Steven Patrick Morrissey (born May 22, 1959), known simply by his surname Morrissey, is an English singer and lyricist from Manchester, England.
He rose to prominence in the 1980s as the lyricist and vocalist of the English band The Smiths. When the band broke up in 1987, Morrissey began a successful solo career, racking up ten Top 10 singles in the United Kingdom.

As a child, Morrissey developed a number of interests and role models that marked him out among his peers, including '60s girl groups, and female singers such as Sandie Shaw, Marianne Faithfull and Timi Yuro. He was also interested in the kitchen sink dramas of the late 1950s and early 1960s, Coronation Street's Elsie Tanner, actor James Dean, as well as authors Oscar Wilde and Shelagh Delaney. The Moors Murders of the early 1960s had a large impact on him as a child, causing him to later respond with the controversially received track "Suffer Little Children".

In 1982, Morrissey and guitarist Johnny Marr formed The Smiths, widely regarded as one of the most influential bands of the post-punk 1980s. They have been consistently acclaimed by the music press, most infamously the NME, whose seeming obsession with the band earned them the nickname the "New Morrissey Express". At the start of The Smiths, Morrissey decided to drop his forename, which he until then had used both in his publications and while a member of The Nosebleeds and Slaughter & the Dogs.

Following The Smiths' split, Morrissey's first solo album, Viva Hate, was released in 1988. To create the album, Morrissey teamed up with former Smiths producer Stephen Street, Vini Reilly of Durutti Column, and drummer Andrew Paresi. The prevailing sound of the album is jangle pop, similar to that of the Smiths, though Reilly's guitar work adds more abrasive and atmospheric elements to the work. Viva Hate reached number one upon release, supported by such strong singles as "Suedehead" and "Everyday Is Like Sunday." Bona Drag (1990) collected these early singles along with further non-album cuts such as "November Spawned a Monster" and "Ouija Board, Ouija Board," along with the b-sides "Hairdresser on Fire". Mark Nevin's songwriting services were employed for the studio follow-up to Viva Hate, titled Kill Uncle. The album continued in a similar musical vein.