Ian Dench facts for kids

Ian Alec Harvey Dench (born 7 August 1964) is a talented English songwriter and musician. He is best known as the guitarist and main songwriter for the band EMF. In 1991, EMF had a huge international hit with their song "Unbelievable". This song even reached number one in the United States! It was also voted one of the 'Greatest Guitar Riffs' by BBC Radio 2.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Ian Alec Harvey Dench was born in Cheltenham, England. His father, Harold Dench, taught him how to play the classical guitar. Ian went to The Crypt School in Gloucester starting in 1975. One year, at a school awards ceremony, he chose a book called "100 Greatest Rock Licks" as his prize. This was a bit different from the serious academic books other students chose!

Ian started his music journey playing in a punk band called Curse in Gloucester City. Later, he formed another band in Gloucester called Apple Mosaic. They signed with Virgin Records and released a song called "Honey If".

Success with EMF

In 1989, Ian Dench met the other musicians who would form the band EMF. After only a few months of playing together, a big record company signed them. Their first major hit song was "Unbelievable". Ian Dench wrote this song, though it was credited to the whole band, EMF. It reached number three on the music charts in the UK. Just six months later, the song became number one in America!

In an interview in 1991, Ian explained how the band worked together. He said, "I'm the musical director, but I couldn't do it without them. They provide so much attitude." This shows how important each band member was. The band EMF decided to go their separate ways in 1997.

Songwriting After EMF

After EMF, Ian Dench continued making music. He found success with his band Whistler. They released two albums, Whistler and Faith in the Morning.

Ian became a very successful songwriter for other famous artists. In 2007, he helped write the song "Beautiful Liar" for Beyoncé and Shakira. He also co-wrote "Tattoo" for American Idol winner Jordin Sparks. He worked on these songs with Amanda Ghost, a songwriter he had known since 1995.

Ian and Amanda worked together on more songs for Beyoncé's 2008 album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. These songs included "Disappear", "Ave Maria", and "Satellites".

He also co-wrote "Colours" for The Prodigy's 2009 album, Invaders Must Die. In May 2009, he co-wrote "Red," a top 5 hit in the UK for Daniel Merriweather. Another song he wrote with Amanda Ghost was "Gypsy" for Shakira's album, She Wolf.

From 2009 to 2010, Ian worked as a Vice President at Epic Records in New York. In this role, he helped develop albums for artists like Alice Smith and Augustana. He also signed new bands like Progress in Color and HeyHiHello.

In 2011, Ian helped write "Bedroom Hymns" for Florence and the Machine's album Ceremonials. He also worked on "I Come Apart," a song by Florence and the Machine with ASAP Rocky.

In 2013, Ian collaborated on the song "Endorphins" with Sub Focus, which reached number 10 in the UK. He also worked on the song "The Conversation" for the band Texas. Plus, he helped write "Astronaut" and "Run" for Joel Compass.

In 2016, the singer-songwriter Jamie Cullum sang two songs written by Ian Dench for the TV show The Halcyon.

In 2017, Ian started a new record label called LGM Records with James Dale. They worked with and signed an indie pop band called Friedberg. The label was even featured in The Times newspaper. Later, they started a digital advertising company called SINE Digital.

In 2018, Ian Dench worked with Amanda Ghost and Marius de Vries on a song called "The Wonder." This song was for the musical King Kong on Broadway.

Awards and Nominations

Ian Dench has won several important awards for his music.

• In 2008, he won an Ivor Novello Award for "Beautiful Liar" in the Best Selling British Song category.
• In 2009, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for "Once in a Lifetime." He co-wrote this song, which was sung by Beyoncé for the Cadillac Records movie soundtrack.
• In 2010, he was nominated for two Grammy Awards. One nomination was as a co-producer for two songs on Beyoncé's album I Am... Sasha Fierce, which was nominated for Album of the Year. The other nomination was for "Once in a Lifetime."