Beth Ditto | |
---|---|
Background information | |
Birth name | Mary Beth Patterson |
Born | Searcy, Arkansas, U.S. | February 19, 1981
Origin | Judsonia, Arkansas, U.S. [1] |
Genres | Indie rock, post-punk, synthpop |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1999–present (singer) 2016–present (actress) |
Labels | Virgin [2] |
Mary Beth Patterson [3] (born February 19, 1981), [4] known by her stage name Beth Ditto, is an American singer and songwriter most notable for her work with the indie rock band Gossip. [5] Her voice has been compared to Etta James, Janis Joplin and Tina Turner. [6] She disbanded Gossip to pursue a career in fashion, and has since started a solo career. In 2022, she portrayed country singer Gigi Roman on the Fox drama series Monarch , and two years later, Gossip reformed. [7]
Ditto grew up in a poor family in Arkansas in the southern United States, with her mother, various stepfathers, and six siblings –two older brothers, an older sister, two younger brothers and a younger sister. She grew up in the Southern Baptist and Pentecostal churches, but is now an atheist. [6] At age 13, she moved out of her mother's house and went to live with her aunt. [8] [9] She moved to Olympia, Washington in 1999; [10] then to Portland, Oregon in 2003, where she lived as of 2014. [11] At 18, she became aware of bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, The Raincoats and Siouxsie and the Banshees. [12]
She fronted the band Gossip from its formation in 1999 until its dissolution in 2016. In addition, she has been involved in other musical projects. In 2008, she contributed vocals to the Crisis charity single "Consequences", a collaboration between various artists. In 2009, she sang on Simian Mobile Disco's track "Cruel Intentions" for their album of collaborations Temporary Pleasure . In 2011, she released her own 4-track Beth Ditto EP, produced by James Ford and Jas Shaw of Simian Mobile Disco, on the re-launched Deconstruction Records. She sang on Blondie's "A Rose by Any Name" from their 2013 album Ghosts of Download . Harrod Horatia, writing in The Telegraph, has said, "Where the stripped-down three-piece Gossip play propulsive, garage band blues, Ditto's own stuff is melancholic, soulful dance music, inspired by 'Eighties disco soul jams' that she loves, and the up-tempo pop-R&B of I Wanna Dance With Somebody-era Whitney Houston." [8]
Ditto, who is openly queer, is well known for her outspoken support of both lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT), and feminist causes. [13] [14] She has been an advocate for large women being body-positive and has been regularly photographed as an editorial model. She is known for her stage dances and her unique and revealing image. She classes herself as a punk, and thus neither uses deodorant nor shaves under her armpits, having once remarked, "I think punks usually smell." [15] She has cited Cyndi Lauper and Boy George as overall influences and Grace Jones and Peggy Moffitt as her beauty icons. [16] She also stated: "Artists I love, like Siouxsie Sioux and Patti Smith, have such radically different ways of embodying femininity, but they're both amazing punk women. The true heart of feminism isn't about meeting other people's expectations around your body or your gender." [17] She considers her favorite song to be "Oh Bondage Up Yours!" by X-Ray Spex.
She courted mild controversy in 2006 when she claimed to have eaten squirrels as a child. [18]
In 2007–2008, Ditto contributed a fortnightly advice column on body image to The Guardian newspaper entitled 'What would Beth Ditto do?'. [19] [20]
In 2007 she was featured posed nude on the front cover of music magazine NME. Germaine Greer, writing in The Guardian, said the magazine had "enough courage to put the coolest woman on the planet on the cover" whilst acknowledging its limits. Greer also praised Ditto for her motives, saying her "intention is to force acceptance of her body type, 5 ft [1.5 m] tall and 15 stone [210 lb; 95 kg], and by this strategy to challenge the conventional imagery of women". [21] In February 2009 bi-annual British style magazine Love featured Ditto posed nude on the front cover of its premiere issue, with prominent public advertising. Emily Hill, writing in The Guardian, was cynical of Love magazine's intentions, writing that "Beth Ditto on Love magazine is not evidence of fashion's new acceptance, but a diversion before emaciated normality returns". [22]
Ditto launched her first plus-size collection for women's clothing retailer Evans on July 9, 2009, in collaboration with head of design Lisa Marie Peacock. Ditto provided sketches and drew inspiration from her favourite vintage and charity shop clothes as well as bands like Blondie, The Slits and Grace Jones, and Art Deco movements. [23] [24] Her second collection for Evans launched in 2010 with just over 20 individual items. Marianne Kirby, writing in The Guardian, said the "collection struck a nerve with its iconic pieces" and that it was an "international success". [25]
She opened (modeled) and closed the Jean Paul Gaultier spring 2011 fashion show during Paris Fashion Week in October 2010. [8] [26]
In June 2012 Ditto collaborated with MAC Cosmetics to create a make up collection. [16]
Ditto released her memoir in 2012 called Coal to Diamonds, which she co-wrote with Michelle Tea. [27] It was positively reviewed in The Guardian [28] and NME. [29]
Ditto confirmed the split of the band Gossip to pursue a career in fashion and her solo career in 2016. [30]
