Who Is Lulu?
Lulu is a Scottish singer, actress and television star. She was born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie in Lennoxtown, Scotland, on 3 November 1948. She first found fame at 15 with her hit Shout in 1964. She is now 78 and still performs, with a new album due in January 2027.
So who is Lulu? Start with the voice. Shout still fills dance floors, and To Sir With Love still plays on oldies radio.
She is back in the news this week for a sad reason. On 9 November 2026 she paid tribute to John Frieda, her ex-husband, who died at 75. She shared a photo from June 2026.
The Short Version
- Who is Lulu? A Scottish singer born Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie on 3 November 1948. She is 78 years old.
- Her first hit was Shout in 1964, when she was only 15 years old.
- To Sir With Love topped the US chart for five weeks in 1967.
- She won Eurovision in 1969 with Boom Bang-a-Bang. She sang the James Bond theme in 1974.
- Her first UK number one came in 1993, Relight My Fire with Take That. A new album is due in January 2027.
A Glasgow Girl Called Marie
Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie was born in Lennoxtown, a small town near Glasgow. She grew up in Dennistoun, a working-class part of the city. She started singing with local groups before she was a teenager.
At 12 she sang with a band called the Bellrocks on Saturday nights. Her voice stood out at once, strong and raw for one so young. Her future manager, Marion Massey, heard her and took charge of her career.
Massey gave her the stage name Lulu at 14. The name came from a throwaway line, that she was a real lulu of a kid. Massey guided her career for more than 25 years. In 1964, still only 15, Lulu signed to Decca Records.
Her debut single was a cover of the Isley Brothers song Shout. It was credited to Lulu and the Luvvers. The story of how she became famous so young still teaches timing and nerve.
The record made her a star while she was still at school. Two years later she toured Poland with the Hollies. She became the first British female singer to perform live behind the Iron Curtain. You can also browse the Celebrity archive for more profiles of stars with long careers.
To Sir With Love and the 1960s Peak
Her next hit after Shout was Leave a Little Love in 1965. In April 1967 came The Boat That I Row, a song written by Neil Diamond. Mickie Most produced both records.
Her big break came in the film To Sir, With Love in 1967. She played Babs, a pupil of teacher Sidney Poitier. She also sang the title song.
The song topped the US Billboard Hot 100. It became the best-selling single of 1967 in the United States. It sold more than a million copies and won a gold disc.
Television made her a household name at home. From 1968 to 1975 she hosted her own BBC variety series. The titles changed over the years, from Lulu’s Back in Town to It’s Lulu.
Ask who is Lulu in America, and most people name one song: To Sir With Love. In Britain, many name another: Boom Bang-a-Bang. On 29 March 1969 she sang it for the United Kingdom at Eurovision in Madrid.
The song tied for first place with three other countries. Spain, the Netherlands and France all scored 18 votes each. The Official Charts Company lists her 1960s peaks in full.
- Shout reached number 7 in the UK in 1964, when Lulu was 15.
- The Boat That I Row reached number 6 in April 1967.
- To Sir With Love spent five weeks at number 1 in the United States.
- Boom Bang-a-Bang won Eurovision 1969 and reached number 2 in the UK.
Bond, Bowie and the 1970s
Lulu sang the title song for a James Bond film in 1974. The film was The Man with the Golden Gun. No other Bond title song failed to chart in both the UK and the United States.
The same year brought her closest brush with rock royalty. She covered two David Bowie songs, The Man Who Sold the World and Watch That Man. Bowie and Mick Ronson produced the sessions.
Bowie played saxophone and sang backing vocals. The Man Who Sold the World reached number 3 in the UK in February 1974. It was her first Top 10 hit in five years.
Television, Stage and the 1980s
Lulu stayed in the public eye through the 1980s even as chart hits grew rare. She acted on the West End stage in Song and Dance and Guys and Dolls. She damaged her vocal cords on stage and needed surgery that put her voice at risk.
America gave her a second wind in 1981. I Could Never Miss You reached the US Top 20 that year. It also reached number 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
She was nominated for a Grammy for Who’s Foolin’ Who from her 1981 album. In 1986 a re-recorded Shout reached the UK Top 10 again. She matched Cliff Richard on Top of the Pops. Both appeared on the show in each of its five decades.
