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Evelyn Thomas, the disco singer whose “High Energy” soared to the top of the U.S. dance charts and remains a club classic, has died at 70.
Producer and songwriter Ian Levine, a longtime associate of Thomas’ who discovered the singer and signed her in 1975, broke the news of her death without revealing a cause.
On X, he wrote, “It is hard for me to accept that my lifelong protege really has left us. Her music will outlive all of us.”
He also wrote that following a 2009 rift, Thomas did reach out to him earlier this year, “knowing that she was dying.”
Thomas was born August 22, 1953, in Chicago. Her first chart hit anywhere was “Weak Spot,” which made an impact on the British charts in 1976.
In 1984, she struck gold with “High Energy,” an ebullient banger co-written and co-produced by Levine and Fiachra Trench. It captivated clubgoers, and its title gelled nicely with the name of a then-new genre of music: hi-NRG.
“Nobody else in the world could have sung it,” Levine wrote on X, stating the song was created specifically for her. It sold seven millions records internationally.
Thomas continued charting in the U.K, and enjoyed two more entries on the U.S. dance charts — “Reflections” (1985), a Supremes cover, and “How Many Hearts” (1986).
She continued releasing singles until her swan song, 2008’s “Stick to the Plan.”
Thomas is survived by her daughter, recording artist YaYa Diamond.
