- Mark Wilkinson (singer)
-
Mark Wilkinson 
Mark Wilkinson before a show at The Tea Club in Nowra, 2009.Background information Birth name Mark Edward Wilkinson Born 12 August, Buckinghamshire, England Origin Sydney, Australia Genres Acoustic, folk, alternative rock, pop Occupations Singer–songwriter Instruments Guitar, vocals Years active 2005–present Website Official website Mark Wilkinson (singer) (born 12 August, Buckinghamshire, England) is an Australian singer–songwriter.
Contents
Early life
Wilkinson was born in England, but his family soon emigrated to Singapore and then Australia when he was 4 years old. Wilkinson was educated at Sydney Grammar School and went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts/Commerce at the University of Sydney. It was during his time at university that Wilkinson learnt to play the acoustic guitar.[1]
Career
In 2006 Wilkinson independently released his debut EP, Cellophane Life. This unpolished 6 track collection provided an introduction to Wilkinson’s lyrical hand and emotive sound. The title track along with Baptism By Fire elevated Mark as a finalist in Commercial Radio Australia’s coveted New Artist To Radio competition.[2]
Following on in 2007, Wilkinson hit the road with then current Australian Idol winner Damien Leith, performing to thousands across the country. Shortly after, he came to the attention of Peer Music, the world’s largest independent music publisher, and subsequently signed a global deal.[3]
Kicking off 2008, Wilkinson set out on the road again, headlining shows along the east coast of Australia. He then set off to Europe for 2 months, performing across Ireland, England, France, and Germany; teaming up with acclaimed songwriter Adam Argyle (Mel C, Newton Faulkner, Wes Carr); and working with David Gray’s team in his London studio. The success of the European tour saw Wilkinson invited to return as part of the Popkomm conference in Berlin, where he showcased to industry members from around the globe.[3]
Wilkinson returned to Australia to finish his follow-up EP, Counting Down The Hours, which delivered a more polished, fully produced side to his music. The title track along with Keep Fighting once again placed him as a finalist in the New Artist To Radio competition,[4] with Wilkinson going on to receive airplay on various commercial and community stations across the country.[3]
In early 2009 Wilkinson was invited to perform for deployed Australian troops in the Solomon Islands.[5] In an effort to make more of his music publicly available Wilkinson launched a campaign called A Year of YouTube beginning in April.[6][7] The premise of the campaign being to release an original song each week over the course of a year. With Wilkinson's live reputation continuing to grow he signed on with the Harbour Agency, Australia’s largest booking agency, joining the ranks of many of the nation’s finest performers. This relationship was solidified with Sydney residencies, where Wilkinson performed week after week, and followed on with a national tour supporting multi-ARIA award winner Diesel.[3]
The following year, 2010, launched in similar fashion with Wilkinson touring Australia supporting multi-Grammy winner Michael Bolton.[8] This quickly followed up with more tours alongside Australian stalwarts Ian Moss (Cold Chisel), Jon Stevens (Noiseworks), and Shannon Noll, before heading to China to represent Australia and perform to tens of thousands each day at World Expo.[9] Wilkinson then finished the year performing at arenas around the country alongside musical royalty Brian Wilson, Chicago, America, and Peter Frampton.[10]
Meanwhile with sales of his EPs, available only at shows, exceeding 20,000 copies, Wilkinson returned to the studio to record his debut album Truth Came Running with producer Sean Carey, acclaimed guitarist for multi-platinum band Thirsty Merc. With its release in March 2011, Wilkinson returned to the road, while lead single All I Ever Wanted has been receiving radio and television play on stations across the country.[3] The film clip for All I Ever Wanted was shot on the streets of Cape Town, South Africa by award winning photographer Adrian Steirn and his 21 Icons Global Project team.[6]
Discography
Albums
Year Details 2006 Cellophane Life - Released: 2006
- Label: Independent (MW001)
- Format: EP
2008 Counting Down The Hours - Released: 2008
- Label: Independent (MW002)
- Format: EP
2011 Truth Came Running - Released: 4 March 2011
- Label: Independent/MGM Distribution (MW005)
- Format: CD
Singles
Year Song Album 2011 "All I Ever Wanted" Truth Came Running References
- ^ Dunger, Karina (15 February 2008). "MX". MX. http://www.markwilkinsonmusic.com/Portals/MarkWilkinson/Images/Media/Mark-MXNewspaper15Feb08.pdf. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- ^ Busby, Cec (3 October 2006). "NA2R finalists announced". FasterLouder. http://imagecache-cdn.fasterlouder.com.au/news/local/6271/NA2R-finalists-announced. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "Biography". http://www.markwilkinsonmusic.com/Biography/tabid/3813/language/en-US/Default.aspx. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- ^ "Nine finalists in radio’s premier music competition". Commercial Radio Australia. 4 September 2008. http://www.commercialradio.com.au/index.cfm?page_id=1305&news_display_year=2008&display_news_id_5517=1219. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ "Solomon Islands Forces Entertainment Tour Draws To A Close". Department of Defence. 4 March 2009. http://www.defence.gov.au/media/departmentaltpl.cfm?CurrentId=8832. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ a b Smith, Michael (12 April 2011). "Internet Savvy". Drum Media. http://www.markwilkinsonmusic.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=Fd3u9UQKwS0%3d&tabid=3833&language=en-US. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- ^ "A Year of YouTube". http://www.youtube.com/user/markwilkinsonmusic#grid/user/BDA73D53E68B89C5. Retrieved 17 May 2011.
- ^ "Michael Bolton". Andrew McManus Presents. http://www.ampresents.com/?module=events&action=past&id=85. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ "Shanghai World Expo 2010". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. http://www.dfat.gov.au/publications/shanghai-expo-final-report.doc. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ "Chicago, America, Peter Frampton. Also joining Brian Wilson on selected shows". Andrew McManus Presents. http://www.ampresents.com/?module=events&action=past&id=87. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
External links
Categories:- Australian singer-songwriters
- Australian male singers
- Australian songwriters
- Australian guitarists
- Australian buskers
- English male singers
- Living people
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