| Birth Name: | Anoushka Barbara Lise Lucas |
| Birth Date: | 1988 |
| Birth Place: | Fulham, London, England |
| Alma Mater: | University of Oxford |
| Years Active: | 2009–present |
Anoushka Barbara Lise Lucas (born 1988) is an English singer, composer, actress, and playwright. She began releasing music in 2009. She later went into theatre and earned a number of accolades, including a Laurence Olivier Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.
Lucas was born in Fulham, West London, to Anglo-Indian father Chris from Southampton and French-Cameroonian mother Any, and grew up in a council flat in Hammersmith.[1] Her parents were both musicians when they met in the 1980s. She has two younger sisters and an older half-brother.
Lucas attended the French Lycée on a scholarship. She went on to graduate from the University of Oxford in 2009 with a degree in Russian and Italian. During her time at Oxford, she joined a choir and did open-mic nights.[2]
Lucas released her first self-titled EP in 2009 after graduating from Oxford.[3] This was followed by another EP, Left to My Own Devices, in 2011.[4]
In 2013, Lucas won a contest to perform at the Love Supreme Jazz Festival, beating hundreds of applicants also looking to perform at the new event alongside headliners Bryan Ferry and Jools Holland.[5]
After meeting playwright Ché Walker in 2010 at the age of 22,[6] Lucas began writing music for theatre, including her contributions to Walker's 2014 production of Klook's Last Stand (or The Ballad of Klook and Vinette) at the Park Theatre. The following year in 2015, Lucas collaborated with Sheila Atim on The Etienne Sisters at the Theatre Royal Stratford East.[7]
Lucas performed in theatre bands[8] before making her official acting debut in 2016 when she was cast as Mary Magdalene in the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production of Jesus Christ Superstar.[9] [10] Lucas composed 8 songs for Jessica Butcher's Sparks, which won Best Musical at the 2018 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.[11]
In February 2017, Lucas performed live on BBC Introducing performing her single "Dark Soul".[12] The single featured on her debut album of the same name, which was released in 2019, with production credits from Martin Terefe and Oskar Winberg.
Also in 2019, Anoushka appeared in the production of Chiaroscuro at The Bush Theatre.[13]
For her performance in After Life at the National Theatre, Anoushka was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the 2021 Black British Theatre Awards. Lucas returned to the Bush Theatre in 2022 for her debut play Elephant, a monologue on being mixed-race in Britain.[14] She also played Princess Katherine opposite Kit Harington in Henry V at the Donmar Warehouse.[15]
Lucas starred as Laurey Williams in the 2023 London revival of Oklahoma! at the Young Vic[16] and then Wyndham's Theatre[17] alongside Arthur Darvill. For her performance, Lucas was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
Lucas began writing music at the age of 14. She has cited the likes of Carole King, Zadie Smith, Amy Winehouse and Billie Holiday as her songwriting inspirations. Her debut album Dark Soul incorporated classical and jazz elements, and earned her comparisons to Norah Jones and Laura Mvula.[2]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Klook's Last Stand | Music Park Theatre, London | |
| 2015 | The Etienne Sisters | Music Theatre Royal, Stratford East | |
| 2016 | Jesus Christ Superstar | Mary Magdalene | Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London |
| 2018 | Sparks | The Musician | Music Edinburgh Fringe Festival |
| 2019 | Chiaroscuro | Opal | Bush Theatre, London |
| Faces in the Crowd | The Musician | Gate Theatre, London | |
| 2021 | After Life | Katie Watkins | National Theatre, London |
| 2022 | Henry V | Princess Katherine | Donmar Warehouse, London |
| Elephant | Lylah | Playwright Bush Theatre, London | |
| 2023 | Oklahoma! | Laurey Williams | Young Vic and Wyndham's Theatre, London |
| 2024 | The Crucible | Elizabeth Proctor | Crucible Theatre, Sheffield |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Edinburgh Fringe Festival | Best Musical of the Fringe | Sparks | ||
| 2021 | Black British Theatre Awards | Best Supporting Actress | After Life | ||
| 2023 | Laurence Olivier Awards | Best Actress in a Musical | Oklahoma! | [18] | |