Antony Hegarty

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Antony Hegarty


Img_capt = Antony Hegarty in 2007
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Background = solo_singer
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Born = 1971
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Occupation = Singer-songwriter
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Associated_acts = Antony and the Johnsons, Hercules and Love Affair
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Antony Hegarty (born 1971) is an English-Irish singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer of the band Antony and the Johnsons.

Biography

Born in Sussex, UK in 1971, Hegarty's family moved to Amsterdam in 1977, before settling in California in 1981. As a teenager he was influenced by the British synth pop of the time – in particular emotive singers such as Marc Almond, Alison Moyet and Boy George.Fact|date=June 2008 In 1990 he moved to Manhattan to attend the Experimental Theatre Wing of NYU and founded the performance collective Blacklips with creative partner Johanna Constantine.

British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Hegarty's music through his Durtro label; the debut album, "Antony and the Johnsons", was released in 1998. In 2001, Hegarty released a follow-up EP, "I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy", which, in addition to the title track, included a cover of a David Lynch/Angelo Badalamenti song " Mysteries of love "and a Current 93 song. Antony and the Johnsons' 2005 album "I Am a Bird Now" won the UK's prestigious Mercury Prize and was called Album of the Year by "Mojo" magazine. The song Bird Gerhl was featured in the soundtrack for the movie "V for Vendetta".

He has notably worked with Lou Reed live as a second vocalist on "Animal Serenade" and performed on a number of tracks on "The Raven". Hegarty also appears on the song "Lowlands Low" with Bryan Ferry on Hal Willner's ' album, the song "Old Whore's Diet" on Rufus Wainwright's album "Want Two" and on the song "Beautiful Boyz" on CocoRosie's album "Noah's Ark". In 2007, he lent his vocals to the track 'Blind' by Hercules and Love Affair, a New York based dance collective. He provides vocals on the Michael Cashmore EP, "The Snow Abides", and guest vocals on "The Beautiful Dancing Dust", a track on the Current 93 album, "Black Ships Ate The Sky". He also co-wrote a song on Joan as Police Woman's "Real Life" album, "I Defy", to which he also contributes vocals. He was featured as a performing artist in the film ' about Leonard Cohen. Hegarty covers "If It Be Your Will", in a performance from Hal Willner's "Came So Far For Beauty"concerts. Antony Hegarty also performed Cohen's "The Guests" during these concerts, and the song has also featured in Antony & The Johnsons live sets. Hegarty also worked with renowned guitarist Bernard Butler (formerly of Suede) on some acoustic sessions for XFM. The recording of this session can be found [http://www.xfm.co.uk/article.asp?id=81713 here.]

Antony and the Johnsons collaborated with experimental film maker Charles Atlas and presented "TURNING" in Nov 2005 in Rome, London, Paris, Madrid, and Braga. The concert featured live video portraits of some of New York City's most enigmatic women. The Guardian called the piece "fragile, life affirming, and truly wonderful (five stars)" Le Monde in Paris hailed "TURNING" as "Concert-manifeste transsexuel". In 2006 Antony collaborated with Icelandic musician Björk in recording sessions in Jamaica and Iceland. The songs, The Dull Flame of Desire and "My Juvenile", feature on her 2007 album "Volta". In late 2007 he was voted one of Out.com's 100 gay men and women to "rock" the year as a distinctive "balladeer". [ [http://www.out.com/out100/nominees_7.asp OUT 100 | The 100 Men and Women who Rocked 2007 ] ]

As a side project, Antony Hegarty also worked with DJ Andy Butler in the American dance group Hercules and Love Affair. His vocals can be found on five of the tracks on their self-titled debut album, "Hercules and Love Affair", released in March 2008.

In October 2008, Antony will release his first EP in 3 years, the Another World EP, featuring 5 new tracks.

Antony & the Johnson's third LP, "The Crying Light", will be released on January 21, 2009.

Discography

Miscellaneous appearances

Since the release of "I Am a Bird Now", Antony has been featured on the soundtrack of the Bob Dylan biopic "I'm Not There" as well as on a number of fashion runways (Including Gucci, Versace, Fendi and Chanel) in the band's cover of Dylan's Knocking on Heaven's Door. [ [http://www.antonyandthejohnsons.com/news/news.html/ Antony and the Johnsons News] ]

He also sang back up on the song "I Defy" from Joan As Police Woman's 2006 debut album "Real Life" and appears on the Cocorosie album "Noah's Ark" (2005), in the song "Beautiful Boyz".

In 2006-07 Antony sang back up (with Sharon Jones and a children's choir) in Lou Reed's first full performance of his album "Berlin". This was performed at St Ann's Warehouse in NYC in December 2006 and at The State Theatre in Sydney, Australia in January 2007.

Antony sings on "The Snow Abides", a mini-album by Michael Cashmore of Current 93. It comprises five songs, two of which are instrumental and three of which are sung by Antony. Antony is featured on two tracks ("The Dull Flame of Desire" and "My Juvenile") on Björk's 2007 album "Volta", the first of which was released a single in 2008. In addition, he duets with Marc Almond on the song "Ballad of The Sad Young Men" for Almond's album "Stardom Road" released in June 2007. Antony can be heard on several tracks on Hercules and Love Affair's "euphoric disco" album most notably on the track "Blind" released March 2008 [ [http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=29360_0_2_0_C Singer Antony & The Johnsons featured on 'Blind' by Hercules and Love Affair] ] .

List of appearances

* "Beauty", duets with Linda Thompson (singer) accompanied by string quartet on her album "Versatile Heart" (song written by Rufus Wainwright) (2007)
* "The Dull Flame of Desire" and "My Juvenile", duets with Björk on her album "Volta" (2007)
* "The Snow Abides" mini-album by Michael Cashmore
* "Hope There's Someone" in the "Torchwood" episode "End of Days" (2006)
* "Semen Song for James Bidgood" on Matmos's "The Rose Has Teeth in the Mouth of a Beast" (2006)
* The song "Bird Gerhl" played on the jukebox while Evey and V dance in "V for Vendetta" (2006).
* Appears on the track "Beautiful Boyz" on CocoRosie's "Noah's Ark" (2005)
* Live at St. Olaves (PanDurtro, 2003) Split EP with Current 93
* Calling for vanished faces 1/Virgin Mary (PanDurtro, 2003) Split 7" single with Current 93 limited to 500 copies
* "I Fell in Love with a Dead Boy" in Sébastien Lifshitz's film "Wild Side" (2004)
* "Candy Says" on Lou Reed's "Animal Serenade" (2004)
* "Perfect Day" on Lou Reed's "The Raven" (2003)
* "Old Whore's Diet" on Rufus Wainwright's "Want Two"
* "Happy Xmas (War is over)" with Boy George on The War Child album "" (2005)
* "If It Be Your Will" in the documentary ""
* "I Defy" with Joan as Policewoman on her album "Real Life"
* "Idumea" and "The Beautiful Dancing Dust" on Current 93's "Black Ships Ate the Sky" (2006)
* "Lowlands Low" with Bryan Ferry and "Leave her Johnny" with Lou Reed on "" (2006)
* Appears in the film "Animal Factory" (2002) as the character Toni Johnson
* "Fistful Of Love" used in the "Saving Grace (TV series)" Episode "Are You an Indian Princess?" (2008)
* "Keep in Touch" on Nico Muhly's "Speaks Volumes"

References

External links

Erik Steinskog, [http://www.trikster.net/1/steinskog/1.html "Voice of Hope: Queer Pop Subjectivities"] in Trikster – Nordic Queer Journal #1, 2008.