Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer known for her distinctive husky voice. She became famous in the late 1970s with her album The World Starts Tonight, which included the hit songs “Lost in France” and “More Than a Lover”.
Her 1978 single “It’s a Heartache” was a top-five hit in both the UK and the US. In the 1980s, Tyler worked with songwriter and producer Jim Steinman on rock music. Steinman wrote Tyler’s biggest hit, “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, which was the lead single from her album Faster Than the Speed of Night, released in 1983.
Steinman also wrote Tyler’s other popular song from the 1980s, “Holding Out for a Hero”. Tyler had success in mainland Europe in the 1990s with the hit song “Bitterblue”, written and produced by Dieter Bohlen. Tyler has received numerous accolades, including three Grammy Award nominations and three Brit Award nominations.
In 2013, she represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Believe in Me”. Her most recent albums are Between the Earth and the Stars, released in 2019, and The Best Is Yet to Come, released in 2021. Let’s check out her full biography and net worth below.
Bonnie Tyler Biography
Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer born in Skewen, Neath, Wales. She has been active in the music industry since 1969 and is known for her powerful vocals. Her music genre includes rock, country, pop, and soft rock. She is mainly a singer and uses her voice as her primary instrument.
Bonnie Tyler grew up in a musical family and was exposed to various genres such as opera, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, The Beatles, and 60s bands. Her biggest influences were Janis Joplin and Tina Turner, while she also admires contemporary artists such as Adele and Eminem.
How Old Is Bonnie Tyler? | Age
Bonnie Tyler was born on June 8, 1951, ((smoothradio.com)) which makes her currently 71 years old as of April 13, 2023. She will turn 72 on June 8, 2023, 73 on June 8, 2024, 74 on June 8, 2025, 75 on June 8, 2026, and 76 on June 8, 2027.
Ethnicity | Nationality
Bonnie Tyler’s nationality is Welsh. Her ethnicity is Caucasian. ((ethnicelebs.com))
Record Labels
Throughout her career, she has been associated with various record labels such as RCA, Columbia, Hansa, EastWest, CMC, Yanis, Stick Music, earMUSIC. ((en.wikipedia.org))
Family Background | Parents
Bonnie Tyler, whose real name is Gaynor Hopkins, was born in Skewen, Wales. Her father was a coal miner, and she grew up with five siblings in a four-bedroom council house. Her family was deeply religious, and she started singing in a chapel as a child.
After leaving school without any qualifications, Tyler worked in a grocery shop. In 1969, she entered a talent contest and came in second place. This inspired her to pursue a career in singing.
She started as a backing singer for Bobby Wayne & the Dixies and later formed her own soul band called Imagination. To avoid confusion with another Welsh folk singer named Mary Hopkin, Tyler changed her name to Sherene Davis.
Bonnie Tyler’s Background
Bonnie Tyler, born in Skewen, Wales, is a Welsh singer, songwriter, and businesswoman. Her real name is Gaynor Hopkins. ((thevogue.com)) She became famous in 1976 with the song “Lost in France”. She has Welsh and English ancestry. ((healthyceleb.com))
Husband | Children
Bonnie Tyler got married to Robert Sullivan, a property developer and former Olympic judo competitor, in 1973. The couple does not have children as Tyler had a miscarriage when she was 39. They are Protestant.
Since 1988, Tyler and her husband have owned a five-bedroom home in Albufeira, Portugal. They spend most of their time there as Tyler had recorded one of her albums there in the late 1970s.
Tyler and Sullivan have also invested in various properties, including farmland in Portugal and New Zealand, 22 houses in Berkshire and London, and 65 stables that offer horse boarding services.
In a 2013 interview, Tyler mentioned that they had converted their New Zealand farmland into a dairy farm and that they also own a quarry. ((en.wikipedia.org))
Vocal Style
Bonnie Tyler’s music incorporates elements of country, rock, pop, blues, and Celtic. Her voice has been described as “inimitable,” “gritty,” and “an effective instrument.” Reviewers have compared her voice to Rod Stewart and Kim Carnes, and Jim Steinman wrote “Total Eclipse of the Heart” as a “showpiece for [Tyler’s] voice.”
Songwriting
Though songwriting has never been a significant part of Tyler’s career, she has co-written a handful of B-sides and tracks. She also co-wrote four songs with Gary Pickford-Hopkins on his GPH album and wrote several tracks for her 2005 album, Wings.
