Antony and the Johnsons

Antony and the Johnsons was the project of singer and songwriter Antony Hegarty (later known as Anohni), formed in New York City in the late 1990s. Born in England and raised partly in California, Hegarty built the group around a distinctive, quavering androgynous voice that drew on cabaret, art song and soul traditions, backed by a rotating ensemble of musicians billed as «the Johnsons».

The group's breakthrough came with the 2005 album «I Am a Bird Now», which won the Mercury Prize and featured guest appearances from Lou Reed, Boy George and Rufus Wainwright; it also contained «Fistful of Love» and «Bird Gerhl», songs that showcased Hegarty's intense, emotionally raw delivery. Earlier and later releases, including the self-titled debut with «Cripple and the Starfish» and «You Are My Sister», and the 2009 album «The Crying Light», cemented a body of work centered on themes of transformation, mortality and tenderness.

Musically, Antony and the Johnsons sit at the intersection of chamber pop, torch song and orchestral balladry, often built around piano and strings rather than conventional rock instrumentation. Hegarty's collaborations extended beyond the group's own records, including work with Björk, CocoRosie and Hercules and Love Affair, and the project's influence is frequently cited in discussions of gender-fluid and emotionally confessional songwriting in the 2000s.