Kay Hanley

Kay Hanley (born , 1968) is an American alternative rock musician. She is best known as the vocalist for the band Letters to Cleo.

Hanley was born in Dorchester, Massachusetts. She grew up diagonally across the street from Donnie and Mark Wahlberg. She was a member of Letters To Cleo from 1990 to 2000 (the length of the band's existence, with the exception of the 2008-2009 reunion tour). The band name was conceived by Hanley in reference to a pen pal named Cleo she had she was younger. In 1997, she began working on other projects, beginning with a role in the Boston Rock Opera's performance of Jesus Christ Superstar as Mary Magdalene.

In 1999, Hanley made a cameo as herself in the film 10 Things I Hate About You, singing a cover version of Nick Lowe's "Cruel to be Kind" at the movie characters' high school prom, in addition to performing "Come On" with Letters to Cleo during an earlier scene at a club. Towards the end of Letters to Cleo's career, she began performing with her husband and fellow Letters To Cleo member Michael Eisenstein outside of the band. Around the same time, she gave birth to their daughter, Zoe.

Upon the split of Letters to Cleo, Hanley embarked upon a solo career. She performed music for the cartoon Generation O and provided the singing voice for Rachael Leigh Cook's character Josie in the movie Josie and the Pussycats. In 2002, she released her first solo album, Cherry Marmalade. That same year, she appeared on the Dropkick Murphys/Face to Face split cd, providing guest vocals on the original version of the Dropkick Murphys song "The Dirty Glass". She also performed the song "Follow Me" for the video game Sonic Heroes in 2003. In 2004, Hanley released a follow up to Cherry Marmalade, The Babydoll EP.

Hanley is very involved with the Boston based charity "Hot Stove, Cool Music," both as performer and spokesperson for the semi-annual event. In 2004, she and her husband Michael Eisenstein had their second child, Henry Aaron, the name given in honor of baseball player Hank Aaron and their love for baseball.

In August 2005, Hanley recorded a cover of Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" for the soundtrack of the Reese Witherspoon film Just Like Heaven In September 2005, she appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno as part of a pretaped man-on-the-street segment, singing a song about falling in love at Starbucks.

Hanley has proven quite popular with fans of the New England Patriots, as every time she has sung the National Anthem for them at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots have won. She has sung eight times as of January 2007 with as many wins, including the only home playoff games for the Patriots in 2006 and 2007.

She sings the main theme song for My Friends Tigger and Pooh, a half-hour Disney Channel TV show that premiered on Playhouse Disney on May 12, 2007 and "We Are The Care Bears" from Care Bears: Oopsy Does It!.

On Thanksgiving Day 2007, Hanley sang a song called "Caring Changes The World" in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the Care Bears Float as self-accompanied with her same-themed electric guitar.

In 2007-08, Hanley toured as a backup singer with Miley Cyrus for Hannah Montana concerts and events.

Her latest album, Weaponize, was released May 27, 2008.

Discography

Year
Title
Label
2001
Josie and the Pussycats (soundtrack)
Sony
2002
Cherry Marmalade
Zoe Records
2003
The Paradise - Boston, MA 5/30/03 (LIVE)
Instant Live
2004
The Babydoll EP
Instant Live
The Paradise - Boston, MA 8/26/04 (LIVE)
Instant Live
2005
Just Like Heaven (soundtrack)
Sony
2006
Kay Hanley / Scamper split single CD
De Guerre/Scamper
2008
Weaponize
De Guerre

Filmography

Year
Title
Role
Type
1999
10 Things I Hate About You
Letters to Cleo lead singer
Cameo appearance
2000
Generation O!
Molly O
TV series
2001
Josie and the Pussycats
Josie McCoy
singing voice

Discography

Filmography

Further reading