In November, Belinda Carlisle will travel to India for a month. An avid reader, she’s working her way through her collection of Stefan Zweig novels. She loves spending time at home with her husband, Morgan, and their son. If she had time, she’d try to earn her iyengar yoga instructor certification, but her other aspiration is more off-beat: she wants to open a donkey sanctuary.

“I have a place in Austria and I was talking to my husband about it," she says. "The people who live near us adopt donkeys. They just got a white donkey. I love them; they’re magical. Whenever I pass by, I’m always looking at them and I’m so envious!”
This sense of individuality and passion permeates every aspect of Carlisle’s life and has helped her entertain audiences for over 30 years. Growing up in southern California, Carlisle spent hours singing to the Beach Boys and other ‘60s pop legends. Later on, she became involved in the LA punk scene, joining The Misfits, an unknown outfit which changed its name to the Go-Gos and exploded into an American pop sensation.
Carlisle sees her involvement with the band as serendipitous.
“When I was a girl, I thought I wanted to be a travel agent so I could see the world," she says, "but I fell into being in a band instead.”
When the group parted ways in 1985, Carlisle negotiated the transition from fronting a band to establishing a solo career. Her efforts paid off; singles like ‘I Get Weak’ and ‘Heaven Is A Place On Earth’ figured prominently on the European charts as she established herself on the pop scene.
After a 10-year hiatus, Carlisle returned to the studio and recorded Voilà, a collection of French pop standards. Instead of carbon copies, the tracks are infused with a modern pop sensibility. From the disco beat on ‘La Vie En Rose’ to the surf guitar riffs on ‘Jezebel’, she takes each song and makes it her own.
There's a strong Irish connection, with Sharon Shannon contributing a Parisian feel on the button accordion; Hothouse Flower Fiachna O Braonain taking care of guitar and vocal duties; and Sinéad O'Connor's ex- John D. Reynolds producing.
After 30 years in the business, what’s Belinda's secret to success?
“I think I've a really good sense of myself and my abilities. This French project wasn’t contrived and I wasn’t worrying about what I was going to do next. I just enjoyed creating it. I'm also fortunate to work with such amazing people. I’m quite lucky.”
Perhaps it's this refreshing approach to her craft that allows Carlisle to continue recording; she loves what she does but has interests outside the industry.
“I have a really full life and if I couldn’t make another album, that would be okay," she concludes. "Most of the time my existence is pretty normal.”
Pic: Cathal Dawson