The 1990s Comeback
Lulu made a full recording comeback in 1993 with the single Independence. It reached number 11 in the UK, and the album of the same name followed. Her next single, I’m Back for More, was a duet with soul singer Bobby Womack. It reached number 27.
She also wrote a hit for someone else that year. She co-wrote I Don’t Wanna Fight with her brother Billy Lawrie and Steve DuBerry. It became a global hit for Tina Turner. Lulu later recorded her own version, and it gave her 2002 autobiography its title.
Her first UK number one arrived late in 1993. She guested on Take That’s cover of Relight My Fire, and the single topped the chart. She then joined Take That as the supporting act on their 1994 tour.
Lulu in Recent Years
Lulu returned to the album chart in 2002 with Together. It was a set of duets with Elton John, Paul McCartney and others. The album reached number 4. She was made an OBE in 2000 and a CBE in the 2021 Birthday Honours.
Who is Lulu in 2026? A 78-year-old singer with a new album on the way. Television kept calling through the 2010s and 2020s.
She danced on Strictly Come Dancing in 2011 with Brendan Cole and left in fifth place. She played Dorothy Brock in 42nd Street in the West End in 2018. In January 2023 she sang on The Masked Singer as Piece of Cake.
On 29 June 2025 she joined Rod Stewart at Glastonbury. They sang his hit Hot Legs together. It was the first time the pair had performed together.
In June 2026 she played a sold-out Royal Albert Hall show. The proceeds went to the Mental Health Trust she set up. She sang the Bond theme at the BBC Proms on 25 August 2026.
Her new album, Let The Girl Sing Out, is due in January 2027. It is her first album of new material in over ten years. The lead single, I’m In Love Again, came out on 7 August 2026. At 78 she is recording, touring and planning ahead.
Family, Marriages and the John Frieda Tribute
Lulu married Bee Gees singer Maurice Gibb on 18 February 1969, weeks before her Eurovision win. They were both very young, and their busy careers pulled them apart. The marriage ended in divorce, finalised on 21 August 1975, but they stayed on good terms.
In 1977 she married celebrity hairdresser John Frieda, and they had one son, actor Jordan Frieda. The marriage lasted until their divorce in 1991. Their son Jordan chose acting for himself.
Frieda died at 75, and his salon announced the death on 3 November 2026. Lulu paid tribute on Instagram on 9 November, sharing their last photo together from June 2026. She wrote that it held a lifetime of memories and signed off with love for Johnny. Read the full story in our profile of John Frieda, the celebrity hairstylist.
Her memoir If Only You Knew came out in September 2025. In interviews around it she said she is an alcoholic who has been sober since 2013. She called speaking about it openly liberating.
FAQs About Lulu
How old is Lulu?
Lulu is 78 years old. She was born on 3 November 1948 in Lennoxtown, Scotland. She turned 78 on 3 November 2026. Her career began in 1964, so she has been performing for more than 60 years.
What is Lulu’s real name?
Her real name is Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie. She took the stage name Lulu at 14. Her manager Marion Massey once said she was a real lulu of a kid.
What was Lulu’s biggest hit?
Her biggest hit was To Sir With Love, from the 1967 film of the same name. It spent five weeks at number 1 in the United States. It was the best-selling US single of 1967.
Did Lulu win Eurovision?
Yes, Lulu won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1969 with Boom Bang-a-Bang. She tied for first place with Spain, the Netherlands and France, all on 18 votes each. The song reached number 2 on the UK chart.
Was Lulu married to John Frieda?
Yes, Lulu was married to celebrity hairdresser John Frieda from 1977 until their divorce in 1991. They had one son together, actor Jordan Frieda. She paid tribute to him on Instagram on 9 November 2026 after his death at 75.
What is Lulu doing now?
Lulu is still recording and performing at 78. Her next album, Let The Girl Sing Out, arrives in January 2027. Its lead single I’m In Love Again came out in August 2026. She played a sold-out Royal Albert Hall show in June 2026.
Why Lulu Still Matters After 60 Years
So who is Lulu, after 60 years? A Glasgow girl with a huge voice who never stopped working. She moved from teen pop to film songs and from Bond themes to Take That.
She went from West End stages to Glastonbury. Each decade gave her a new stage, and she took it. That is a rare run in British pop, and it is still going.
If her story struck a chord, start with Shout and To Sir With Love. Then listen to Relight My Fire. That gap, thirty years between hits, says it all.