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 With their chart-topping debut release Beauty and the Beat in , 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. The Go-Go's have sold over seven million records worldwide.
The Go-Go's reformed in , and Carlisle continues to perform with them regularly while also maintaining her solo career. Carlisle was born nine months later. When she was five years old, Carlisle's father abandoned their family, and she has stated that she spent most of her childhood impoverished.
Her mother later remarried Walt Kurczeski, who Carlisle says was an alcoholic , [8] and with whom she had a tumultuous relationship. The family relocated again during Carlisle's adolescence, this time to Thousand Oaks, California ; she attended Colina Junior High School in Thousand Oaks, where she was a 3rd-string guard on the men's basketball team, and later Newbury Park High School , where she was a cheerleader.
During her teenage years, Carlisle became rebellious: "By the time I hit fourteen, I'd gone really wild," she said. Carlisle on Darby Crash and her early years in the Los Angeles music scene.
