After splitting from Bananarama in 1988, Siobhan Fahey originally conceived working as a solo artist. Inspired by The Smiths’ 1985 single Shakespeare’s Sister, she came up with the name for her new musical endeavour, keeping the misspelling as it differentiated her venture from the Smiths’ song.
Working in Los Angeles – where she was living with her then husband, the Eurythmics’ David A. Stewart – she began collaborating with producer and songwriter Richard Feldman. Feldman soon suggested Fahey join forces with singer/songwriter Marcy Levy, who had worked with Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Chaka Khan and Bob Seger among others.
The chemistry between Fahey and Levy was instant and electric, and Fahey’s solo project soon became a duo. For Shakespears Sister, Levy changed her name to Marcella Detroit.
They duo scored a big hit with their second single, 1989’s You’re History. This was followed by their debut album, Sacred Heart which landed in the Top Ten. In early 1992, the duo released Stay as the second single to promote their forthcoming second album, Hormonally Yours (written and recorded while Fahey and Detroit were both pregnant). Stay would go on to spend eight consecutive weeks on top of the UK charts.
Buoyed by the success of Stay, Hormonally Yours went double platinum in the UK and the band won an Ivor Novello Award for songwriting in 1993. Fahey and Detroit went their separate ways the same year. Fahey released two solo albums under the Shakespears Sister name in 2004 (#3) and 2009 (Songs From the Red Room).
Fahey and Detroit were to reunite in 2018, embarking on a successful UK tour in 2019, which was followed by the release of a stellar new EP, Ride Again, which also featured When She Finds You, featuring a guest appearance by Richard Hawley.
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