“High Energy” singer Evelyn Thomas dies at the age of 70

Singer Evelyn Thomas, who had a hit with the song High energy in the 1980s, has died at the age of 70.

Thomas was discovered by British producer Ian Levine, who visited the USA in the 1970s looking for soul and gospel singers to promote in the UK.

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They recorded several songs together, which earned her a recording contract with 20th Century Records. She later moved to the disco label Casablanca Records, which had Kiss, Cher, Donna Summer and Lipps Inc. under its contract.

In 1984, Levine and Thomas collaborated again and created the song that would bring her worldwide recognition. High energy was the song that embodied the Hi-NRG dance music movement of the time.

Although the song did not top the charts in Australia, it was a club hit and enjoyed popularity in gay clubs.

In a 2012 interview with OUTinPerth, DJ Robert Fletcher recalled how popular the track was at the regular gay nights hosted by Minge’s MO at the underground nightclub. While radio DJ Colin Bridges, who hosted RTRFM’s nightly dance music program, Beats per minute has consistently declared it to be one of his favorite titles for almost 30 years.

When Rolling Stone magazine compiled its 2022 list of the 200 greatest dance tracks of all time, High energy reached 177th place in their countdown.

The song was a number one hit in Spain and West Germany and was also successful in the charts in Austria, Denmark, Great Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and France.

On social media, Ian Levine shared that he had specifically written High energy for Thomas. He said he had worked with the singer for decades and they had been estranged for many years until she recently contacted him and told him she was dying.

Levine teamed up with his production partner Fiachra Trench and wrote one final song for the singer called Inspiring but unfortunately she was too ill to record the song. She now plans to record the track with her daughter Kimberly, who performs as YaYa Diamond.