Siobhan Fahey
The dark-haired architect of pop, moving from Bananarama's cheeky chart-toppers to the gothic drama of Shakespears Sister's epic 'Stay.'
Born 1958 (age 68)·Irish singer·Birthday: September 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Siobhan Fahey has always existed on pop's moodier fringe, even at its sunniest peak. As a founding member of Bananarama, she helped define the sound of 80s British pop with hits like 'Cruel Summer' and 'Robert De Niro's Waiting...,' bringing a cool, slightly detached edge to the trio's girl-next-door image. Restless with the formula, she left at the height of their fame to forge a completely different path. With Shakespears Sister, she embraced a theatrical, gothic-rock persona, crafting the haunting duet 'Stay' with Marcella Detroit—a song that dominated UK charts for eight weeks and revealed her depth as a songwriter exploring themes of obsession and duality. After a long hiatus, she returned to music in the 2000s, releasing solo work that blends electronic and art-pop influences. Her 2017 reunion with the original Bananarama lineup was a triumphant full-circle moment for a artist who consistently reinvented herself on her own terms.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Siobhan was born in 1958, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Siobhan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1958
#1 Movie
South Pacific
Best Picture
Gigi
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Siobhan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1958Born
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1963Started school
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1971Became a teenager
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1974Could drive
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1976Could vote
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1979Turned 21
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1988Turned 30
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1998Turned 40
Google founded; Clinton impeachment
Gas: $1.06/galHome: $107,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Too Close" — NextBest Picture: Shakespeare in Love
2008Turned 50
Barack Obama elected first Black US president; financial crisis
Gas: $3.27/galHome: $153,100Min wage: $6.55/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Low" — Flo RidaBest Picture: Slumdog Millionaire
2018Turned 60
Royal wedding of Harry and Meghan; Parkland shooting
Gas: $2.72/galHome: $211,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"God's Plan" — DrakeBest Picture: Green Book
2026Age 68 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the massively successful girl group Bananarama, which achieved a US number-one single with 'Venus' in 1986.
- Formed Shakespears Sister and co-wrote and performed the UK number-one single 'Stay,' which won the 1992 Brit Award for Best British Video.
- One of the few artists to have major UK number-one hits in three consecutive decades (1980s, 1990s, and 2010s with Bananarama's reunion).
- Released a series of critically acclaimed avant-pop solo albums in the 2000s and 2010s, including 'The MGA Sessions.'
Did You Know?
She is married to Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics; they have two sons together.
Fahey studied fashion at St. Martin's School of Art before pursuing music.
The name 'Shakespears Sister' was taken from a song by the Smiths.
She left Bananarama in 1988 by sending a telegram to her bandmates from an airport.
“I was never a natural pop star. I was always slightly outside of it, observing.”
