Alison Moyet has been awarded an MBE in Queen Elizabeth’s 2021 Birthday Honours.
The former Yazoo star admitted to being “overwhelmed” by the recognition, as she took to social media to reflect on the news.
“Dear friends and kind, kind souls,” she began. “Thank you so much for your messages of congratulations.
“I didn’t expect such overwhelming support and this honour is made so much shinier because of it.”
Dear friends and kind,
— Alison Moyet (@AlisonMoyet) June 12, 2021
kind souls. Thank you so much for your messages of congratulations. I didn’t expect such overwhelming support and this honour is made so much shinier because of it.
How loving you all are. Fact. I have the receipts.
Xxx#MBE
The Is This Love? Star added: “How loving you all are. Fact. I have the receipts.”
Alison shot to fame as one half of the synth-pop duo – alongside Erasure’s Vince Clarke – before going solo in the mid ‘80s.
She has sold more than 23 million records around the world and was named British Female Solo Artist at the BRIT Awards in 1985.
Also named in the Queen’s Honours was Lulu, who had her OBE upgraded to a CBE.
The star shot to fame as a teenager when her version of the Isley Brothers’ Shout became a hit, and went on to represent Britain at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1969 with Boom Bang-A-Bang.Lulu went on to score a UK No. 1 single, Relight my Fire, with Take That in 1993.
Skunk Anansie‘s Skin also lands on the list with an OBE, and took to Instagram to celebrate the achievement.
“The face you make when you get an OBE!!” Skin wrote on Instagram, celebrating the award. “Not bad for an skinny black girl from Brixton who fell in love with Rock & Roll!!
“But seriously, this is a lovely thing to happen to me and I’m quite chuffed, gonna take a step back and suck it in.”
And Rick Wakeman was left feeling “stunned and genuinely very proud” after receiving the same honour.
He told the PA News agency upon hearing the news: “In a strange way, my first thought was, ‘Gosh, I wish my mum and dad were here to witness this’ but then I realised, of course, that my dad would be 105 and mum would be 103 – so the odds were heavily stacked against that.
“I am quite literally stunned and proud is the only way I can describe it. Friends who know me and have been in the business know I never expected a thing like this. I can only say thank you very much. I really feel very honoured and proud.
“I have carried on making music but sometimes you are making music and go, ‘Why am I doing this? There is no end in sight as to when we can play live, when we can do stuff’. As a recognition, for me coming out of lockdown, coming out of everything, to get this is even more special.”
