Dan Gillespie Sells
Dan Gillespie Sells |
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Dan Gillespie Sells (born 1979[1] in London, England) is guitarist and lead vocalist with UK band The Feeling.
Biography
Sells attended The Ashmole School in London along with fellow students Amy Winehouse and Rachel Stevens (S Club 7). He studied at the BRIT School in which many new British groups originate from such as The Kooks in Croydon, and for a time was guitarist for Scottish pop rock band Speedway.
He is openly gay,[2] having announced his sexuality in the July 2006 issue of Attitude Magazine.[3] On 15 November 2006, in The Sun, he also said that his parents are a lesbian couple and that he has an uncle who is gay. In the article, Sells called his family a "kind of poster family for civil liberties organisations."[4] Sells joked in a Channel 4 online chat that any man can be persuaded in any direction "given the right amount of alcohol and skill."[5]
In early 2007, Sells was seen in an advertising campaign for the Autograph range at Marks and Spencer.[6]
In an April 20 2007 interview with the site Chart Rigger, Sells said he's had a boyfriend since New Year's Eve, and that he hadn't told any journalist before "because no one ever asked directly. This is really pathetic, but it's probably the first proper boyfriend I've really ever had, because I've just totally scuttered around the whole thing for so many years."[7]
In addition to his work with the Feeling, he co-wrote several songs for Sophie Ellis-Bextor's third solo album, Trip the Light Fantastic. However, only two of the songs actually made it onto the tracklisting, "Only One" and "Love Is Here". Both tracks also feature his vocals, and "Love Is Here" includes his bandmate Richard Jones on bass guitar.
Dan won the Stonewall Entertainer of the Year Award in 2007
Sells also revealed on a catch-up session on The Feeling's official website that he is to feature on the cover of an issue of Attitude Magazine in 2008, being the first cover shoot Sells has done. He also revealed that he had given input into a future issue of Gay Times and that his middle name is Giles. [8]
The Feeling
He insists that The Feeling are not some kind of genre archivists.[1]
Many feel that The Feeling are set apart by the depth of Sells's songwriting, with his shyness lending much to the music's character.[9]
Influences
Sells believes that Karen Carpenter was "one of the greatest vocal technicians ever". He also likes Freddie Mercury for his "stage presence" and Neil Young for his "guitar playing".[10]