Both Rowetta and Happy Mondays took to their respective social media accounts to announce the departure of Rowetta from the group’s lineup.
The joint social media statement read: “Happy Mondays and Rowetta announce that Rowetta will no longer be performing with the band. Happy Mondays thank Rowetta for her services and wish her the best for the future”.
With over 34 years in Happy Monday’s lineup, Rowetta first joined the group in 1990 providing backing vocals on one of their biggest hits ‘Step On’. Originally recorded by John Kongos as ‘He’s Gonna Step on You Again’ in 1971, Kongos created the track as a protest song during apartheid, aiming to delve into the effects of racism as a result of the white man’s appropriation of Africa’s native territory; using lyricism to challenge notions of power and manipulation. Happy Mondays’ version transformed the original into a dance classic with its political message still prominently at the forefront, earning the group a Number Five single.
Rowetta continued to feature on Happy Mondays’ popular tracks ‘Kinky Afro’ and ‘Loose Fit’, alongside their third album ‘Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches’ and their fourth ‘Yes, Please!’. Not only featuring on studio versions of Happy Mondays’ discography, Rowetta joined the Salford-group on three world tours over the years. Even joining the original lineup of Happy Mondays on their 2012 reunion tour. The singer, born Rowetta Idah, has an impressive discography beside from her contributions to Happy Mondays, having released a self-titled album in 2005 and a plethora of singles over the years. She even featured as a backing vocalist on Simply Red’s chart-topping single, ‘Stars’.
The announcement of Rowetta’s departure came as a surprise to many given the singer’s continued presence in the industry. She recently finished a tour supporting indie band Shed Seven as they celebrated their 30thAnniversary, where she featured on their 2023 single ‘In Ecstasy’, which currently has over 300,000 streams on Spotify.
Lovely photo in the @MENnewsdesk X Really looking forward to the new year & sharing some amazing news with you all. Thanks again for all the love, through all the years. Means the pic.twitter.com/HIkdiru9Qw — Rowetta (@Rowetta) December 23, 2024
Despite her abrupt announcement to leave Happy Mondays, Rowetta shared her excitement for the future in a follow-up social media post: “Really looking forward to the new year & sharing some amazing news with you all”.
Continuing: “Thanks again for all the love through the years”.
As a chapter closes for Rowetta and Happy Mondays, it is no doubt that both acts will continue to embark on their own exciting ventures within the industry.
