Born on 8 June: Bonnie Tyler—her husky voice still breaks our hearts

Born in Wales in 1951, Gaynor Hopkins celebrates her 74th birthday today. But she is better known by her stage name: Bonnie Tyler!

Famous for her uniquely husky voice, Bonnie Tyler found success with her very first album, "The World Starts Tonight" in 1977  and songs like "Lost In France" and "More Than A Lover". That same year, punk exploded in England, yet it had absolutely no impact on the singer's career trajectory...

In 1978, just months after the only studio album from the Sex Pistols, "Never Mind The Bollocks", she shot "It’s A Heartache" to the top of the charts. Two worlds utterly apart! In the 1980s, with help from producer Jim Steinman, she moved towards a more rock-inspired repertoire. Meat Loaf's mentor would go on to write her second big hit, "Total Eclipse Of The Heart", in 1983.

During the decades that followed, she maintained strong popularity in Nordic countries and Germany, although her career did experience a few... eclipses. "The Best Is Yet To Come", her most recent studio album released in 2021, certainly proves her determination to continue her career for the best yet to come...

(MH with Stéphane Soupart – Photo: © Etienne Tordoir)

Photo: Bonnie Tyler performing at Forest-National in Brussels (Belgium) on 25 April 1984