When Annie Lennox and daughter Lola duetted on heart-wrenching cover of ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’

14 October 2024, 13:21

Annie Lennox and her daughter Lola came together to perform a gorgeous Simon & Garfunkel cover for charity. Picture: Getty/We For India Aid

By Thomas Edward

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She has a voice that can send shivers up the sturdiest of spines.

When Annie Lennox takes to the microphone you know you're about to be mesmerised for as long as musical notes soar from her mouth.

There's a reason why the former Eurythmics icon is one of Britain's most successful ever singers, and why she's remained a household name since bursting into the charts with 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)' in 1983.

Not only did her striking appearance help the group gain traction overseas, but her immaculate voice elevated songs like 'The Miracle Of Love', 'Here Comes The Rain Again', and 'There Must Be An Angel' to divine heights.

But angelic voices evidently run in the family, based on her daughter's own singing talent.

Lola Lennox is an artist in her own right, having released her debut single 'In The Wild' in 2020 having plied her trade as a backing singer first and foremost.

In 2021, she took the spotlight side-by-side with her mum Annie, weaving their voices together for a heart-wrenching cover version of 'Bridge Over Troubled Water'.

Lola Lennox with her mum Annie in 2017. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for LACMA). Picture: Getty

Annie and Lola took on the Simon & Garfunkel classic (with Paul Simon's permission) for a worthy cause.

The Lennox's joined forces on this incredible cover version as a filmed performance for three-hour virtual fundraiser We For India: Saving Lives, Protecting Livelihoods.

The event was in aid of the devastating long-term impact that the pandemic had on India at the time.

"Music has a power that unites and inspires, and I hope that the musical contributions in this event moves viewers into supporting this urgent cause," Lola said before their performance aired.

"To witness the population uniting behind this significant cause, gives me hope that if we try, we can make the future a better place."

The likes of The Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger, Chic legend Nile Rodgers and Sister Sledge were on the bill too, though it was the mother-and-daughter performance that stole the show.

Watch the cover below.

Annie and Lola Lennox - Bridge Over Troubled Water (Live for We For India)

With Annie sat behind the piano both playing and singing, Lola perched herself on top of the piano as they sang in tandem.

Annie has performed the Simon & Garfunkel cover before, bringing the house down on American Idol in 2007 and again for Sport Relief in 2010.

But with Lola by her side, the mother-daughter duo displayed the kind of harmonic symphony that only family members could orchestrate.

It was a duet that felt like it was years in the making, with Lola idolising her mum as a child, learning to play the piano herself at the age of seven and sneaking into her parent's basement to record songs she'd written herself.

Lola hasn't tried to emulate her mother's music, however, instead citing Dusty Springfield, Nina Simone, and Ella Fitzgerald as primary influences.

Nevertheless, she's in possession of a voice as unique as her mum's, so no wonder she's pursuing a music career of her own.

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Annie's daughter relocated from London to Los Angeles to carve out a career in music, which she admitted is a far cry from the "low key" lifestyle she lived growing up in England's capital.

Whilst living in Highgate in north London as a child, Annie did her best to make her childhood as normal as possible, despite living slap bang in the middle of pop superstar George Michael and supermodel Kate Moss.

"My mum’s very low key," she admitted in a recent interview with Barley magazine, before remembering occasions when David Bowie would ring her mum for a chat. "Dave who?"

“Naturally, like with any parent, there’s a level of protection. She knows what fame can be, and how being a woman in the industry can have quite an intense impact on you," Lola continued.

"But she’s been my biggest supporter. She loves that I have something I’m really passionate about and she sees how much music gives me."