Belinda Carlisle Says She Dropped Out of Beauty School After Discovering 'Music and Clubs'
Belinda Carlisle Says She Dropped Out of Beauty School After Discovering 'Music and Clubs'
Raven BrunnerWed, February 18, 2026 at 7:20 PM UTC
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Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Go's on Oct. 1, 1981 in Rockford, Ill.
Paul Natkin/WireImage
Belinda Carlisle looked back on the impact music had on her early life in a recent interview
The singer revealed that she was studying to be a hairdresser until she discovered "music and clubs"
"I was a rebellious child. I used to smoke, drink and would occasionally run away from home — not very far," Carlisle said
Belinda Carlisle’s life was changed by music.
The "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" singer, 67, recalled the impact music had on her early life in an interview with The Times published on Wednesday, Feb. 18. She revealed that she was studying to be a hairdresser until she discovered “music and clubs.”
“I was a rebellious child. I used to smoke, drink and would occasionally run away from home — not very far,” Carlisle said. “I washed my hair in baby oil to look like a hippy and it would enrage my dad. He wouldn’t let me out of the house looking cool!”
Belinda Carlisle of The Go-Go's in Chicago in September 1982
Paul Natkin/WireImage
The Go-Go's vocalist continued to share that she “loved punk music” and got involved with the Los Angeles punk movement in the late 1970s.
“I went to beauty school initially as I wanted to be a hairdresser but dropped out on discovering music and clubs,” she said.
Carlisle was later asked about the advice she’d give, to which she answered, “Don’t do drugs.”
Carlisle told PEOPLE about her sobriety journey in a 2024 interview. The singer said she decided to get sober in 2005 after she hit a “spiritual bottom.” As a result, she stopped smoking, drinking and doing drugs, including cocaine.
"I knew that if I had carried on, I probably would lose my family — and everything," she said at the time. "I knew that if I continued I would die."
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Belinda Carlisle attends Project Angel Food's Angel Awards 2025 at Paramount Pictures Studios in Los Angeles in September 2025
Tommaso Boddi/Getty
The "Mad About You" artist shared that she "was sick of living a life of secrets and lies" and was "ready" to get sober. "There's different types of bottoms, but mine was just self-hatred," she recalled.
Carlisle credited a 12-step program and her daily yoga practice for helping her remain sober.
The musician had her breakthrough as the lead vocalist of The Go-Go's, known for their “Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got the Beat” hit singles.
“Things have changed for the better for women in music. The Go-Go’s were very popular but we couldn’t get signed. We were told it was because there hadn’t been a successful female band before,” she told The Times.
Belina Carlisle of The Go-Go's performs at the 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio in October 2021
Kevin Mazur/Getty
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Carlisle released her self-titled debut solo album in 1986, one year after The Go-Go's split.
The female rock band has since reunited multiple times, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
