John Grant (musician)
| John Grant | |
|---|---|
 John Grant performing at The Leadmill, Sheffield, on 29 July 2010. |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | John Grant |
| Origin | Parker, Colorado |
| Genres | Folk, alternative rock, indie rock |
| Instruments | Vocals, piano |
| Labels | Bella Union Partisan USA, Sena Iceland |
| Associated acts | The Czars, Midlake |
| Website | johngrantmusic.com |
John Grant (born 1968) is an American singer-songwriter. Formerly associated with the Denver-based alternative rock band The Czars in the 1990s and early 2000s,[1] he launched a career as a solo artist in 2010.
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Career [edit]
Prior to forming The Czars, Grant aspired to be a translator in Germany before realising that his English skills were poor and he would be unable to have the job he desired.[2]
Following the band's break-up, Grant took some time off from making music and returned to recording and performing in 2010 with his debut solo album Queen of Denmark.[1]
Released on April 6, 2010, it had been recorded in collaboration with the American folk-rock band Midlake and released on Bella Union.[1] Described as a deeply personal album about his past struggles with alcohol and drug addiction and coming to terms with being gay,[1] it was chosen as Best Album of 2010 by the British music magazine Mojo.[1]
Grant travelled to Ireland in 2011 to play at the Kilkenny Rhythm & Roots Festival and Electric Picnic, and Belgium for the Dranouter Festival in August 2011.[3]
Grant is currently living in Reykjavík, Iceland,[4] where he worked throughout 2012 on his second solo album with Birgir Þórarinsson, a.k.a. Biggi Veira of Iceland's electronic pioneers Gus Gus.[4] Pale Green Ghosts was released on March 11, 2013.
Personal life [edit]
At a live performance with Hercules and Love Affair at the 2012 Meltdown festival, Grant publicly acknowledged for the first time that he is HIV-positive.[5]
John Grant is openly gay. In the album Pale Green Ghosts, he sings about being HIV-positive in the track "Ernest Borgnine",[4] and several other tracks refer to his youth and to a former boyfriend.[6]
In popular culture [edit]
- Several of his songs from his album Queen of Denmark are used in the 2011 movie Weekend.[4]
- Irish musician Sinéad O'Connor covered "Queen of Denmark" on her 2012 album How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?.
- O'Connor also supplied backing vocals for Grant's second solo album, Pale Green Ghosts.[4]
Discography [edit]
Albums [edit]
- with The Czars
- 1996: Moodswing
- 1997: The La Brea Tar Pits of Routine
- 2000: Before...But Longer
- 2001: The Ugly People vs. the Beautiful People
- 2004: Goodbye
- 2005: Sorry I Made You Cry
- Solo
- 2010: Queen of Denmark
- 2013: Pale Green Ghosts
Singles [edit]
- with The Czars
- 2000: "Val"
- 2002: "Side Effect"
- 2002: "X Would Rather Listen"
- 2004: "Paint the Moon"
- Solo
- 2013: "GMF"
References [edit]
- ^ a b c d e "John Grant getting his sad mojo working". Toronto Star, December 3, 2010.
- ^ The Czars - an interview with John William Grant by Martin Williams
- ^ Dranouter, Program 2011. "Dranouter Program". Retrieved 8 August 2011.
- ^ a b c d e LISTEN: John Grant's 'Pale Green Ghosts'. Out, January 30, 2013.
- ^ "Hercules & Love Affair – Review". The Guardian, August 8, 2012.
- ^ "John Grant: 'I wanted to let some of the anger out'" - Interview by Dorian Lynskey. The Guardian, March 3, 2013.
External links [edit]
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