Edwyn Collins

Edwyn Collins is a pivotal figure in the history of indie pop. As a member of Orange Juice in the early '80s, he laid the groundwork of indie, balancing jangling guitars with funk rhythms and issuing classic singles like “Blue Boy” and “Rip It Up” before Collins went solo. After a few years, he exploded back on the scene with “A Girl Like You,” a worldwide hit that bought him a studio and set the course for a series of albums like 1994's Gorgeous George, which ranged from country-rock to disco, with arrow-sharp lyrics in the center. After fighting a near-death experience that left him partially paralyzed, Collins returned to making albums and his post-illness music is inspired, not to mention just as cranky and hooky as ever; proven by fine additions to his body of work like 2019's Badbea and 2025's Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation.