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Alex Clare

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Alex Clare
Clare performing on 28 January 2013 at Capitol Offenbach
Clare performing on 28 January 2013 at Capitol Offenbach
Background information
Birth nameAlexander George Clare[1][2]
Born (1985-09-14) 14 September 1985 (age 39)
Southwark, London, England
OriginGolders Green, London, England
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2007–present
Labels

Alexander George Clare (born 14 September 1985) is a British singer and songwriter. His debut album, The Lateness of the Hour, was released in the UK on 11 July 2011 on Island Records[3] and was produced by Mike Spencer and Major Lazer.[4]

His biggest hit, "Too Close", peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and number 7 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song was nominated for the Brit Award for Best British Single at the 2013 Brit Awards.[5]

Early life

[edit]

Clare was born in London on 14 September 1985.[6] He grew up listening to his father's jazz records;[7] Clare described the experience as a "...benefit of having a dad who was born in 1936... very much into bebop and cool jazz. I just loved it." That drew the young Clare to blues and soul artists such as Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder, which eventually led to interests in drum and bass, dubstep and UK garage. Though he took up the trumpet and drums when he was young, he eventually placed an emphasis on guitar and songwriting, playing open mic nights with original material.[8]

Clare attended Bishop Challoner School in Bromley and then Westminster Kingsway College from 2002, studying for an National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in catering.

Career

[edit]

A demo earned him a deal with the Island label in the UK. His debut album, The Lateness of the Hour, produced by Mike Spencer and Major Lazer[4] was released in July 2011. The first single from the album was "Up All Night", followed by "Too Close" and "Treading Water".

On 19 May 2011, Reggie Yates made Alex Clare's cover of Prince's "When Doves Cry" his Song of the Day.[9] A day later, the Dutch radio station 3FM announced single "Too Close" to be the '3FM's Megahit of that week.[10]

On 21 June 2011, Clare performed at the Queens' College, Cambridge May Ball.[11] On 14 August 2011, Clare performed at the Summer Well festival in Buftea, Romania. Following the disappointing performance of the album, Clare was dropped from his record contract with Universal Island in the UK.[12]

In March 2012, Clare's song "Too Close" was featured in several Internet Explorer 9 advertisements.[13] Following its use, the song debuted at number 68 on the US Billboard Hot 100,[14] and later reached number 7, becoming his first top 10 hit. Clare saw success on the German charts too, reaching number one. On 13 May 2012, Clare's song peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart.[15] Soon after the song appearance in charts, Universal Republic signed Clare to a distribution deal that allowed The Lateness of the Hour to be released in America in March 2012.[12][16] In mid-2012, it was announced that Universal Republic was going defunct moving artists from its roster to Republic Records including Alex Clare.[17]

In May 2014, Clare released the video for his single "War Rages On" as the lead single from his second album Three Hearts, which was released on 11 August 2014.[18] "War Rages On" has also served as the title sequence to the popular BBC Drama, Our Girl. On 8 October 2014, ASCAP named members Alex Clare and Jim Duguid Songwriters of the Year for "Too Close".[19]

Clare performing in 2013

In October 2016, Clare's first single from his debut album, "Up All Night" was used as the opening theme for BBC Three science-fiction series Class.

In November 2016, he released the album Tail of Lions.[20] The name is based on a Jewish proverb emphasizing correctness over power.[21]

It was announced in July 2018 that Clare would be releasing an acoustic album called Three Days at Greenmount, to be released on 14 September 2018. The album, which features stripped-back versions of previous songs as well as unreleased tracks, was recorded during a three-day studio session in Leeds over the summer of 2017.[22]

In October 2021, Clare released a new single, "Why Don't Ya", through ONErpm. The song, a ballad written for his wife following a personal tragedy, marked the end of a five-year hiatus from the music industry. Clare also revealed that he had been working on new songs with songwriter/producer Jamie Hartman during the COVID-19 lockdown and was planning a new EP for early 2022.[23][24]

Collaborations with other artists include:

Clare is also an international speaker, and has appeared in several sessions of South Africa's Sinai Indaba program.[30]

Personal life

[edit]

