Pop singer Lolly is best known for her smash hit song Micky (Picture: PA)
Almost three decades on from her smash hit song, Lolly still ‘blows our minds’ with how she hasn’t aged a single day.
The 46-year-old singer shot to fame in 1999 with Mickey, a cheeky pop track which has been stuck in our heads ever since.
Lolly, real name Anna Shantha Kumble, is now a mum of two but looks identical to her younger pop princess self who peaked at number four in the UK charts.
Over the last decade, her brunette hair has remained a staple of her look — although the 90s bunchies are long gone.
Vibrant outfits are still a must for the chart-topper, who can be spotted occasionally taking to the stage at festivals or Pride celebrations to sing her memorable track.
Hailing from Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, Anna secured five top 20 singles including the now iconic Mickey during her 90s chart domination.
Her real name is Anna Kumble and she worked as a model before her singing career (Picture: Geoffrey Swaine/REX/Shutterstock)
She burst onto the music scene in 1999 with two studio albums (Picture: PA)
Now Lolly appears in pantos and lives a fairly normal life (Picture: @lolly_annakofficial/Instagram)
At just 21 years old she moved away from a modelling career into the music industry, releasing her first single Viva La Radio.
The song peaked at number seven but cleared the way for her cover of Mickey to sail up the charts on September 6, 1999.
Originally the song was recorded by pop group Racey, with the title Kitty, before it was changed by American singer Toni Basil who added the now iconic chant.
Toni’s version also soared in the UK charts, reaching number two in January 1982 but it is the Lolly cover that is best known to nostalgia-loving Brits.
Despite finding success with her two albums, Anna retired from music in 2000 and has not released a full studio session since.
After (iconically) revealing her real name one letter at a time in Smash Hits magazine, Anna left Polydor Records.
She also had a presenting stint on Xchange (Picture: REX/Shutterstock)
Lolly now has two kids (Picture: @lolly_annakofficial/Instagram)
However, she has dropped two extra singles since; one in 2018 and one in 2020.
Instead, the Big Boys Don’t Cry singer pursued a career as a presenter on the BBC show Xchange — which was also hosted by Angellica Bell and Holly Willoughby.
Other presenting roles included a turn on CITV’s Toonattik, stepping in for Celeb’s Go Dating’s Anna Williamson.
She eventually moved into pantomime work, not quite leaving her alter ego behind as she is regularly billed as ‘Anna Kumble (Lolly)’.
In 2002, the star appeared as Tinkerbell in Brighton’s Peter Pan before landing the titular role in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs at the Derby Assembly Room two years later.
She released two studio albums then ditched her record label (Picture: EMPICS Entertainment)
She still appears at festivals on occasion to perform her hit song (Picture: @lolly_annakofficial/Instagram)
Lolly, you will always be famous (Picture: EMPICS Entertainment)
She has steadily worked across UK pantomimes over the past 20 years, most recently returning to Snow White as the Evil Queen in Telford’s 2022 production.
Nowadays, she lives in Buckinghamshire with her two children; a son and a daughter, who she regularly posts about on Instagram.
In a throwback post about her time as a pop sensation, Anna wrote: ‘Found this pic and I remember being body shamed in the press! 🤦🏻♀️ I was healthy, happy and having so much fun; it upset and shook me I’m sure but I brushed it off with the help of amazing people around me.
‘My Mum bought me a necklace when I was 18 that said “secure” and I’ve passed it down to my daughter. It spoke volumes to me when I was young and I hope it does to her too.’
This article was first published on July 18, 2024.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.