Birth name Louise Mary Watts Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter Name Lou Watts | Instruments Vocals Role Musician Years active 1982–present | |
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Albums Slap!, Tubthumper, English Rebel Songs 13, ABCDEFG, Pictures of Starving Children Similar People Dunstan Bruce, Danbert Nobacon, Boff Whalley, Alice Nutter | ||
Louise "Lou" Watts (born 4 June 1962) is a British musician, perhaps best known for her work as the lead singer of anarcho-punk and later folk band, Chumbawamba.
Born in Burnley, Watts was introduced to the band by friend and member Alice Nutter. She was a member of Chumbawamba from their formation in 1982 until their disbandment in 2012, making her the second-longest serving band member behind Boff Whalley. She joined Whalley, Danbert Nobacon and Midge and Tomi in 1982 to form the original line-up, and the band made their live debut in January of that year.
The band gained a reputation for their anarchist views, and gained popularity for their opposition to homophobia and fascism and support of feminism and gay rights.
Watts provided lead vocals for the band's hit song Tubthumping, which gained them international recognition, and topped charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Italy and New Zealand as well as Tubthumping's follow-up song Amnesia, which reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. They were also nominated for a Brit Award for "Best British Single" at the 1998 Brit Awards, at which they also performed.
Along with Abbott, Whalley, Ferguson and Moody, Watts continued to work with the group and provide vocals, even after the majority of the original band members had departed and featured a shift in music style. She featured as a lead vocalist up until the band's last performances in 2012, becoming one of the band's longest serving members.