Катрина және толқындар: Британ-американдық рок тобының тарихы

British American rock band

Katrina and the Waves were a British rock band formed in Cambridge in 1981, widely known for their 1985 hit "Walking on Sunshine". They also won the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Love Shine a Light".

The band's earliest incarnation was as the Waves, a group that played in and around Cambridge, from 1975 to 1977. The Waves featured guitarist Kimberley Rew and drummer Alex Cooper. This incarnation of the Waves did not issue any recordings, and broke up when Rew left to join the Soft Boys. Consequently, although they were based in England, Katrina and the Waves' first album Walking on Sunshine was released only in Canada. whilst their song "Going Down to Liverpool" was covered by the Bangles, which added to their profile. "Love Shine a Light" became Katrina and the Waves' biggest ever UK hit, peaking at no. 3 in the UK Singles Chart. In a 2020 interview, Katrina Leskanich revealed that, as an American national winning the Eurovision Song Contest for the UK, she was the target of criticism, with some people arguing that UK should have instead sent an English singer to the contest; she also claimed she was asked if she could "try and talk like an English person". Leskanich had moved to the UK in 1976, at the age of 16.

Despite their return to the public eye in the UK, Katrina and the Waves were not able to follow up "Love Shine a Light" with another hit, and Leskanich left the group in 1998 after several disagreements within the band. She also stated that she hoped that "Walking on Sunshine" would become an anthem for the Gulf Coast's recovery.

2010 marked the 25th anniversary of the release of "Walking on Sunshine" and a series of back catalogue reissues and a re recorded version of the track were released. A free download of one of the tracks from Kimberley Rew's solo album The Bible of Bop was given away in March 2010 from the band's website. Katrina Leskanich released The Live Album in July 2010 – a mix of Katrina and the Waves hits and new songs recorded in London and Germany. In June 2011, the group threatened legal action against U. S. presidential candidate Michele Bachmann for playing their music on her campaign trail. A statement on the group's official website reads: "Katrina and the Waves would like it to be known that they do not endorse the use of "Walking on Sunshine" by Michele Bachmann and have instructed their lawyers accordingly." Leskanich stated that she wants to ban the Republican party from using the track because she does not agree with her politics. In July 2013, Leskanich performed at the San Fermín festival in Spain for the penultimate gig of the season on Plaza del Castillo.