Brett Anderson

Infobox musical artist
Name = Brett Anderson


Img_capt = Brett Anderson
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Brett Lewis Anderson
Alias =
Born = birth date and age|1967|9|29
Died =|Origin = Haywards Heath, England
Instrument = Piano, Guitar
Genre = Alternative rock, Britpop
Occupation = Singer-songwriter
Years_active = 1989–2003, 2004–present
Label = Drowned In Sound
Associated_acts = Suede
The Tears
URL = [http://www.brettanderson.co.uk www.BrettAnderson.co.uk]

Brett Lewis Anderson (born September 29, 1967) is an English singer-songwriter, best-known as the former lead vocalist of Britpop band Suede. After Suede disbanded, he fronted The Tears, who are currently on indefinite hiatus. Anderson has also released two solo albums.

Biography

Born in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, England, Anderson spent much of his childhood playing sports and becoming a rock star.

In his teens, Anderson played guitar for garage bands such as The Pigs and Geoff, the latter featuring future Suede bassist Mat Osman. In the late-1980s, Anderson and Osman formed Suede with Anderson's girlfriend, Justine Frischmann, soon recruiting guitarist Bernard Butler through an advertisement in the NME. After receiving percussional help from former Smiths drummer Mike Joyce, in 1991, Simon Gilbert joined Suede as their official drummer. It was around this time that Frischmann left Anderson for Blur frontman Damon Albarn, which created an early rift in the burgeoning Britpop scene of the early 1990s. After missing too many rehearsals and flaunting her relationship with Albarn while still living with Anderson, Frischmann was fired from the group, going on to front Elastica.

Even before Suede's first album appeared in stores, Anderson's androgynous style and vague "confessions" about his sexuality stirred controversy in the British music press. In 1993, "Suede" hit number one on the UK charts. Combining Morrissey's homoerotic posturing with David Bowie's glam theatrics, Anderson achieved instant fame in the UK. America, however, was still spellbound by the grunge revolution and Anderson's grim yodellings clashed with the raw anger of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. Furthering complications across the Atlantic, due to a trademark dispute with the American lounge singer Suede, the band were forced to change their name to The London Suede for the American market. Although the departure of songwriting partner Butler in 1994 during the recording of second album "Dog Man Star" (number three on the UK charts) led many to fear Suede's eventual demise, the band continued to release critically and commercially successful material in the UK, such as 1996's critically-acclaimed "Coming Up" (another number one of the band).

"Coming Up" proved to be a last high point, as Anderson's well-publicised problems with crack and heroin addiction put the band on hiatus in the late 1990s. The band carried on to release "Head Music" (number one on the UK charts and in several countries) in 1999. But "A New Morning" was a commercial disappointment in 2002. In 2003, after the release of their "Singles" compilation, Suede disbanded.

Anderson has commented that the history of Suede is "...ridiculous. It’s like Machiavelli rewriting "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". It involves a cast of thousands. It should star Charlton Heston... it’s like a pram that’s just been pushed down a hill. It’s always been fiery and tempestuous and really on the edge and it never stops. I don’t think it ever will.”

On his own, Anderson collaborated with Stina Nordenstam, and his guest vocals can be heard on the album "This Is Stina Nordenstam" and has made a duet with Jane Birkin in 1995 which exists in 1998 Birkin's Best Of album. He also sang the lyric "You're going to reap just what you sow" in the Children in Need charity single "Perfect Day".

In 2004, after resolving their differences, Anderson and former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler formed the band The Tears with Will Foster, Makoto Sakamoto and Nathan Fisher and released their debut album "Here Come The Tears," which was met with mixed critical and popular reactions. It was produced by Bernard Butler and largely recorded at home, and featured the singles "Refugees" and "Lovers".

Anderson was close friends with Simon Hobart (promoter of Popstarz) and was the DJ at the benefit night held in Hobart's honour after his death.

In May 2006, Anderson announced details of a solo album consisting of 11 tracks, which was released on 26th March 2007. He told NME that the title would be "Brett Anderson" since "...that's my name, you see." The accompanying video for Anderson's first single "Love Is Dead" debuted on UK television in February 2007, quickly finding its way to YouTube. "Love Is Dead" made its debut at #42 in the UK singles chart, and the album went to #54 the following week. The keyboardist-producer on his album is Fred Ball, and former Suede bass player Mat Osman joined the live band on tour.

In July 2007 Brett Anderson modelled Nick Hart for Aquascutum's autumn/winter 2007 campaign [http://www.wallpaper.com/fashion/Nick_Hart_for_Aquascutum/1598 photos on wallpaper.com]

In May 2008 it was announced that Anderson's second album was to be premiered on July 7th in a special concert at London's mermaid theatre. A free copy of the album, entitled Wilderness, was given to all ticket buyers, in the form of a USB stick. The album was also made available in lossless formats through the Bowers & Wilkins Music Club on July 8th as well as being released on CD/Downloads via his own label BA Songs. According to Brett Anderson on his website, the recording process was very swift: www.brettanderson.co.uk: " i recorded everything live to 2 inch tape with no click tracks and just one other musician playing cello. the whole thing was recorded and mixed in 7 sunny days in May and it was one of the most satisfying records i have ever been involved with.it is simple, personal, bleak ,raw , romantic and soulful and is full of the jagged edges and hiss and crackle of the studio.". He plays the piano and the acoustic guitars, and is accompanied by Amy Langley on cello. One of the songs "Back to you" written with Fred Ball of the Norwegian band Pleasure is a duet with French actress Emmanuelle Seigner. The cover photograph of the album is by Allan Jenkins with further photography by Paul Khera who documented the recording process of Wilderness from the song-writing to the premiere in a series of photographs which can be viewed on [http://www.brettanderson.co.uk Brett Anderson's Website] and [http://www.paulkhera.com paulkhera.com]

Solo discography

Studio albums

* "Brett Anderson" (March 26, 2007) - UK #54cite web |title= Chart Log UK 2007 |accessdate=2008-09-10 |date=2008-01-25 |publisher=Zobbel |author=Zobbel |url=http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_2007.HTM]
* "Wilderness" (September 1, 2008) - UK #161,cite journal
title = The Official Album Chart for the week ending 13 September 2008
journal = ChartsPlus
issue = 368
pages= 5-8
accessdate = 2008-09-10
publisher = IQ Ware Ltd
location = Milton Keynes] , #16 UK Indiecite journal
title = The Official UK Indie Charts for the week ending 13 September 2008
journal = ChartsPlus
issue = 368
pages= 15
accessdate = 2008-09-10
publisher = IQ Ware Ltd
location = Milton Keynes]

Live albums

* "Live in London" (May 9, 2007) Limited Edition of 1500
* "Live at Union Chapel" (July 19, 2007) Limited Edition of 1500
* "Live at Queen Elizabeth Hall" (October 20, 2007) Limited Edition of 1500

Singles

; from "Brett Anderson":
* "Love Is Dead" (March 19, 2007) - UK #42cite web |title= Chart Log UK 2007 |accessdate=2008-09-10 |date=2008-01-25 |publisher=Zobbel |author=Zobbel |url=http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_2007.HTM]

; from "Wilderness":
* "Back to You" (July 9, 2007) Non-chart eligible EP
*"A Different Place" (July 21, 2008) Digital download

External links

* [http://www.brettanderson.co.uk Official Site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/brettandersonofficial Official MySpace]

References