Brought up in what he has described as a "very, very secular" environment (though he always believed in God),[21] Clare became a baal teshuva to Orthodox Judaism in the mid-2000s.[7][31] As such, he does not perform, travel or work on Shabbat or on Jewish holidays. He has said that he lost one record deal opportunity due to this observance,[32] but has found other ways to continue his career successfully. Clare also keeps a strictly kosher diet and maintains a schedule of Talmud study on tour.[33] He lost an album deal with Island Records because he had to turn down a radio concert for BBC in observance of the Succoth holiday in October 2011.[24]

Though his parents remain secular, they are supportive of his lifestyle.[21]

In 2006, before gaining critical success, Clare dated British singer Amy Winehouse (with whom he shared a birthday), but the relationship only lasted about a year.[16] They met while he was performing and working at a bar she frequented, the Hawley Arms in Camden, North London. When Winehouse started dating other men, Clare sold his story regarding his relationship with her to the tabloid News of the World, which ran it with the headline "Bondage Crazed Amy Just Can't Beehive in Bed".[34]

He lived in Golders Green, an area in northwest London,[35] before moving to Jerusalem in late 2015 together with his wife and daughter.[20][24] He and his wife had a daughter c. 2013 and a son c. 2015,[21] and later had a third child.[24]

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
UK
[36] 		AUT
[37] 		BEL
[38] 		FRA
[39] 		GER
[40] 		SWI
[41] 		US
[42]
The Lateness of the Hour 17 16 190 95 8 49 48
Three Hearts 98 — — — 43 74 —
Tail of Lions
  • Released: 11 November 2016 (UK); 20 January 2017 (US)
  • Label: ETC Recordings
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 — — — — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Acoustic albums

[edit]
Title Album details
Three Days at Greenmount

Singles

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As lead artist

[edit]
List of singles as lead artist, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
UK
[36] 		AUT
[37] 		BEL
[38] 		CAN
[47] 		DEN
[48] 		FRA
[39] 		GER
[40] 		NL
[49] 		SWI
[41] 		US
[50]
"Up All Night" 2010 — — — — — — — — — — The Lateness of the Hour
"Too Close" 2011 4 5 36 14 29 9 1 33 12 7
"Treading Water" 179 — — — — — 59 — — —
"Hummingbird" 2012 — — — — — — — — — —
"War Rages On" 2014 53 — — — — — — — — — Three Hearts
"Never Let You Go" — — — — — — — — — —
"Tell Me What You Need" 2016 — — — — — — — — — — Tail of Lions
"Get Real" 2017 — — — — — — — — — —
"Why Don't Ya" 2021 — — — — — — — — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.
[edit]
List of singles as featured artist, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
UK
[56] 		AUS
[57] 		BEL
(FLA)
[38] 		BEL
(WA)
[58] 		NL
[49] 		NZ
[59]
"Not Giving In"
(Rudimental featuring John Newman and Alex Clare) 		2012 14 12 54 77 71 11 Home
"Endorphins"
(Sub Focus featuring Alex Clare) 		2013 10 — 134 — — — Torus
"Give It All"
(Don Diablo featuring Alex Clare and Kelis) 		— — — — — — Non-album singles
"Living"
(Bakermat featuring Alex Clare) 		2016 — — — — — —
"Heaven to Me"
(Don Diablo featuring Alex Clare) 		2018 — — — — — —
"Hold On"[62]
(Ilan Bluestone and Maor Levi featuring Alex Clare) 		2021 — — — — — — TBA
"Thunder Child"
(Jeff Wayne featuring Liam Neeson and Alex Clare)[63] 		2012 57 — — — — — Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of War of the Worlds: The New Generation[64]
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.

Other appearances

[edit]
Title Year Album
"Give You Up"
(Rudimental featuring Alex Clare) 		2012 Home
(deluxe version)
Title Year Album
"Shine a Little Light"
(Shine a Little Light featuring Alex Clare) 		2016 Shine a Little Light
(single)

Music videos

[edit]

