Mistress of surprise

SKIN HAS A KNACK of surprising people. As the first female, black, skinhead bisexual to front a British rock band - surprising enough in itself - she shocked audiences with her brazen, politically charged lyrics, energetic stage performances and high-octane vocals.

Typically confounding, she sounds more like a pussycat than a panther on the phone from England. She's eloquent, chatty and, well, sweet.

As lead singer of Skunk Anansie, she shot to fame in the 1990s with her intense, sweaty gigs in London, then throughout Britain, Europe and the US. The band headlined the Glastonbury music festival in 1999 and their three albums sold more than four million copies.

Then, in 2001, the band broke up and all went silent. Skin moved to the south of France and began to write. She released her first solo album in 2003. Now she leads a relatively quiet life, moving between her homes in France, Ibiza and London. Her second solo album, Fake Chemical State, comes out this week.

Skin once described Skunk Anansie's music as 'clit-rock', making it clear they were a band with a mission. And if anyone had any doubt, a track from Stoosh, their second album released in 1996, entitled Yes It's F***ing Political, set the record straight. But their anti-racist, confrontational stance wasn't only for effect, or of the pre-packaged variety that sells well to rebellious teens. Skin slapped the face of the politically correct, suggesting that racism still lurks under a liberal veneer.

As a solo artist, her spiky edges have softened. Her music now is personal, her lyrics sometimes even tender to the point of sentimental. Skunk Anansie fans expecting more aggressive, edgy power-rock will be surprised to find she no longer fits into the same old box.