Shirley Manson

Shirley Manson
FRSA
Manson performing with Garbage in Italy, July 2019
Background information
Birth nameShirley Ann Manson
Born (1966-08-26) 26 August 1966 (age 58)
Edinburgh, Scotland
OriginStockbridge, Scotland
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • musician
  • actress
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • keyboards
  • guitar
Years active1984–present
Labels
Member ofGarbage
Formerly of
Spouses
  • Eddie Farrell
    ​
    (m. 1996⁠–⁠2003)​
  • ​
    (m. 2010)​

Shirley Ann Manson FRSA (born 26 August 1966) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, musician, and actress who is the lead singer of the Scottish-American rock band Garbage,[1] who have toured worldwide and sold over 17 million records as of 2017.[2] Known for her forthright style, rebellious attitude, and distinctive deep voice,[3][4][5][6][7] her accolades include nominations for two Brit Awards and seven Grammy Awards.

Manson's musical career began in her teens, when she was approached to perform backing vocals and keyboards for the band Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. She was later approached by the band's record label with the idea of launching her as a solo artist, and recorded an album with her band Angelfish. She joined Garbage in 1994, and they achieved critical and commercial success with their self-titled debut album (1995) and Version 2.0 (1998).[7] They followed this by performing and co-producing the theme song to the 19th James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999) and releasing their acclaimed third album Beautiful Garbage (2001).

Following the troubled production of Garbage's fourth album Bleed Like Me (2005), the group went on hiatus; during this period, they released a greatest hits album (2007). Manson began to write and record solo material in 2006, but nothing came to fruition. She instead pursued acting, playing Catherine Weaver on the science fiction television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008). Garbage reunited in 2010, and have since released three more albums: Not Your Kind of People (2012),[8] Strange Little Birds (2016), and No Gods No Masters (2021). Manson also hosted the music podcast The Jump with Shirley Manson (2019–2021).

  1. ^ "Nine famous female Fellows inspiring inclusion - RSA Blog". The RSA. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Garbage". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  3. ^ "The Darkling Manifesto: Shirley Manson's Individualist Style Legacy". Rolling Stone. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  4. ^ "Shirley Manson: Still Mysterious and Delicious". The Austin Chronicle. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
  5. ^ Gee, Catherine (11 May 2012). "Garbage, Troxy, review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
  6. ^ "...And God Created Shirley Manson". VAGA magazine. 14 May 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference SMExhibition was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Singer Manson introduces new husband to students in Paisley". Glasgow Herald. Archived from the original on 27 December 2010. Retrieved 13 February 2011.