Belinda Carlisle the Germs). Carlisle has been alternately described by critics as a "punk diva" and "pop princess." As a singer in the Go-Go's, Carlisle was associated with the new wave genre, and the band was remarked by critics for their style that "inject[ed] punk with the sound of California surf music." Her subsequent solo releases, beginning with her self-titled solo debut, "Belinda" (1986), were remarked by critics as more polished contemporary pop music. Her early inspirations during her childhood were the Beach Boys, Cat Stevens, the Stylistics, and the Animals. As a teenager, she saw Iggy Pop on the cover of
Belinda Carlisle and "Heaven Is a Place on Earth". They have one son, James Duke Mason, who was born in 1992. After the 1994 Northridge earthquake, Carlisle and her family moved to Europe, settling in the south of France. Carlisle and her husband lived between Fréjus, a commune in Southern France, and the United States. In 2017, the couple moved to Bangkok, Thailand. In a 1990 interview with "Spin", Carlisle stated that she was not close with her siblings or parents, saying: "I want to be close to them. I kind of feel uncomfortable. I think I feel guilty sometimes about my