Sing it Loud: An interview with Annie Lennox

For as long as she can remember, music has been the fabric that binds Annie Lennox’s life. From her student days in Aberdeen, Scotland, through the London of the ’70s and ’80s, and on to her multimillion-selling recording career both as one half of pop act the Eurythmics (Dave Stewart was the other) and as an artist in her own right, it has been the now 54-year-old’s driving passion.

But music has also allowed Lennox to give something back. Long a fierce campaigner for all manner of causes, Lennox started SING in 2007, a charity she now uses to combat and promote awareness of the African HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Lennox travels the world, using her fame – and her voice – to spread her message, with money raised by SING used to prevent the spread of HIV in South Africa and also to support those currently living with the disease. Lennox took time out to talk to Reader’s Digest about her charity, her music and the bigger issues that drive her on.

RD: What specifically got you involved in the HIV/AIDS issue?

Lennox: Going to South Africa [in 2003] put me in a very focused place. This was South Africa, a place that people had fought so hard for, and there was Mandela describing the situation as genocide.

Tell us about the experience of visiting families and children who have been affected.

It’s like going into deep water. It’s another world that you don’t inhabit and, when you come out, [you] have to process all the things that you’ve seen. You can’t get emotional in front of people; it’s almost disrespectful. So when you see something, you have to keep it inside and get back to the hotel, and then deal with it.

Is there one particular obstacle you face in making people aware – and act – when it comes to the HIV/AIDS issue?

The stigma. The stigma is just as much a culprit of keeping this thing silent and invisible. And I’m not an expert; I can only speak from my own perspective. But I would say that until there is a vaccine, until there is a cure, we are really still struggling.

You’ve been an avid campaigner throughout your career. Why?

All my life I’ve been concerned with the horrible things that happen on this planet. It’s hard to be immune to the injustices and the cruelty. But when you find something you really can become actively involved with, that engagement in some way makes you feel less impotent. Engagement really helps me to feel like, in a way, I am doing something to contribute.

Does it make you feel good about yourself?

It doesn’t make me a good person, but I have a heightened empathy. I’m very sensitive to things. And I’ve always had that sense of injustice.

And how much did becoming a mother set you on this course?

Well, when I had my first baby and that baby didn’t survive, I went through a phase of looking around the world and seeing so many children struggling, the horrific things that happen to children. So [I thought] at least I can try to do something.

Did having your two daughters [Lola, 18, and Tali, 16] steel your resolve?

I definitely think it has informed my drive, my connection with children. I feel they all have the right to be born into a world that is a bit more safe for them.