Antony and the Johnsons

Antony Hegarty is the idiosyncratic singer-songwriter of Antony and the Johnsons. Little is known about the Johnsons, but Hegarty was born in England before relocating to California and finally, New York City. His voice is distinctive and often draws comparisons to Nina Simone: indeed, Björk has said that when she first heard it she thought it was a black woman singing.

The band's debut album, self-titled, was released initially on experimental label Durtro, before Velvet Underground legend Lou Reed discovered an EP and fell in love with Antony's voice. He was invited to accompany Reed on tour and on Reed's album The Raven, before signing a deal with Secretly Canadian. They re-released his debut album, and then in 2005 released I Am A Bird Now. It was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, Hegarty's voice again being the subject of praise, although some did not like it. The same year the album won the UK's Mercury Music Prize, beating the likes of Bloc Party, Coldplay and M.I.A. to the honour given to the best British album of the year.

In 2007, Antony made two guest appearances singing on the new Björk album, Volta. Third album The Crying Light was released in early 2009.