Carole Pope

Carole Pope, born August 6, 1950 in Manchester, England, is a British-born Canadian rock singer-songwriter whose provocative blend of hard-edged new wave rock with explicit homoerotic and BDSM-themed lyrics made her one of the first openly lesbian entertainers to achieve mainstream fame. As the lead singer of Rough Trade, Pope and musical partner Kevan Staples created groundbreaking music in the 1970s and 1980s. Their 1981 hit "High School Confidential" was one of the first explicitly lesbian-themed Top 40 hits in the world. Pope won the Juno Award for Most Promising Female Vocalist in 1981 and Best Female Vocalist in 1982 and 1983. The band earned four gold and two platinum records and won a Genie Award. Rough Trade was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020 and the Canadian Music Week Indy Hall of Fame in 2007. Pope's 2000 autobiography Anti Diva revealed her relationship with Dusty Springfield, making headlines. Her fearless artistry and refusal to conform helped pave the way for LGBTQ+ artists in mainstream music.

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