Matt Bellamy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Matt Bellamy
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Bellamy performing with Muse in June 2018
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Matthew James Bellamy |
| Born | 9 June 1978 Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England |
| Origin | Teignmouth, Devon, England |
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| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | Helium 3 |
Matthew James Bellamy (born 9 June 1978) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band Muse. People know him for his powerful voice, wide vocal range, and exciting stage presence.
Bellamy has also released his own music. In 2021, he put out an album of his solo songs called Cryosleep. He also plays bass guitar in a band called The Jaded Hearts Club. This band released their first album, You've Always Been Here, in 2020.
With Muse, Bellamy has won many awards. These include two Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album. They won for their albums The Resistance (2009) and Drones (2015). Muse has sold over 30 million albums around the world.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Matthew James Bellamy was born on June 9, 1978, in Cambridge, England. He has an older brother named Paul. His father, George Bellamy, was a guitarist in a 1960s band called the Tornados. Their song "Telstar" was a big hit in the US.
Matt's mother, Marilyn, was from Northern Ireland. She met his father in London. Later, his family moved to Teignmouth, Devon. After his parents divorced, Matt lived with his mother and brother. He started playing the piano at age six and the guitar at age 11. His first public performance was playing piano at his school when he was 12.
His Band: Muse
At school in Teignmouth, Matt Bellamy played in several bands. He met drummer Dominic Howard in one of them. When other band members left, Bellamy and Howard asked Chris Wolstenholme to join as the bassist. In 1994, they won a school music contest using the name Rocket Baby Dolls. This made them take music more seriously. They then changed their name to Muse.
Muse became a very successful band worldwide. Their music mixes different styles like alternative, art rock, and progressive rock. They also add classical music and electronica sounds. Muse is famous for their exciting live shows with amazing visuals. In 2007, they were the first band to sell out the new Wembley Stadium in London.
Muse released their first album, Showbiz, in 1999. It showed off Bellamy's high-pitched singing style. Their second album, Origin of Symmetry (2001), added more instruments and classical influences. This helped them become known for their energetic live performances. Absolution (2003) included even more classical sounds, like an orchestra. This album was the first of seven Muse albums to reach number one in the UK.
Black Holes and Revelations (2006) brought in electronic and pop sounds. Songs like "Supermassive Black Hole" showed this new style. This album helped Muse become even more popular around the world. Albums like The Resistance (2009) and The 2nd Law (2012) talked about themes like government control. These albums made Muse one of the biggest stadium bands.
Their seventh album, Drones (2015), was a concept album about drone warfare. It went back to a harder rock sound. Simulation Theory (2018) had a retro 1980s style. Muse's ninth album, Will of The People, came out in 2022.
Muse has won many awards. These include two Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album. They also won two Brit Awards for Best British Live Act. In 2012, they received the Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement.
Matt Bellamy's Musical Style
Matt Bellamy has a tenor vocal range. Many Muse songs are known for his use of vibrato (a wavering effect), falsetto (a very high voice), and melisma (singing many notes on one syllable). He was inspired by the singer Jeff Buckley. Bellamy said he didn't think his high voice would fit rock music until he heard Buckley's album Grace.
When he started playing guitar, Bellamy was influenced by Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix. He liked their wild and slightly out-of-control style. His guitar playing also uses sounds from Latin and Spanish guitar music. He said this music showed him new harmonies and a different kind of passion.
As a guitarist, Bellamy often uses special effects. These include the arpeggiator and pitch-shift to make his guitar sound more electronic. He also uses a fuzz distortion effect called a Fuzz Factory. Bellamy has special touch-controlled devices built into his guitars. These control effects processors, making him a "Kaoss rock star."
Since the early 2000s, Bellamy has worked with Manson Guitar Works. They create his electric guitars. They have released several "M-series" signature models based on his designs. In 2019, Bellamy bought a big part of Manson Guitar Works. In 2020, he bought a special guitar that Jeff Buckley used for his album Grace. Bellamy used it to record a song with the Jaded Hearts Club. He plans to use it for future Muse recordings too.
