Show Notes
Mari Wilson is one of Britain’s most distinctive pop stylists — a singer who turned retro glamour, wit, and musical intelligence into a career entirely her own. Rising to fame in the early 1980s with hits including Just What I Always Wanted, Cry Me a River, and Wonderful to Be With, she became instantly recognisable through her iconic beehive image and sharply defined pop persona.
To watch this podcast - go here1 www.popthehistorymakers.com
But Mari’s story reaches far beyond chart success. She later sang with Stan Getz, toured with Ronnie Scott, appeared on stage with Soft Cell, and built a richly varied career spanning theatre, cabaret, and live performance. She also played Dusty Springfield in Dusty The Musical, a fitting role for an artist so closely associated with sophisticated pop and torch-song drama.
More than a decade after Pop Deluxe in 2016, Mari now returns with her forthcoming album Girl About Town, led by the single Good News, proving once again that style, individuality, and great songs never go out of fashion.
Good News, her brand new album - Girl About Town was out on the 4th of September 2026.
If you enjoyed this interview, please support by buying me a coffee! buymeacoffee.com/popthehistorymakers
More information at www.mariwilson.co.uk
More interviews at www.popthehistorymakers.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Pop: The History Makers with Steve Blame
Clark Datchler is best known as the lead singer, songwriter and co-founder of Johnny Hates Jazz, one of the most distinctive British pop bands to emerge from the 1980s. Their 1987 debut album Turn Back the Clock became an international success, producing “Shattered Dreams,” “I Don’t Want to Be a Hero,” “Turn Back the Clock” and “Heart of Gold.” “Shattered Dreams” became particularly significant in America, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
George Michael was one of the greatest singer-songwriters of his generation, but who was the man behind the music?
Nearly fifty years after Rattus Norvegicus, Hugh Cornwell is still writing new songs—and still asking what a song can become when he takes it onstage. He’s preparing Succubus, revisiting a lifetime of music on All the Fun of the Fair, and calling his forthcoming solo acoustic tour Never Say Goodbye.
Before 10cc, Graham Gouldman had already written some of the defining songs of the 1960s—including “For Your Love,” “Heart Full of Soul,” “Bus Stop,” “Look Through Any Window” and “No Milk Today.” He then helped form one of Britain’s most inventive bands, creating classics including “I’m Not in Love,” “The Things We Do for Love” and “Dreadlock Holiday.”
Haddaway created one of the most instantly recognisable songs in pop history. Released in 1993, “What Is Love” became an international phenomenon and one of the defining records of the Eurodance era. But Haddaway’s story is far more complicated than a single worldwide hit.