Shane MacGowan is an Irish singer-songwriter and musician best known as the lead singer and songwriter of the Celtic punk band The Pogues. Born in Pembury, Kent, England, to Irish parents, MacGowan developed a love for traditional Irish music and literature at a young age. He moved to London in the late 1970s and formed The Pogues in 1982. The band's unique blend of punk rock, traditional Irish folk music, and MacGowan's raucous vocals and witty lyrics quickly gained them a cult following. MacGowan's personal struggles with alcohol and drug addiction have been well-documented, but he continues to write and perform, releasing solo albums and collaborating with other artists.