As lead artist

[edit]
List of music videos, showing year released and director
Title Year Director(s)
"Up All Night" 2010 Blake Claridge[65]
"Too Close" 2011 Ian Bonhote[66]
"Treading Water" Sam Pilling[67]
"War Rages On" 2014 Alex Southam[68]
"Get Real" 2017 Shimmy Socol[69]
"Why Don't Ya" 2021 Indy Hait[70]
[edit]
List of music videos, showing year released and director
Title Year Director(s)
"Not Giving In"
(Rudimental featuring John Newman and Alex Clare) 		2012 Josh Cole[71]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Year Organisation Award Work Result
2011 MOBO Awards Best Newcomer[72] Himself Nominated
UK Music Video Awards Best Pop Video – Budget "Relax My Beloved" Nominated
2013 Best Dance Video – UK "Not Giving In"
(Rudimental featuring John Newman and Alex Clare) 		Won
International Dance Music Awards Best Breakthrough Artist (Solo) Himself Nominated
New Music Awards New AC Artist of the Year[73] Won
BRIT Awards British Single of the Year[74] "Too Close" Nominated
2014 ASCAP Awards Night Songwriter of the Year (with Jim Duguid)[19] Won
World Music Awards World's Best Video Nominated
World's Best Male Artist Himself Nominated
World's Best Live Act Nominated
World's Best Entertainer of the Year Nominated