In 2018, Ditto made her film acting debut in Gus Van Sant's Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot . The following year she was cast in On Becoming a God in Central Florida , a Showtime series starring Kirsten Dunst. [31]
In July 2013, Ditto married her girlfriend and best friend since she was 18, [32] Kristin Ogata, in Maui, Hawaii. Both were outfitted entirely in white for the occasion; Ditto wore a gown by Jean Paul Gaultier and went barefoot while Ogata wore a jacket, a shirt, shorts, and shoes. [33] [34]
In December 2014, seventeen months after the two first walked down the aisle in a wedding, the couple legally married in their home state of Oregon, [35] having to wait until same-sex marriage became legal there to make their marriage official. [35]
In an interview in March 2018, Ditto announced that she and her wife had split and she was dating musician Ted Kwo. [36] Earlier that month, she addressed how her relationship with Kwo, who is an openly transgender man, has urged her to consider the privileges of being perceived as a straight woman. In particular, she spoke about the sharp difference in how she was treated when she was with Ogata: "I was always really afraid, I was always really protective. Straight privilege is real." [37]
Title | Year | Peak positions | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AUS [39] | BEL [40] | FRA [41] | ITA [42] | SWI [43] | UK [44] | ||
Fake Sugar | 2017 | 89 | 51 | 24 | 80 | 11 | 47 |
Title | Year | Peak positions | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Dance [45] | AUS [46] | FRA [47] | GER [48] | SWI [43] | UK [44] | ||
EP | 2011 | 9 | 86 | 67 | 78 | 45 | 47 |
Title | Year | Peak positions | Album | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
BEL [40] | FRA [47] | GER [48] | SWI [43] | UK [44] | |||
"Temptation" (with Jarvis Cocker) | 2008 | — | — | — | — | 148 [49] | Non-album single (charity single) |
"I Wrote the Book" | 2011 | 6 | 89 | 24 | 59 | — | EP |
"Fire" | 2017 | — | — | — | — | — | Fake Sugar |
Title | Year | Peak positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BEL [40] | GER [48] | UK [44] | |||
"Consequences" (Crisis featuring Beth Ditto, Paul Weller, The Enemy, Supergrass and many more) | 2008 | — | — | 88 [50] | Non-album single (charity single) |
"Cruel Intentions" (Simian Mobile Disco featuring Beth Ditto) | 2010 | — | — | 142 [51] | Temporary Pleasure |
"A Rose by Any Name" (Blondie featuring Beth Ditto) | 2013 | — | — | — | Ghosts of Download |
"Running Low" (Netsky featuring Beth Ditto) | 2014 | 1 | 100 | 80 | Non-album single |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Nocturnal Animals | TV Woman Voice No. 2 | |
2018 | Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot | Reba | |
2019 | On Becoming a God in Central Florida | Bets Gomes | Main cast |
2022 | Monarch | Gigi Taylor-Roman | Main cast |
Siouxsie and the Banshees were a British rock band formed in London in 1976 by vocalist Siouxsie Sioux and bass guitarist Steven Severin. They have been widely influential, both over their contemporaries and with later acts. The Times called the group "one of the most audacious and uncompromising musical adventurers of the post-punk era".
Anna Louise Friel is an English actress. She first achieved fame as Beth Jordache in the Channel 4 soap opera Brookside (1993–1995), later coming to international prominence with her role as Charlotte "Chuck" Charles on ABC's Pushing Daisies (2007–2009), for which she received a nomination for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. In 2017, she won the International Emmy for Best Actress for her portrayal of the title character in the ITV/Netflix mystery drama series Marcella (2016–2021). Her other accolades include a Drama Desk Award, an honorary degree, and a BAFTA nomination.
Susan Janet Ballion, known professionally as Siouxsie Sioux, is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. She came to prominence as the leader and main lyricist of the rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees, who were active from 1976 to 1996. They released 11 studio albums, and had several UK Top 20 singles including "Hong Kong Garden", "Happy House" and "Peek-a-Boo", plus a US Top 25 single in the Billboard Hot 100, with "Kiss Them for Me".
Brett Lewis Anderson is an English singer best known as the lead singer and primary lyricist of the band Suede. After Suede disbanded in 2003, he fronted the Tears with former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler in 2004–2006, and released four solo albums on which he also played guitar and keyboards. Suede re-formed in 2010; they continue to record and tour.
Evans is a women's clothing retailer located in the United Kingdom and around the world. It sells plus-size clothing, lingerie, wide-fitting shoes, swimwear and accessories.
Gossip is an American indie rock band formed in Searcy, Arkansas. For most of their career, the band has consisted of singer Beth Ditto, multi-instrumentalist Nathan "Brace Paine" Howdeshell, and drummer Hannah Blilie. After releasing several recordings, the band broke through with their 2006 studio album, Standing in the Way of Control. A follow-up, Music for Men, was released in 2009. The band played a mix of post-punk revival, indie rock, and dance-rock. Their fifth album, A Joyful Noise, was released in May 2012. They disbanded in 2016 but reformed to embark on an anniversary tour for Music for Men in 2019 and released the album Real Power in 2024.