As a pianist, Bellamy often plays arpeggios (notes of a chord played one after another). His piano music often sounds like or uses parts from famous classical composers. These include Sergei Rachmaninov, Camille Saint-Saëns, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Frédéric Chopin.
Song Lyrics
Bellamy's song lyrics often talk about politics and dystopian themes. Dystopian means imagining a future society where things are bad and unfair. Books that have influenced his lyrics include Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell.
Other Music Projects
Bellamy helped write the end credits music for the 2009 movie The International. He also wrote a song called "Soaked" for Adam Lambert's first album in 2009. You can even play as Matt Bellamy in the video game Guitar Hero 5.
In 2019, Bellamy released his first solo song, "Pray." It was for an album inspired by the TV show Game of Thrones. In 2020, he released "Tomorrow's World," a song inspired by life during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also released an acoustic version of the 1999 Muse song "Unintended." In 2021, he put out a collection of his solo work called Cryosleep.
Matt Bellamy also worked with composer Ilan Eshkeri to create music for an audiobook of the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four. A 60-piece orchestra performed the music.
The Jaded Hearts Club
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In 2017, Bellamy helped start a supergroup called The Jaded Hearts Club. A supergroup is a band made of famous musicians from other bands. This band plays cover songs, especially by The Beatles. Other members include singer Miles Kane and drummer Ilan Rubin. Bellamy plays bass guitar in this band. He said it was nice to be more in the background. The band's music grew to include songs by other artists. The Jaded Hearts Club released their album, You've Always Been Here, in 2020. Bellamy produced this album.
Awards and Recognition
In 2004, readers of Total Guitar magazine voted Bellamy the 29th-greatest guitarist. His guitar riff from the song "Plug in Baby" was voted the 13th-greatest riff. In 2008, Gigwise.com named him the 19th-greatest guitarist ever.
NME magazine named Bellamy the 14th-greatest "rock 'n' roll hero." He also won the "Hero of the Year" award at the 2012 NME Awards. In 2008, the University of Plymouth gave the members of Muse an honorary degree for their music.
In 2010, Total Guitar named Bellamy "Guitarist of the Decade." The Guinness Book of World Records 2010 says Bellamy holds the record for smashing the most guitars on tour. He broke 140 guitars during the Absolution Tour. In 2010, readers of Q magazine voted Bellamy the eighth best frontman of all time. MusicRadar readers voted him the 9th greatest lead singer ever.
Personal Life
Matt Bellamy started dating American actress Kate Hudson in 2010. They got engaged in 2011, and their son, Bingham, was born in July 2011. They ended their engagement in 2014.
In 2015, Bellamy began dating American model Elle Evans. They got engaged in 2017 and married on August 10, 2019. Their daughter, Lovella, was born in June 2020. Their second child, George, was born in May 2024.
As of 2022, Bellamy lives in Los Angeles during school terms to be near his son. He spends holidays in London. He has also received an Irish passport because his mother was born in Belfast. This allows him to have European Union citizenship.
Discography
Muse
- Showbiz (1999)
- Origin of Symmetry (2001)
- Hullabaloo Soundtrack (2002)
- Absolution (2003)
- Black Holes and Revelations (2006)
- The Resistance (2009)
- The 2nd Law (2012)
- Drones (2015)
- Simulation Theory (2018)
- Will of the People (2022)
The Jaded Hearts Club
- You've Always Been Here (2020)
Solo
- "End Title" (2009) (from The International soundtrack)
- "Pray (High Valyrian)" (from For the Throne soundtrack)
- "Tomorrow's World" (2020)
- "Unintended" (Acoustic version) (2020)
- "Behold, the Glove" (2020)
- "Simulation Theory Theme" (2020)
- Cryosleep (2021)
Guest appearances
- "90s Music" – guitar, on The Golden Echo album by Kimbra
