Amelia Fletcher
{{short description|British singer, songwriter, guitarist, and economist}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Amelia Fletcher
| honorific_suffix = CBE
| image = Amelia Fletcher.jpg
| caption = Amelia Fletcher, CBE
| birth_name =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1966|1|1|df=yes}}
| origin = {{Nowrap|London, England, United Kingdom}}
| instrument =
| genre = Indie pop
| occupation = Singer, songwriter, guitarist, economist
| years_active = 1986–present
| label = Sarah, K, Wiiija, Elefant, Fortuna Pop!, Matinée
| associated_acts = Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, The Pooh Sticks, Marine Research, Tender Trap, The Catenary Wires
}}
Amelia Fletcher {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|CBE}} (born 1 January 1966[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p177084|pure_url=yes}} Artist entry] AllMusic) is a British singer, songwriter, guitarist and economist.
Music career
Fletcher has been the frontwoman of an evolving series of pop groups from the 1980s to the present. Her bands included Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research, Tender Trap, and, since 2014, The Catenary Wires.[https://www.facebook.com/TheCatenaryWires The Catenary Wires], Facebook page, retrieved 2014-06-08 In 2020, she began a new band, Swansea Sound, with The Pooh Sticks's Hue Williams. She is associated with the twee pop scene. In 2025, she released an album of song-poems as The Catenary Wires with poet Brian Bilston.{{cite news |last1=Baby |first1=Ged |date=2025-02-27 |title=Exclusive Interview with Brian Bilston as he announces album with Indiepop Legends |url=https://louderthanwar.com/exclusive-interview-with-brian-bilston-as-he-announces-album-with-indiepop-legends/ |url-status=live |access-date=2025-05-30 |work=Louder Than War}}
She also sang backing vocals for The Wedding Present early in their career and on the Hefner album We Love the City. She toured with, and was guest vocalist for, The Pooh Sticks on their albums Orgasm, Million Seller and The Great White Wonder, and in 1988 released a single under her own name, "Can You Keep a Secret?" She has also appeared as a guest vocalist for The 6ths on the song "Looking for Love (In the Hall of Mirrors)", on “Monday Morning” by The Candyskins, on both Bugbear recordings, a single by The Hit Parade, and on the "Why Do You Have to Go Out With Him When You Could Go Out With Me?" single by The Brilliant Corners. From 1999 to 2003, she was keyboardist for Sportique. Amelia Fletcher was also an early promoter of Scottish group Bis who Heavenly performed alongside and whose lead singer, Manda Rin, repeatedly cited Amelia as one of her inspirations/influences.
With husband and long-time musical collaborator, Rob Pursey, she co-founded independent label, Skep Wax Records.
Economics career
Fletcher read economics at St Edmund Hall, Oxford.{{Cite web|url=http://www.oxfordtoday.ox.ac.uk/interviews/beatnik-girl|title="Beatnik girl"|website=Oxfordtoday.ox.ac.uk|access-date=21 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171222051921/http://www.oxfordtoday.ox.ac.uk/interviews/beatnik-girl|archive-date=22 December 2017|url-status=dead}} In 1993, she completed a D.Phil. in economics at Nuffield College, Oxford titled 'Theories of Self-Regulation'. In 2001, she was appointed Chief Economist at the Office of Fair Trading{{cite news |first= Dominic|last= Walsh|title= Indie rocker set for OFT debut|newspaper= The Times|date= 18 August 2007}} and in 2008 took on the additional role of Senior Director of Mergers.[https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:z0wfPkqsxfcJ:www.biicl.org/files/4107_dr_amelia_fletcher.pdf+%22amelia+fletcher%22+head+office+fair+trading&hl=en&gl=uk&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESjYWAaKINbFmnwox74aQVT1qd8awl0SkJGuFjo66pxu-W6OJQFColj_zXN0bpb8j4yRsvPqO5BG40vax_-qeLYuCgrMpScyfXijSCwbgcHkI9mntAYCvrTT_hEF4JZmgy-ZgYvC&sig=AHIEtbRazNYqt1t8qYqDvxmipnQFKHLIrQ OFT biography] Docs.google.com She left in April 2013, to become Professor of Competition Policy at the University of East Anglia.{{Cite web|url=http://www.uea.ac.uk/about/media-room/press-release-archive/-/asset_publisher/a2jEGMiFHPhv/content/oft-s-chief-economist-to-join-university-of-east-anglia|title=OFT's Chief Economist to join University of East Anglia – Press Release Archive|website=Uea.ac.uk}} She has been a Non-Executive Director on the boards of the Financial Conduct Authority (2013–2020), Payment Systems Regulator (2014–2020),{{Cite web|url=https://www.fca.org.uk/about/fca-board/amelia-fletcher-obe|title=Amelia Fletcher OBE|date=6 April 2016|website=Fca.org.uk}} and Competition and Markets Authority (2016–2023).{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/amelia-fletcher|title=Amelia Fletcher OBE|website=Gov.ukK}}
Fletcher was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2014 New Years Honours list for services to competition and consumer economics and Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to the economy.{{London Gazette|issue=63135|supp=y|page=B9|date=10 October 2020}}
Personal life
Fletcher has two children with her husband Rob Pursey, also a member of Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research, Tender Trap, The Catenary Wires, and Swansea Sound. She is the daughter of Jean and Winston Fletcher.
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Article.aspx?id=3956 http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Article.aspx?id=3956] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080424064733/http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Article.aspx?id=3956 |date=24 April 2008 }} – Interview, part 1
- [http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Article.aspx?id=3982 http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Article.aspx?id=3982] – Interview, part 2
- [http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Article.aspx?id=3999 http://www.pennyblackmusic.co.uk/MagSitePages/Article.aspx?id=3999] – Interview, part 3
{{Heavenly}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fletcher, Amelia}}
Category:Academics of the University of East Anglia
Category:Alumni of St Edmund Hall, Oxford
Category:Alumni of Nuffield College, Oxford
Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Category:English women singer-songwriters
Category:English singer-songwriters
Category:British women economists