2008–09: Early releases Blay adopted the stage name thecocknbullkid, explaining, "Initially I just liked the way it sounded—it gave me aural satisfaction. Then I liked the idea of calling myself a bulls**tter , it's all a bit tongue-in-cheek." She began uploading material to her
MySpace profile and networked with music producers, live promoters and managers. Blay released her debut single, "On My Own", in April 2008, followed by performances at the
Glastonbury Festival and on the TV programme
Later... with Jools Holland later in the year. Her second single, "I'm Not Sorry" was released in March 2009, and by May 2009, she had signed to
Moshi Moshi through
Island Records. To mark the EP's release, Blay issued a free mixtape featuring her own tracks alongside songs by artists including
Late of the Pier and
Diana Ross. Also in 2009, Blay appeared alongside
Alessi's Ark,
Micachu,
Róisín Murphy, and
Sinéad O'Connor on a cover of
Chaka Khan's "
I'm Every Woman", a charity single released to support
ActionAid. Blay was expected to release a full-length album in 2009, with production from Blue May, Dave McCracken,
Joseph Mount (of
Metronomy), and
Mark-Anthony Tieku. By 2010, Blay said she had scrapped the album's original sound; in 2011, a 12-track album from the initial recording sessions titled
Adolescence leaked onto the Internet, and Blay actively encouraged her fans to download it.
2010–11: Adulthood Blay announced the change of her stage name to
CocknBullKid in June 2010 and released the song "CocknBullKid" as a free download. Her first single with Moshi Moshi/Island, "One Eye Closed", was released in November 2010, and she opened for
Marina and the Diamonds and
Kele on their respective tours in October and November. The follow-up single, "Hold on to Your Misery", was released in January 2011, and third single "Asthma Attack" followed in April 2011. These releases preceded her debut album,
Adulthood, which was recorded in London, Paris and Stockholm with production from
Liam Howe, and includes contributions from
Gonzales,
Peter Morén (of Peter Bjorn and John), and Joseph Mount. It was released in April 2011, and a fourth and final single, "Yellow", was issued in August 2011.
Spin magazine and
The Guardians Michael Cragg named
Adulthood one of the best albums of the year. Blay promoted
Adulthood with support slots on UK tours by
Janelle Monáe (from February 2011),
Duran Duran (May 2011), and
Patrick Wolf (October and November 2011). She collaborated with several other artists during 2011; featuring on the track "In Doubt" by
Black Devil Disco Club, and on
The Shoes' song "Cliché" (from their album
Crack My Bones) and their remix of
Wolf Gang's "Dancing with the Devil" (alongside
Mz. Bratt). Blay co-wrote material for
Nicola Roberts' solo album ''
Cinderella's Eyes'' (2011), but her tracks did not make the final cut of the album.
2012–present: Solo and songwriting work Blay recorded "Doing It Wrong", the
theme tune for the
BBC Three television series
Some Girls, which premiered in 2012. The same year she featured on
Niyi's "Ur No Good" and the single "Never Let Go" by
Rowdy Superstar, with whom she formed a side project called X&Y. She co-wrote girl group
Neon Jungle's 2013 debut single, "
Trouble", which reached the top 20 on the
UK Singles Chart. Blay has also been working on a second solo album, according to her publisher
Downtown Music Publishing. In 2015, Blay (credited as CocknBullKid) was featured on the
Boxed In track "Lo Life". In April 2016, Blay's songwriting collaboration with
Little Mix on their song "
Hair", released from their 2015 album
Get Weird, was released as an official single, featuring vocals from
Sean Paul, and is classed as the biggest and most successful songwriting collaboration that Blay has taken part in so far in her music career. May 2018 saw Blay co-write a
OneRepublic track titled "Start Again". It was featured on the second season of the hit
Netflix show
13 Reasons Why. In September 2020, Blay collaborated with
Kae Tempest and
High Contrast on a standalone single "Time Is Hardcore". The track was premiered on August 12 on BBC Radio 1 by
Clara Amfo, and was subsequently selected as
Adele Roberts' "Tune of the Week". In January 2021, Blay updated her social media profiles from CocknBullKid to Anita Blay, whilst posting a simple message "BRB". This has prompted speculation amongst fans (most notably
Perez Hilton) that she may be releasing music under her own artist name some time in 2021.
2012–present: Antony and Cleopatra In 2014, Blay and
Alexander Burnett (of Australian band
Sparkadia) formed a
deep house duo called
Antony & Cleopatra, who featured on three singles in 2014: Lancelot's "Givin' It Up",
Beni's "Protect", and Sammy Bananas' "Money Time". Their debut single as lead artists, "Sirens", was released in 2015, with multiple singles and collaborations from 2015-2019. 23 November 2018 saw the release of
Antony & Cleopatra's 6-song debut EP,
Hurt Like Hell. Blay described the EP as ''"the best way of showing our more techno and weird musical moments that you'd see in our live show or DJ set."''. ==Artistry==