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Alex Clare Biography Archived 10 May 2013 at the Wayback Machine. StarPulse. Retrieved 2 June 2013
  2. ^ Songwriter/Composer: Clare Alexander George. BMI Repertoire. Retrieved 2 June 2013
  3. ^ "Alex Clare album release". Alexclare.com. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2011.
  4. ^ a b "Alex Clare – Diplo and Switch's Superstar Turn". 1 December 2010. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  5. ^ "Brit Awards: Emeli Sande gets four nominations". BBC News. Retrieved 10 January 2013
  6. ^ "Alex Clare Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  7. ^ a b "Amy Winehouse's ex, Alex Clare, hits the big time". The Jewish Chronicle. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  8. ^ Kellman, Andy. "Alex Clare". Pandora. Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  9. ^ "SONG OF THE DAY #20 When Does cry – Alex Clare". Reggie Yates. 19 May 2011. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  10. ^ "Biografie – Artiest – Biografie – NPO 3FM – Serious Radio". 3fm.nl. Archived from the original on 1 June 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2012.
  11. ^ "Queens' May Ball 2011". Queensball.com. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  12. ^ a b "Alex Clare Talks Microsoft Ad, Amy Winehouse & Career Re-Start". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 14 April 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2012.
  13. ^ "The Web Comes to Life With New Internet Explorer Ad Featuring Singer Alex Clare". Microsoft.com. 5 March 2012. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  14. ^ Trust, Gary; Caulfield, Keith (28 March 2012). "Chart Moves: Carly Rae Jepsen Hits Hot 100 Top 20; Alex Clare's Microsoft Boost; Shinedown's 'Bully' Bows". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 29 March 2012.
  15. ^ "2012-05-05 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive – Official Charts". Official Charts Company. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 5 May 2012.
  16. ^ a b c Maeve McDermott (15 July 2012). "Meet Alex Clare, the voice behind 'Too Close'". USA Today.
  17. ^ "Alex Clare now with Republic Records". Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  18. ^ "Alex Clare (2) – Three Hearts". Discogs. 11 August 2014. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  19. ^ a b "Co-writers Alex Clare and Jim Duguid, Bastille's Dan Smith and Universal Music Publishing Honored in London". ASCAP. 9 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  20. ^ a b Copsey, Rob (14 November 2016). "Alex Clare on his new album, moving to Jerusalem and becoming a father". Retrieved 17 November 2016.
  21. ^ a b c d e Denham, Jess (9 November 2016). "Alex Clare interview: 'The world is a crazy place'". The Independent. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  22. ^ "Alex Clare performs song Three Hearts from album Three Days in Greenmount". The Daily Telegraph. 16 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  23. ^ "Alex Clare Makes His Return With Single "Why Don't Ya"". Wonderland. 22 October 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  24. ^ a b c d e Glynn, Paul (26 October 2021). "Alex Clare: The singer who chose his faith over Adele tour". BBC News. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  25. ^ SUMMERS, TIM (2018). "Music and Transmediality: The Multi-Media Invasion ofJeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds". Twentieth-Century Music. 15 (2): 231–258. doi:10.1017/s1478572218000154. ISSN 1478-5722. S2CID 53494488.
  26. ^ Alex Clare – Sparks, retrieved 4 July 2022
  27. ^ Bakermat Feat. Alex Clare – Living, retrieved 4 July 2022
  28. ^ a b Don Diablo (Ft. Alex Clare) – Heaven To Me, retrieved 4 July 2022
  29. ^ Don Diablo (Ft. Alex Clare & Kelis) – Give It All, retrieved 4 July 2022
  30. ^ "Sinai Indaba | Home". www.sinai-indaba.com. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  31. ^ Schreiber, Abby (23 July 2012). "Alex Clare Talks Hit Single, "Too Close" (And the Commercial That Made It Famous)". Papermag. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  32. ^ Tzvi Gluckin. Judaism, Sacrifice, and the Education of Alex Clare. aish.com Retrieved 4 September 2014
  33. ^ "British pop star balances stardom and Orthodoxy". The Times of Israel. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  34. ^ "Amy Winehouse cut out my heart and stomped on it says ex". Archived from the original on 29 September 2016.
  35. ^ "British pop sensation balances stardom, Orthodoxy". The Jerusalem Post. 3 November 2012.
  36. ^ a b Peak chart positions for singles and albums in the United Kingdom:
  37. ^ a b "Discographie Alex Clare". austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. 20 April 2012.
  38. ^ a b c "Discographie Alex Clare". ultratop.be. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
  39. ^ a b "Discographie Alex Clare". lescharts.com. Hung Medien. 18 November 2012.
  40. ^ a b "Discographie Alex Clare". charts.de. Hung Medien. 18 November 2012. Archived from the original on 12 August 2014.
  41. ^ a b "Discographie Alex Clare". hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. 2 April 2012.
  42. ^ "Alex Clare Album & Song Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 18 November 2012.
  43. ^ "The Lateness of the Hour". Amazon.com. 18 November 2012.
  44. ^ "British album certifications – Alex Clare". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 April 2017. Select albums in the Format field. Type Alex Clare in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  45. ^ a b "Gold–/Platin-Datenbank (Alex Clare)" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  46. ^ "Three Hearts". Amazon.com. 11 August 2014.
  47. ^ "Alex Clare Album & Song Chart History: Billboard Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 18 November 2012.
  48. ^ "Discography Alex Clare". danishcharts.dk. Hung Medien. 18 November 2012.
  49. ^ a b "Discografie Alex Clare". dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. 18 November 2012.
  50. ^ "Alex Clare Album & Song Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 18 November 2012.
  51. ^ a b c "British single certifications – Alex Clare". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 24 July 2016. Select singles in the Format field. Type Alex Clare in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  52. ^ "Austrian certifications – Alex Clare" (in German). IFPI Austria. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  53. ^ "Alex Clare "Too Close"". ifpi.dk. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  54. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Alex Clare)". swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  55. ^ "American certifications – Clare, Alex". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  56. ^ Peak positions for the featured singles in the United Kingdom:
  57. ^ "Discography Alex Clare". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. 18 November 2012.
  58. ^ "Discographie Alex Clare". ultratop.be/fr/. Hung Medien. 18 November 2012.
  59. ^ "Discography Alex Clare". charts.nz. Hung Medien. 18 November 2012.
  60. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  61. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Rudimental feat. John Newman and Alex Clare – Not Giving In". Recorded Music NZ. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  62. ^ "Hold On (feat. Maor Levi & Alex Clare) – Single by Ilan Bluestone & Maor Levi on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  63. ^ "Farewell Thunder Child". Magnumlady Blog. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  64. ^ The War of the Worlds: The New Generation – 2012 Studio Cast, retrieved 30 June 2022
  65. ^ "Up All Night | Alex Clare | Music Video". MTV Music. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  66. ^ "Too Close | Alex Clare | Music Video". MTV Music. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  67. ^ "Treading Water | Alex Clare | Music Video". MTV Music. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on 29 January 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  68. ^ Alex Clare: War Rages On (Music), IMDb, 27 May 2014, retrieved 5 January 2022
  69. ^ "Alex Clare – Get Real". YouTube. 27 January 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  70. ^ Alex Clare – Why Don't Ya (Official Music Video), 21 October 2021, retrieved 5 January 2022
  71. ^ Gottlieb, Steven (22 October 2012). "Watch It: Rudimental f. Alex Clare "Not Giving In" (Josh Cole, dir.)". Video Static. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  72. ^ "2011 Mobo awards nominees". Telegraph.co.uk. 5 October 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  73. ^ "2013 NEW MUSIC AWARDS: And the winners are . . ". New Music Weekly. 1 March 2013. Retrieved 21 March 2020.
  74. ^ "BRIT Awards 2013: Best British Single". Capital FM. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
[edit]
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