With the release of Wuthering Heights in cinemas worldwide on February 13, Kate Bush’s iconic hit will be sure to see a revival.
The award-winning singer shot to fame with her debut song ‘Wuthering Heights’ in 1978, and quickly put her on the map.
The song reached number one in the UK charts for four weeks, and was the start of Kate’s incredible music career.
The singer has always valued her privacy and was able to separate her personal life with her career in the public eye. And since 2014, she has kept out of the spotlight almost entirely.
HELLO! looks back at Kate’s most recent public appearance 12 years ago, and the star’s refreshing attitude to fame.
Kate Bush’s last public appearance
Kate was last seen in the public in November 2014, when she attended the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards, held at the London Palladium. She was there to accept the Editor’s Award for her Before the Dawn concert residency, which marked her first live performances since 1979.
The iconic concert series ran for 22 shows – all of which were sold out – and took place at the Hammersmith Apollo between August-October of that year.
© Getty ImagesKate was all smiles as she accepted the award on the night, and looked stylish dressed in a black dress teamed with a statement velvet jacket. Her dark wavy hair was styled in a half-up do and she opted for natural makeup.
Why Kate Bush isn’t in the spotlight anymore
While Kate hasn’t given any interviews for years, back in 2005, she opened up about the misconception that she was a “recluse”, and explained that she simply prefers to live away from the public eye – something she finds “much more interesting”.
© Getty ImagesThe singer – who lives in Devon with her husband, McIntosh – told The Guardian: “A lot of people refer to me as a recluse, which I’m not. But I do like to try and live as normal a life as possible. I just find that much more interesting than spending my life living in publicity…. I like to just get on with my life, really.”
Kate has never seeked fame either. In 2005, she told The Toronto Star that after having her son, Albert (who she affectionately calls Bertie), in 1998, she found joy in domestic life at home. “After seven years with Bertie, I know a lot about washing machines,” she said.
© Gavin Bush/Shutterstock“He keeps me normal. I never wanted to be famous. I just want to create nice music, and I believe celebrity threatens creativity. What’s important to me is to have a soul and my lovely little boy”.
Kate Bush’s son Bertie is following in her footsteps
Kate’s son Bertie McIntosh is talented just like his mother, and featured in her Before the Dawn concert series as a backing vocalist. He also featured on several re-recordings of his mom’s hit songs.
Talking to The Guardian, Kate explained that Bertie was the inspiration behind her return to the stage. “Without my son Bertie, this would never have happened. Without his encouragement and enthusiasm, particularly in the early stages when I was very frightened to commit to pushing the ‘go’ button, I’m sure I would have backed out,” she said.
© Getty ImagesKate added: “He is a very talented actor and beautiful singer, as you will witness. “He brings something special to the show through his presence. Thank you, Bertie. Thank you so much.”
Kate Bush’s song Wuthering Heights
Wuthering Heights was released when Kate was just 19-years-old, and inspired by Emily Bronte’s classic book by the same name – although Kate was gripped before even reading the book, having seen a television series on it in the late sixties.
Back in 1978, she told Michael Aspel in a BBC interview that the TV adaption drew her in. “I just managed to catch the very last few minutes where there was a hand coming through the window and blood everywhere and glass. And I just didn’t know what was going on and someone explained the story,” she said.
© ZIK Images/United Archives via GThis led to late night songwriting sessions years later, inspired by Catherine Earnshaw haunting Heathcliff, both during her life and after she died.
Kate admitted that the imagery from the Wuthering Heights TV show “was just hanging around for years”. It was then that Kate read the book, “in order to get the research right”.
She also fought for it to be her debut single, with record company, EMI, preferring her single James and the Cold Gun to be the first song she released.
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