Alex Clare facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alex Clare
|
|
|---|---|
Clare performing on 28 January 2013 at Capitol Offenbach
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Alexander George Clare |
| Born | 14 September 1985 Southwark, London, England |
| Origin | Golders Green, London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels |
|
| Associated acts |
|
Alexander George Clare (born September 14, 1985) is a singer and songwriter from the UK. He is known for his unique blend of music styles, including soul, dubstep, and drum and bass. His first album, The Lateness of the Hour, came out in 2011.
Alex Clare's biggest hit song is "Too Close". This song became very popular, reaching number 4 on the UK music charts and number 7 in the US. It was even nominated for a Brit Award in 2013!
Alex Clare's Early Life
Alex Clare grew up in Southwark and Bromley in South London, England. He loved listening to his dad's jazz records when he was young. He said this helped him discover artists like Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder, who sang soul and blues.
Later, he became interested in more modern music styles like drum and bass, dubstep, and UK garage. Alex learned to play the trumpet and drums. But he really focused on playing the guitar and writing his own songs. He would often perform his original music at "open mic" nights.
He went to Bishop Challoner School and later studied catering at Westminster Kingsway College.
Alex Clare's Music Career
Alex Clare got a record deal with Island Records after they heard his demo songs. His first album, The Lateness of the Hour, was released in July 2011. It was produced by Mike Spencer and Major Lazer. Some of the first songs from this album were "Up All Night" and "Too Close".
In May 2011, a radio host named Reggie Yates chose Alex Clare's cover of Prince's song "When Doves Cry" as his "Song of the Day." Soon after, the song "Too Close" became a big hit in the Netherlands.
Alex Clare performed at the Queens' College May Ball in Cambridge in June 2011. He also played at the Summer Well festival in Romania in August 2011. Even though his first album didn't do as well as expected at first, things changed for him.
In March 2012, his song "Too Close" was used in commercials for Internet Explorer 9. This made the song very popular! It quickly climbed the US music charts, reaching number 7. It also hit number one in Germany and number 4 in the UK. Because of this success, Alex Clare signed a new deal with Universal Republic, which helped his album be released in America.
In May 2014, Alex Clare released a music video for his song "War Rages On." This song was the first single from his second album, Three Hearts, which came out in August 2014. "War Rages On" was also used as the opening song for the BBC show Our Girl.
In October 2016, his song "Up All Night" was used as the opening theme for the BBC Three science-fiction show Class. In November 2016, he released his album Tail of Lions. The name of this album comes from a Jewish saying about being right rather than powerful.
In July 2018, Alex Clare announced an acoustic album called Three Days at Greenmount. It was released in September 2018. This album has simpler, stripped-down versions of his older songs and some new ones.
In October 2021, Alex Clare released a new song called "Why Don't Ya." This song was a ballad written for his wife after a difficult time. He also shared that he had been working on new music during the COVID-19 lockdown and planned to release a new EP (a mini-album) in early 2022.
Alex Clare has also worked with other artists:
- In 2011, Diplo and Switch helped produce and write songs for his first album.
- In 2012, he sang a short solo on the song "Not Giving In" by Rudimental.
- He sang on the album Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds – The New Generation in 2012.
- He worked with Bakermat on the single "Living" in 2016.
- He sang on the songs "Heaven to Me" and "Give it All" by Don Diablo in 2018.
Alex Clare is also a speaker and has appeared at events like South Africa's Sinai Indaba program.
Alex Clare's Personal Life
Alex Clare grew up in a family that was not very religious, but he always believed in God. In the mid-2000s, he decided to become an Orthodox Jew. This means he follows Jewish laws very closely.
Because of his faith, he does not perform, travel, or work on Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath) or on Jewish holidays. He has said that he lost a record deal because he had to turn down a radio concert to observe the Sukkot holiday in 2011. However, he has found other ways to continue his music career successfully. Alex also eats only kosher food and studies Talmud (Jewish texts) while he is on tour.
His parents are supportive of his religious lifestyle, even though they are not religious themselves.
Before he became famous, Alex Clare dated British singer Amy Winehouse in 2006 for about a year. They met at a bar in London where he was working and performing.
He used to live in Golders Green, London. In late 2015, he moved to Jerusalem with his wife and their daughter. He and his wife have three children.
See Also
In Spanish: Alex Clare para niños
