Belinda Jo Carlisle (born August 17, 1958) is an American singer, musician, and author. She gained fame as the lead singer of the Go-Go’s, one of the most successful all-female bands in history, and went on to have a prolific career as a solo artist.
Raised in Southern California, Carlisle became the lead singer of the Go-Go’s after the band’s formation in 1978. With their chart-topping debut release Beauty and the Beat in 1981, the group helped popularize new wave music in the United States. The Go-Go’s were the first (and to date only) all-female band in history who wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to achieve a No. 1 album. The Go-Go’s have sold over seven million records worldwide.
After the dissolution of the Go-Go’s in 1985, Carlisle went on to have a successful solo career with radio hits such as “Mad About You”, “I Get Weak”, “Circle in the Sand”, “Leave a Light On”, and “Heaven Is a Place on Earth”. The Go-Go’s reformed in 1999, and Carlisle continues to perform with them regularly while also maintaining her solo career.
Carlisle’s autobiography, Lips Unsealed, published in June 2010, was a New York Times Best Seller and received favorable reviews. In 2011 Carlisle, as a member of The Go-Go’s, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She and the band will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October 2021.