Appearing in the 1983 music video for "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" with orange cropped hair and wearing a man's lounge suit, the BBC wrote, "all eyes were on Annie Lennox, the singer whose powerful androgynous look defied the male gaze".

Lennox embarked on a solo career in 1992 with her debut album, Diva, which produced several hit singles including "Why" and "Walking on Broken Glass".

[2] In 2004 she received the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Into the West", written for the soundtrack to the feature film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

In addition to her career as a musician, Lennox is also a political and social activist, raising money and awareness for HIV/AIDS as it affects women and children in Africa.

She found the amount of time devoted to music practice required to become a professional classical musician obsessive and felt that she was unconnected with the "whole cultural aspect".

(Australian number one), "Missionary Man" (Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group), "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart", "Thorn in My Side", "The Miracle of Love" and "Don't Ask Me Why".

[23] Lennox and Stewart reconvened Eurythmics in the late 1990s, resulting in the 1999 release of Peace, the band's first album of new material in ten years.

She then appeared with David Bowie and the surviving members of Queen at 1992's Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert at London's Wembley Stadium, performing "Under Pressure".

[32][33] "Little Bird" also formed a double A-side with "Love Song for a Vampire", a soundtrack cut for Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 movie Bram Stoker's Dracula.

It consisted solely of cover songs, all originally recorded by male artists including Bob Marley, The Clash, and Neil Young.

[39] Although Lennox declined to tour for the album, she did perform a large scale one-off concert in New York's Central Park, which was filmed and later released on home video.

[41] Managed by Simon Fuller since the beginning of her solo career, he said that Lennox played an important but unheralded role in the success of the Spice Girls, encouraging the group to "ham up" their characters, which helped them top the charts around the world.

[47] In 2004, Lennox won the Academy Award for Best Song for "Into the West" from the film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,[48] which she co-wrote with screenwriter Fran Walsh and composer Howard Shore.

lang, Madonna, Sarah McLachlan, Beth Orton, Pink, Kelis, Bonnie Raitt, Shakira, Shingai Shoniwa, Joss Stone, Sugababes, KT Tunstall, and Martha Wainwright.

The debacle (partly inflamed by her blogging her dissatisfaction with the South African office) led to press reports that she was "dropped" by Sony BMG, which quickly clarified that their contract had been fulfilled and that it hoped she would consider signing a new one.

The album is a collection of Lennox's interpretations of traditional festive songs such as "Silent Night" and "The First Noel", along with one new composition, "Universal Child", which was released as a download-only single on 13 October 2010.

[62] Ian Wade of BBC Music gave the album a very positive review, saying "this collection could find itself becoming as much a part of the holiday season as arguments with loved ones.

"[64] John Hunt of Qatar Today magazine gave the album 9/10 and said "in particular, the vocal work and musical arrangement of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' are impactful to the point of being intimidating.

[74] Lennox has been a public supporter of Amnesty International and Greenpeace for many years, and she and Dave Stewart donated all of the profits from Eurythmics' 1999 Peacetour to both charities.

[75] Concerned by Tibet freedom,[76] she supported Amnesty International campaigns for the release of Tibetan prisoners Palden Gyatso and Ngawang Choephel.

[2][54] In December 2007, Lennox established The SING Campaign, an organisation dedicated to raising funds and awareness for women and children affected by HIV and AIDS.

[92] In December 2010, it was confirmed that Lennox was in the New Years Honours List and would become an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in recognition of her humanitarian work.

[88] Elton John said of her award; "It is so well deserved and not only for your extraordinary contribution to music and songwriting but also for your outstanding and tireless work as an HIV and AIDS activist and supporter of women's rights," while Adele stated; "Annie Lennox has been a constant part of my life.

"[88] In 2015, Lennox attended, performed at and hosted several charitable events including: the 50th Amnesty International Annual Conference where she was a guest speaker, Elton John and David Furnish's at home Gala in aid of the Elton John Aids Foundation where she performed, held a screening of He Named Me Malala, and hosted a Mothers2mothers 15th Anniversary gala.

[96] In February 2024, at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, during an in memoriam segment where she performed late singer Sinéad O'Connor's song Nothing Compares 2 U, Lennox repeated her call for a ceasefire and "peace in the world".

[100] Lennox was viewed as the female version of Boy George and they appeared together on the front cover of the British music magazine Smash Hits in December 1983.

[101][102] This was followed by Newsweek magazine in the US who ran an issue which featured Lennox and George on the cover of its 23 January 1984 edition with the caption Britain Rocks America – Again, marking the Second British Invasion.

[22] In conjunction with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, Lennox put many items from her collection—costumes, accessories, photographs, awards, ephemera from her political campaigns, and personal belongings—on display.

[109][110] The video accompanying "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)", in which Annie Lennox appeared with closely cropped orange hair and wearing a man's business suit, was both striking and surreal.

[2] In 2004, she received the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Into the West", written for the soundtrack to the feature film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.