Erasure's Andy Bell says Blondie's Debbie Harry helped him come out

RTÉ News​

20-05-2025

Erasure star Andy Bell has said Blondie lead singer Debbie Harry helped him come out as a teenager.
Bell is best known for being half of the synth‑pop duo Erasure, the group behind the hit songs A Little Respect, Sometimes and Always.
The singer, 61, has duetted with Harry on new song Heart's A Liar, which features in his newly released studio album, Ten Crowns.
Bell told PA news agency: "She was my teenage idol.
"I was smitten. When I saw her on TV, she had the big hair with the light behind the hair, it was like a halo.
"And so, I bought a packet of hair bleach and bleached my hair and then went to school proudly with my Blondie t-shirt.
"She kind of helped me come out before I was gay kind of thing so that just stuck with me.
"I was one of those kids that was in their bedroom listening to the music all day.
"I had the record player in my wardrobe to make it sound bigger."
The singer has started his Ten Crowns tour, with concerts scheduled across the UK throughout the summer along with performances in Ireland, Denmark and Germany.
Speaking about Harry and new track, Heart's A Liar, Bell added that the song took about a year to be finalised with Harry's vocals.
He said: "She's a great mentor and her songs are amazing. You know, the way she uses her voice.
"It took about a year for it to come back, but it came back on the same day we were in New York City doing Gay Pride festivals last year, and the vocals arrived on that day. And I just thought, that's such a Debbie thing, you know, where her timing is always divine.
"I never would have believed it when I was a teenager listening to her music. I would never would have believed that I would be on a song with her.
The industry still has "a way to go" in order for it to be more inclusive, says Bell.
He added: "I know everybody gets one chance.
"And you can have a huge hit and that's fine but the minute it starts to go askew you're dropped, like completely, it's almost like you're ignored.
"And that would be my advice to young gay people in the industry, is you have to have really thick skin.
"And also, don't believe the hype when you're a success, all the stuff that people are telling you, don't believe it, because it's too ingratiating, and too over the top praise, you need to keep your essence.
"I think people become more damaged, not that their fame is instant, but because you're either so huge, or you're nothing.
"I'm not saying it's an overnight thing, because they work really hard, but it's almost like I want to pre-warn them just in case."
Erasure, made up of Bell and the musician and songwriter Vince Clarke, had multiple UK number one albums including Wild!, Chorus and I Say I Say I Say.