Bonnie was born to a family that included three sisters and two brothers, her father worked in a coal mine and her mother (an opera lover) shared her love for music with her children. She grew up listening to Motown music and female artists like Janis Joplin and Tina Turner

In 1970 at age 18, she entered a talent contest, singing Mary Hopkin's hit "Those Were the Days," but only came in second place. She then was chosen to sing in a band called Bobby Wayne and the Dixies. Two years later, she formed her own band called Imagination and performed with them in pubs and clubs all over south Wales. It was then that she decided to adopt the stage name of Sherene Davies (she took these names from her niece and favorite aunt).

In 1975, she was discovered by Roger Bell, who arranged a recording contract for her with RCA Records. Before signing, she was asked to adopt another stage name, in which she became Bonnie Tyler.

Following the Top 10 success of her 1976 song "Lost in France", Tyler released her first album in 1977 entitled The World Starts Tonight. A further single from the album, "More Than a Lover," made the UK Top 30, whereas the follow up single "Heaven" reached the Top 30 in Germany. In 1977, Tyler was diagnosed with nodules on her vocal cords that were so severe that surgery was mandatory. However, Tyler began speaking again prior to her doctor's orders, causing her voice to take on a raspy quality. At first this made her believe that her singing career was over, but (to her surprise) her next single made her an international star. "It's a Heartache" made #3 on the US chart and had become a hit worldwide; it topped the charts in several countries (including France and Australia) and peaked at #2 in Germany and at #4 in the UK. The Natural Force album was also retitled It's a Heartache for the U.S. market.

Though further global success was elusive during this era, Tyler did have some regional hits: "Here am I" made the German Top 20 in spring of 1978, one year later, the country influenced "My guns are loaded" peaked at number 3 in France whereas she also scored a minor UK Top 40 hit with "Married Men" in 1979, the theme to the film The World Is Full of Married Men. Tyler released the albums Diamond Cut (1979) and Goodbye to the Island (1981). The track Sitting on the Edge of the Ocean was the Grand Prix winner of the 1979 Yamaha World Song Festival held in Tokyo.

Tyler released four albums for RCA from 1977 to 1981. During that time she became dissatisfied with her management, who were trying to lean her closer to the country music market. When her contract with RCA expired, she signed with David Aspden Management and sought help from songwriter Jim Steinman to give her music a rock style. She signed with CBS Records in 1982.

Her next album, Faster than the Speed of Night, was released in spring 1983 and spawned the ballad "Total Eclipse of the Heart," written by Jim Steinman. The song was a worldwide hit, reaching no.1 in the UK, France, Australia and in the United States (where it remained for 4 weeks). Faster than the Speed of Night entered the UK album chart at No.1, making Tyler a Guinness Record holder as the first ever British female solo artist to have an album enter the UK chart at no. 1. The album also became a Top Five bestseller in the US and Australia. Total Eclipse of the Heart also brought Tyler a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. In 1984, she performed the track at the Grammy Awards, and received another Grammy nomination as Best Rock Female Vocalist for "Here She Comes", a song that was part of the soundtrack for the 1984 restoration of the film Metropolis. She also released the singles "A Rockin' Good Way" (a duet with fellow Welshman Shakin' Stevens) which made #5 in the UK, and "Holding Out for a Hero" from the film soundtrack Footloose which made the Top 40 in the U.S., and peaked at #2 in UK in the summer of 1985.

The following albums Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire (1986) and Hide Your Heart (1988) failed to continue the global success of Faster Than The Speed Of Night, but were certified Gold and Platinum in UK, Scandinavian countries, France and Switzerland. One of the single releases, If You Were A Woman (And I Was A Man) became another Top 10 hit in France in 1986 and was certified Silver.

In the early 1990s, Tyler switched to BMG German label Hansa. Her first album on her new label was Bitterblue in late 1991. This album went quadruple-platinum in Norway, platinum in Austria, and gold in Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden, amongst other countries. Tyler followed this up with the album, Angel Heart in late 1992, which repeated the success of "Bitterblue". The next album, Silhouette in Red, and the compilation The Very Best of Bonnie Tyler (#3 and platinum in Germany), with her hits from all three decades put together for the first time, were both released in 1993. Also in 1993, Tyler won Best International Female Vocalist at RSH Gold Award, the Award “Goldene Europa”, and ECHO Awards in 1994.