Kate Bush is an English singer/songwriter whose eclectic vocal style has propelled her to become one of the more celebrated and commercially successful female British musicians. Born and raised in Southern England, Bush was raised in a musical family--her father was an accomplished pianist and her brothers were involved in the local English folk scene. After creating a demo with her songs, Bush tried shopping her music around to different labels and was helped out by David Gilmour, guitarist of Pink Floyd and family friend of the Bush's, who was impressed with her singing and forwarded her demo to label executives at EMI. Though the record company was interested in singing Bush, it was concerned about the musician's age--Bush was around 17 at the time--and was apprehensive to sign her. For fear of having another label sign the obviously talented musician, EMI put Bush on a retainer for two years. During that time, Bush wrote songs that'd appear on her 1978 debut album, The Kick Inside. With a unique sound that blended listener friendly pop with several elements of experimental music, the album managed to find a wide listener base and fare extremely well on the British radio charts, despite not being as well received in the United States. Over the years, Bush has since managed to maintain an impressive level of respectability--a rare feat for any musician--and release albums that constantly impress listeners with songs that have oftentimes been dubbed surreal and dream-like.
