Belinda Carlisle's musical journey began in the late 1970s, when she met Jane Wiedlin and Margo Olivarria in Venice, California. The trio formed a band, which initially called itself the Misfits, but later became known as the Go-Go's. By 1980, the group was touring internationally in an effort to build grassroots support.

However, it was the single "We Got the Beat" from their demo tape that unexpectedly became an underground hit, leading to a record deal with IRS Records in 1981. The Go-Go's debut album, Beauty and the Beat, was a massive success, featuring the hit single "Our Lips Are Sealed" and propelling the album to double-platinum status. The group earned a 1982 Grammy for Best New Artist and followed up with the album Vacation the same year.

In 1984, the Go-Go's released Talk Show, which included the hit singles "Head Over Heels" and "Turn To You". However, by 1986, Belinda Carlisle had launched a successful solo career, releasing her debut album Belinda. The album featured the hit singles "Mad About You", "I Feel the Magic", and "Band of Gold", as well as others.

The 1987 album Heaven on Earth brought Carlisle a number-one single, "Heaven Is A Place On Earth", and included other successful hits like "I Get Weak", "Circle in the Sand", and "I Feel Free". The album earned Carlisle a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocalist in 1988. In 1989, she released Runaway Horses, which included the hit singles "Leave a Light On", "Summer Rain", "Vision of You", and "We Want The same Thing".

A reunion with the Go-Go's was in store for 1990, and the group released a greatest hits collection. The following year, Belinda Carlisle released her album Live Your Life Be Free, and in 1992, The Best of Belinda Vol. 1 rose to number one on the British charts, bringing Carlisle her first number-one album. She went on to release Real in 1993 and the Go-Go's reunited again in 1994.

For most of the first decade of the millennium, Belinda Carlisle was relatively quiet, but she resurfaced in 2013 with her first single in nearly twenty years, "Sun". She followed this with a greatest hits collection titled The Collection, which included classic hits and new material, as well as a box set of all her singles. In 2017, Carlisle released her latest album, Wilder Shores.

Today, Belinda Carlisle continues to perform and record music, and is also an avid supporter of LGBTQ rights and a staunch vegetarian who supports various animal rights groups. Her autobiography, Lips Unsealed, was a New York Times Best Seller upon its release in 2010, further cementing her status as a beloved and enduring artist.