Alison Elizabeth Margaret Goldfrapp[1] was born on 13 May 1966, in Enfield, London, the youngest of six children.

The pair began recording their debut album over a six-month period, beginning in September 1999, in a rented bungalow in the Wiltshire countryside.

[8] The band's debut album Felt Mountain was released in 2000 and featured Goldfrapp's synthesized vocals over cinematic soundscapes.

[10] Black Cherry peaked at number nineteen on the UK Albums Chart,[11] where it has since been certified Platinum for sales in excess of 300,000 copies.

The album comprises pop and electronic dance music prominently featured on Black Cherry, but focuses more on subtle hooks instead of the large choruses that made up its predecessor.

The multi-platinum selling band have been nominated for the Mercury Prize, multiple Brit and Grammy Awards and won an Ivor Novello for "Strict Machine".

She created and photographed the album artwork for Silver Eye and directed videos for singles "Systemagic", "Everything Is Never Enough" and "Ocean".

[2][26] She is noted for her operatic abilities, particularly on the group's debut album Felt Mountain and prominently on the songs "Utopia" and "Pilots".

[27][28] Goldfrapp has been commended for her vocal versatility, morphing her voice to fit various genres such as folk, pop, classical, dance, trip hop and electronica throughout her career.

[29][30] Goldfrapp has used a Korg MS20 Audio Envelope follower to manipulate her vocals, such as the song "Lovely Head" in which her voice is altered to resemble a theremin.

[31] Vocally, Goldfrapp has been compared to Marlene Dietrich, Siouxsie Sioux, Björk,[32] Kate Bush and Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins.

As a teenager she listened to Kate Bush, T. Rex, Donna Summer, Joan Jett, Marc Bolan, David Cassidy,[34] and Iggy Pop and The Stooges, and discovered Serge Gainsbourg while working in Belgium.

[36][37] She draws inspiration from surrealism and nature, all of which appear in Goldfrapp's album artwork, which she designs in collaboration with Big Active.

[39] While touring in 2004, sections of the group's stage show featured Goldfrapp in a white dress wearing a horse tail and dancers with deer heads, which were inspired by her interest in animals and mythology.

Her new image, inspired by paganism, featured her dressed in white or natural-coloured flowing gowns with loose curly blonde hair.

For their live shows, she wore spangly black leggings and a jacket covered in VHS tape which was blown about by two electric fans placed at front centre-stage.