At school, Alison Clarkson trained to be a sound engineer. Prior to her number 7 UK hit "Hey DJ I Can't Dance (To That Music You're Playing)" with The Beatmasters, she was a vocalist for She Rockers and Hit 'N' Run. Her (mostly self-produced) debut solo album spawned two further top ten hits, and she won the 1991 Brit Award for Best Pop Artist and signed to WEA. But her second album was not a sales success, and a world tour was cancelled when it was revealed she was lip-synching her live vocals. Clarkson returned to the industry in 1997 as a songwriter. She co-wrote Hear'Say's "[m=221782]" – the fastest-selling single in the history of the UK charts – and has also written for Girls Aloud.