Career
In 1975, Bonnie Tyler signed with RCA Records and released her debut single, “My! My! Honeycomb”. Two years later, she released her debut album, The World Starts Tonight, which included the hit singles “Lost in France” and “More Than a Lover”. In 1978, Tyler released her second album, Natural Force, which included the hit single “It’s a Heartache”.
1979-1981: Diamond Cut and Goodbye to the Island
In 1979, Tyler released her third album, Diamond Cut, which included the hit single “Living for the City”. The album was followed by Goodbye to the Island in 1981, which featured the hit single “I Believe in Your Sweet Love”.
1982-1989: The CBS Years
In 1982, Tyler signed with CBS Records and released her fifth album, Faster Than the Speed of Night. The album was produced by Jim Steinman and included the hit single “Total Eclipse of the Heart”, which became Tyler’s biggest hit.
Tyler continued to work with Steinman on her next album, Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire, which featured the hit single “Holding Out for a Hero”.
1990-2000: Success in Europe
During the 1990s, Tyler had success in mainland Europe, working with German producer Dieter Bohlen on the albums Bitterblue, Angel Heart, and Silhouette in Red. The albums featured hit singles such as “Bitterblue”, “Against the Wind”, and “Making Love Out of Nothing at All”.
2001-2003: Greatest Hits and Heart Strings
In 2001, Tyler released the compilation album Greatest Hits, which included her most popular songs. Two years later, she released the album Heart Strings, which featured new versions of some of her classic hits.
2004-2005: Success in France
In 2004, Tyler had a resurgence in popularity in France, when her classic hit “Total Eclipse of the Heart” was covered by French singer Kareen Antonn. The duet, titled “Si demain… (Turn Around)”, topped the French charts.
2006-2011: From the Heart: Greatest Hits and Best of 3 CD
In 2007, Tyler released the compilation album From the Heart: Greatest Hits, which included some of her most popular songs. In 2011, she released the album Best of 3 CD, which included three discs of her best songs.
2012-2018: Rocks and Honey and the Eurovision Song Contest
In 2013, Tyler represented the United Kingdom at the Eurovision Song Contest with the song “Believe in Me”. That same year, she released the album Rocks and Honey, which included the single “Believe in Me”.
2019-present: Recent albums
In 2019, Tyler released the album Between the Earth and the Stars, which included the single “Hold On”. Her latest album, The Best Is Yet to Come, was released in 2021.
Philanthropy
Bonnie Tyler has participated in several charitable projects throughout her career. In 1986, she helped record “It’s a Live-In World” to support heroin recovery centers in the UK.
The song was released as part of the Anti-Heroin Project and proceeds were donated to Phoenix House Charities. The following year, Tyler joined Ferry Aid, a British-American charity group, to record a cover of “Let It Be” by the Beatles.
The proceeds were donated to support victims of the Zeebrugge Disaster, and the single sold over 500,000 copies in the UK. In 1990, Tyler collaborated with Rock Against Repatriation to create a cover of “Sailing” as a protest song against the repatriation of Vietnamese refugees.
Tyler has also supported charitable organizations like the Bobath Children’s Therapy Centre in Cardiff, Wales, which helps children with cerebral palsy, and the Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital for Wales, for which she is an ambassador.
In addition, Tyler has performed at several benefit concerts to raise funds for various causes. She has also endorsed campaigns to help animals and contributed to charity albums.
Some of her recent charitable efforts include a cover of “Don’t Answer Me” by the Alan Parsons Project to raise funds for Bergamo, Italy, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tyler continues to use her voice and music to support worthy causes.
Honors | Awards | Recognition
Bonnie Tyler’s hit songs “Total Eclipse of the Heart” and “It’s a Heartache” have sold over 6 million copies each, making them some of the best-selling singles of all time.
She has received numerous awards and nominations throughout her career, including a Brit Award nomination for Best British Female Newcomer in 1977 and three Grammy Award nominations. Tyler won the 10th World Popular Song Festival in 1979, representing the UK with her song “Sitting on the Edge of the Ocean.”
She has also received local honors in Wales, including being named a freeman of Neath Port Talbot in 2011 and receiving an honorary degree and doctorate from Swansea University in 2013. In 2022, Tyler was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her contributions to music.
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