Kate Bush is quite an influential musician. From her unique voice to stunning musicality to otherworldly songwriting prowess, this English art pop icon has always walked a very different path from her contemporaries. And quite a few of Kate Bush’s contemporaries are musicians who are heavily inspired by her. Let’s take a look!
1. Björk
Björk has always been one of Kate Bush’s biggest fans. She even went as far as to say that a lot of the hate Bush got in her career, especially among fans who were embarrassed to say they liked her, was the result of sexism in the music industry.
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“Everybody just says, ‘Oh, she’s just a singer, she’s just a chick,’” Björk said back in the day of Bush. “But they forget all the other work she’s done, that woman. She’s very, very, very gorgeous.”
2. Big Boi (OutKast)
Out of everyone on our list of musicians inspired by Kate Bush, this one’s a bit surprising. After all, Big Boi is best known for his rap and record production work in southern and progressive hip hop. Kate Bush couldn’t be more different from him if she tried. Still, Big Boi is a vocal fan of Bush and even became a friend of hers.
“Her songs tell stories,” said Big Boi in an interview with Pitchfork, embedded above. “We also tell stories. Sometimes there is a double meaning in what she says. And the layers of production, how the songs morph, they might start one way then they morph and break down into something.”
3. St. Vincent
Guitarist, vocalist, and producer St. Vincent (also known as Annie Clark) is a pretty avid fan of Kate Bush. She’s covered Bush’s songs in the past, and she’s not even a lifelong fan. Back in 2007, Clark said that she “just discovered Kate Bush” and that love for Bush clearly hasn’t gone anywhere. Clark helped induct her into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2023, along with Big Boi.
4. Brian Molko (Placebo)
Brian Molko of Placebo is one of many English musicians inspired by Kate Bush, and he also delivered one of the best covers of “Running Up That Hill” of all time. Molko said in an interview from years ago that his first “exposure” to Kate Bush was the music video for “Babooshka” when he was just a preteen.
“I’d never seen anything like it,” said Molko. “Who is this person from outer space, singing an incredibly strange song? I was completely captivated by this beautiful woman who had such charisma and seemed so unique.”
Molko went on to say that when Hounds Of Love came out in 1985, it “blew [his] mind completely.”
Photo via ‘Hounds of Love’ Album Cover
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