Boy George, the lead singer of Culture Club.

In 1990, Anohni moved to Manhattan to attend the Experimental Theater Wing at New York University. Two years later, she co-founded the performance collective Blacklips, later known as Blacklips Performance Cult, with Johanna Constantine. Over the following years, Anohni performed in after-hours bars and clubs in New York City, often using pre-recorded cassettes for accompaniment. She also wrote and directed late-night theater productions as part of her artistic endeavors.

After receiving a grant from the New York Foundation for the Arts for the 1996 production of "The Birth of Anne Frank/The Ascension of Marsha P. Johnson" at Performance Space 122, Anohni recruited accompanying musicians to record several songs she had written in the early 1990s. The ensemble made their debut performance as "Antony and the Johnsons" at The Kitchen as part of William Basinski's installation "Life on Mars" in 1997.

As their performances became more frequent, Antony and the Johnsons began appearing at venues such as Joe's Pub and The Knitting Factory in New York City. British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard their recording and offered to release it through his Durtro record label. Thus, the debut album, titled "Antony and the Johnsons," was released in 2000. In 2001, Anohni released a follow-up EP through Durtro titled "I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy," which included the title track, a cover of David Lynch and Angelo Badalamenti's "Mysteries of Love," and Current 93's "Soft Black Stars."

The band's 2005 album, "I Am a Bird Now," featured guest performances by prominent artists such as Lou Reed, Boy George, Rufus Wainwright, and Devendra Banhart. Released in North America by Secretly Canadian Records and in Europe by Rough Trade, the album garnered critical acclaim, winning the UK's prestigious Mercury Prize and being named Album of the Year by Mojo magazine. Antony and the Johnsons embarked on an extensive tour across North America, Europe, Australia, and parts of South America in support of "I Am a Bird Now." The song "Bird Gerhl" from the album was featured on the soundtrack for the film "V for Vendetta."

In November 2006, Antony and the Johnsons collaborated with experimental filmmaker Charles Atlas to present "Turning" in Rome, London, Paris, Madrid, and Braga, Portugal. This unique concert featured live video portraits of women from the New York City underground scene. The Guardian praised the piece as "fragile, life-affirming, and truly wonderful" with a five-star rating, while Le Monde in Paris hailed it as a "Concert-manifeste transsexuel."
Anohni created an original soundtrack for a video by Nick Knight featuring the designs of Hussein Chalayan in 2007. She also collaborated with Prada in 2008 to produce the song "The Great White Ocean" for their promotional campaign.

In October 2008, Antony and the Johnsons released the 5-song EP "Another World." Their third album, "The Crying Light," followed in January 2009, reaching number 1 on the European Billboard charts. Anohni described the album's theme as being "about landscape and the future." The album received critical acclaim, with Ann Powers of the LA Times praising its exquisite musicality and its unexpected connection between queer culture's identity politics and the environmental movement.

Following the release of "The Crying Light," Antony and the Johnsons presented a unique staging of the album with the Manchester Camerata at the Manchester Opera House for the 2009 Manchester International Festival. The band continued to tour extensively, performing with symphonies across Europe, including the Opera Orchestra of Lyon and the Montreux Jazz Festival Orchestra. Anohni appeared in a costume designed by Riccardo Tisci of Givenchy at the Salle Pleyel in Paris.

In late 2010, Antony and the Johnsons released the "Thank You for Your Love" EP and the full-length album "Swanlights." The album was accompanied by a book edition featuring Anohni's drawings and collages. Anohni also performed a concert in front of Chiaki Nagano's 1973 film "Mr O’s Book of the Dead" at Lincoln Center in New York City in commemoration of the passing of Kazuo Ohno.

In January 2011, Anohni appeared as a guest on Wintergasten, a program on Dutch Television's VPRO channel, discussing her political and ecological viewpoints. She also performed at the TED conference in Long Beach in a session on "Radical Collaboration."
During the 2011 Manchester International Festival, Anohni served as musical director for "The Life and Death of Marina Abramović," a biography of the performance art pioneer. The piece has been staged in various cities around the world.

In January 2012, Antony and the Johnsons were presented by the Museum of Modern Art at Radio City Music Hall in "Swanlights," a collaboration with laser artist Chris Levine and set designer Carl Robertshaw. This collaboration was also staged at the Royal Opera House in London in 2013 and at Teatro Real in Madrid in 2014.