bio via Biography.com

Sheena Easton broke out on the scene as a pop singer in the early 1980s. Easton churned out several hits over the decades as well as two Grammy Awards. The performer is best known for singles like “Morning Train,” the James Bond movie theme song “For Your Eyes Only” and the sexy “Strut” as well as collaborations with Kenny Rogers and Prince. Over the years Easton has also delved into acting and other business ventures. The mother of two adopted children continues to perform while raising her family.

Sheena Easton was born Sheena Shirley Orr on April 27, 1959, in Bellshill, Scotland. She was the youngest of six kids. When her father Alex, a steel mill worker, passed away when Easton was just 10, her mom had to work as a laborer to support the family.

At an early age, Easton knew that she wanted to sing for the world. Her music influences varied when she was growing up, from Barbra Streisand to Motown, to rock ‘n’ roll and ’70s soul. She attended the Royal Scottish Academy of Music while performing in the group Something Else.

Easton’s breakout moment came from appearing on a BBC reality show The Big Time, which focused on amateurs trying to reach their dreams. Afterward, the singer got a record deal, and her debut singles, the women’s empowerment anthem “Modern Girl” and the grand “9 to 5,” made it onto the charts in England. She became the first female artist since the 1950s to have two Top 10 hits at the same time in Britain. An album followed in 1981, as did her recognition in the United States. Her song “9 to 5” was retitled “Morning Train” (since Dolly Parton had a track of the same name already in circulation), and quickly became a smash hit.

Easton had arrived, and that was confirmed when she took home the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Other hits followed, including “For Your Eyes Only,” the theme song to the 1981 James Bond movie of the same name. In 1983, she scored again with the Rogers duet “We’ve Got Tonight” and the up-tempo top 10 pop hit “Telefone (Long Distance Love Affair).”

With 1984’s A Private Heaven, Easton went for more of a dance vibe and a racier persona. The album offered another top 10 hit for Easton with “Strut,” a thumping track about a woman refusing to be a man’s plaything. And the somewhat scandalous song “Sugar Walls,” which was written and produced by Prince, reached no. 3 on the r&b charts. She and Prince would later work together again on his 1987 hit song “U Got The Look” as well as “The Arms of Orion” from the 1989 Batman soundtrack.

The Family Resource Center, led by Tipper Gore, targeted “Sugar Walls” for its suggestiveness, but Easton stood up to the criticism. It didn’t seem to hinder her career, as that same year she was honored as the only artist in history to have top 5 hits on Billboard’s five major charts—pop, r&b, country, adult contemporary and dance.