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 "Matt" James Bellamy (born June 9, 1978) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and pianist for the rock band Muse. He is famous for his amazing stage performances and his wide vocal range.
Bellamy was born in Cambridge, England. His family later moved to Teignmouth, where he started Muse with his friends from school. With Muse, Bellamy has won many awards, including two Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album. The band has sold over 30 million albums all over the world.
Besides his work with Muse, Bellamy has also released his own music. He plays bass guitar in a band called The Jaded Hearts Club, which plays cover songs of famous rock bands.
Contents
Early Life and First Steps in Music
Matthew James Bellamy was born on June 9, 1978, in Cambridge, England. His father, George Bellamy, was a guitarist in a 1960s band called the Tornados. Their song "Telstar" was the first song by a British band to reach number one in the United States.
When Matt was young, his family moved to Teignmouth, a town in Devon. He started playing the piano when he was six years old and picked up the guitar at age 11. His very first public performance was when he was 12, playing the piano for his school.
The Story of Muse
While attending Teignmouth Community School, Bellamy was in a few bands. He and his friend, drummer Dominic Howard, were in a band called Gothic Plague. When other members left, they asked their friend Chris Wolstenholme to join as the bassist. In 1994, their new band, called Rocket Baby Dolls, won their school's "Battle of the Bands." This inspired them to take their music seriously, and they changed their name to Muse.
Muse became a huge success around the world. The band is known for mixing many different styles of music, including alternative rock, progressive rock, classical music, and electronica. They are also famous for their exciting live shows with amazing visual effects. In 2007, Muse was the first band to sell out the new Wembley Stadium in London for two nights in a row.
Muse's Albums
Muse released their first album, Showbiz, in 1999. It showed off Bellamy's high-pitched singing style, called falsetto. Their second album, Origin of Symmetry (2001), had a bigger sound with more instruments and classical music influences.
Their third album, Absolution (2003), also used classical music, including a full orchestra on some songs. This album was the first of seven Muse albums in a row to reach number one on the UK music charts.
Later albums like Black Holes and Revelations (2006) and Simulation Theory (2018) included more electronic and pop sounds. Albums such as The Resistance (2009) and Drones (2015) explored themes like government control and technology. Their most recent album, Will of The People, was released in 2022.
Muse has won many awards, including two Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album for The Resistance and Drones.
Bellamy's Musical Style
Many people recognize Muse's songs because of Bellamy's unique voice. He has a high vocal range known as a tenor. He was influenced by the American singer Jeff Buckley.
Guitar and Piano Playing
As a guitarist, Bellamy was inspired by musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain. He also loves Spanish guitar music, which he says is "very heavy" without needing a lot of effects. Bellamy often uses special effects to make his guitar sound more electronic. He has even had special controllers built into his guitars to control these effects live on stage.
Bellamy works with a company called Manson Guitar Works to create his own custom electric guitars. In 2019, he bought the company.
As a pianist, Bellamy often plays fast sequences of notes called arpeggios. His piano playing is inspired by classical composers like Sergei Rachmaninov and Frédéric Chopin.
Other Music Projects
Bellamy has worked on music outside of Muse. He co-wrote music for the 2009 movie The International and wrote a song for the singer Adam Lambert. He also appeared as a character in the video game Guitar Hero 5.
In 2019, he wrote a song called "Pray" for an album inspired by the TV show Game of Thrones. He has released several other solo songs and a collection of his solo work called Cryosleep in 2021.
The Jaded Hearts Club
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In 2017, Bellamy helped form a band called The Jaded Hearts Club. It is a supergroup, which is a band made up of musicians who are already famous from other bands. The Jaded Hearts Club plays cover songs, mostly of songs by The Beatles and other classic rock acts.
In this band, Bellamy plays the bass guitar. He said he enjoys being in the background instead of being the frontman. The band released an album in 2020 called You've Always Been Here, which Bellamy produced.
Awards and Recognition
Bellamy is often praised for his skills as a musician. In 2010, Total Guitar magazine named him the "Guitarist of the Decade." He also holds a Guinness World Record for smashing the most guitars on a single tour. He broke 140 guitars during the tour for the album Absolution.
In 2008, the University of Plymouth gave Bellamy and the other members of Muse an honorary doctorate degree for their contributions to music.
Personal Life
From 2010 to 2014, Bellamy was in a relationship with American actress Kate Hudson. They have a son named Bingham.
In 2015, Bellamy began dating American model Elle Evans. They got married in August 2019. They have a daughter named Lovella, born in 2020, and a son named George, born in 2024.
Bellamy has an Irish passport, which he was able to get because his mother was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
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
- Cryosleep (2021)
See also
In Spanish: Matt Bellamy para niños