Standing in the Way of Control is the third studio album by American indie rock band Gossip, which was released on January 24, 2006. The album was produced by Guy Picciotto and Ryan Hadlock It reached number 1 on the UK indie chart and also reached Gold status in the United Kingdom.
"Standing in the Way of Control" is a single by American indie rock band Gossip from the album of the same name. The remix by Le Tigre was released in 2005, the original was then released as a single in 2006, and was re-released again on February 26, 2007. The 2006 issue had climbed up to number 13 on the UK Singles Chart in early 2007 on download sales, but the 2007 re-release was under a new catalogue number, meaning that their six-place climb to number seven on March 4 was listed as a new entry rather than as a climber. But it reached the top spot in the UK Indie Chart for one week.
"Jealous Girls" is a single by the band Gossip. It is the third single from their album Standing in the Way of Control and was released on August 20, 2007.
Agyness Deyn is an English model and actress. She is best known for her successful modelling career in the 2000s, and has been called one of the decade's top models. Since her retirement from modelling in the 2010s, she has pursued acting and design, among other ventures.
"Heavy Cross" is a song by American band Gossip. It was released on April 28, 2009, as the first single from the band's fourth album Music for Men. The song was the first international hit for Gossip, reaching the top ten across Europe, with a massive commercial success in Germany. When writing it, the band was influenced by Donna Summer and Siouxsie and the Banshees. The band recorded a studio version of the song in early 2009, but they had already been playing it live for two years.
The discography of Gossip, an American indie rock band, consists of six studio albums, four live albums, two compilation albums, seven extended plays, twelve singles, and ten music videos. The group was founded in 1999 by vocalist Beth Ditto, guitarist Brace Paine and drummer Kathy Mendonca while attending Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. The following year they released a self-titled EP on the independent record label K Records. Gossip released their debut studio album, That's Not What I Heard, in January 2001. Their second EP, Arkansas Heat, was issued the next year. Movement, the band's second studio album, and a live album titled Undead in NYC followed in 2003.
The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx, and formerly Baria Qureshi. They are known for their distinctive minimalist sound blending indie rock, indie electronic, indie pop, dream pop and electro-rock and the dual-vocalist set-up of Madley Croft and Sim. Their music employs soft echoed guitar, prominent bass, light electronic beats and ambient soundscape backgrounds.
A Joyful Noise is the fifth studio album by American indie rock band Gossip, released on May 11, 2012, by Columbia Records. The album was produced by Xenomania founder Brian Higgins.
Savages are an English rock band that formed in 2011 in London. Their debut album, Silence Yourself was released on 6 May 2013 via Matador Records. It reached number 19 in the UK Albums Chart in May 2013, and was critically acclaimed. It peaked at number 5 on the Irish and the UK Independent Albums Chart, and at number 13 on the US Billboard Independent Albums chart. The band's second album Adore Life, was released on 22 January 2016. Both albums were nominated for the Mercury Prize, in 2013 and 2016 respectively.
NME's Cool List was an annual listing of popular musicians compiled by the weekly British music magazine NME. The list was created each November by the magazine's writers and journalists, and was based on the 50 musicians that they considered to be the "coolest". Each year's list was first announced by NME through both a dedicated issue of their magazine and their official website, NME.com – the Cool List issue often attracted high sales. The first list was published on 29 October 2002, to highlight the people who were "at the forefront of the music scene" – Jack White, the lead singer of American rock band The White Stripes, topped the first poll. Since then, it was published a further eight times: it ran every year from 2003 to 2011, with the exception of 2009. Musicians such as Justin Timberlake, Pete Doherty and Laura Marling topped these subsequent listings. The final artist to top NME's Cool List was the American rapper Azealia Banks in 2011.
"Running Low" is a song by Belgian drum and bass record producer Netsky. The song features vocals by American singer-songwriter Beth Ditto. It was written by Ditto, Netsky, Takura Tendayi and Zane Lowe. The single was released on 3 August 2014 as a digital download in the United Kingdom and Belgium. It was released through Sony Music Entertainment and Epic Records as Netsky's major label debut.
Fake Sugar is the debut solo studio album by American singer Beth Ditto, known for her work with the dance-punk band Gossip. Produced by Jennifer Decilveo, it was released on June 16, 2017, through Virgin Records. The album's first single, "Fire", was released in April 2017. Incorporating influences from a wide array of genres, the album is regarded as Ditto's "embracement of her Southern roots".
EP is the debut solo release by American singer Beth Ditto. Released on January 10, 2011, through Deconstruction Records, the EP was produced by James Ford and Jas Shaw of Simian Mobile Disco.
Real Power is the sixth studio album by American indie rock band Gossip. It was released on March 22, 2024, through Columbia Records. The album marks their first studio release in twelve years, following A Joyful Noise (2012), marking the longest gap between studio album releases in their career.