PJ Harvey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
PJ Harvey
|
|
|---|---|
_(53838002779)_(cropped).jpg)
Harvey in 2024
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Polly Jean Harvey |
| Born | 9 October 1969 Bridport, Dorset, England |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Labels |
|
Polly Jean Harvey (born on 9 October 1969) is an English singer and songwriter. She is mostly known for her singing and guitar playing. But she can also play many other instruments.
PJ Harvey started her music journey in 1988. She joined a band called Automatic Dlamini. The band's leader, John Parish, still works with her today. In 1991, she formed her own band, the PJ Harvey Trio. This was the start of her career as PJ Harvey. The trio released two popular albums: Dry (1992) and Rid of Me (1993). After the band broke up, Harvey continued as a solo artist.
Since 1995, she has released ten more studio albums. She has worked with many musicians, including John Parish. She has also worked a lot with music producer Flood.
PJ Harvey has won many awards. She won the Mercury Prize twice, in 2001 and 2011. This makes her the only artist to win it two times! She has also been nominated for eight Brit Awards and eight Grammy Awards. Rolling Stone magazine named her Best New Artist in 1992. They also called her Artist of the Year in 1995. In 2011, she won an award for her amazing contribution to music at the NME Awards. In 2013, she was given the Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) award for her services to music.
Early Life and Musical Start
Polly Jean Harvey was born on 9 October 1969 in Bridport, England. Her parents, Ray and Eva Harvey, owned a quarrying business. She grew up on their family farm.
When she was a child, she went to Beaminster School. There, she learned to play guitar from a folk singer named Steve Knightley. Her parents loved music and played a lot of blues music, Captain Beefheart, and Bob Dylan. These artists later inspired her own music.
As a teenager, Harvey learned to play the saxophone. She joined a group called Bologne. She also played guitar in a folk duo called the Polekats. She wrote some of her first songs with them. After school, she studied visual arts at Yeovil College.
Music Career
Automatic Dlamini: 1988–1991
In July 1988, PJ Harvey joined Automatic Dlamini. This band was based in Bristol. She learned a lot about playing music with a group. The band was started by John Parish in 1983. Harvey met Parish in 1987. She played saxophone, guitar, and sang backing vocals for the band. She traveled with them to places like Germany, Spain, and Poland.
Harvey left Automatic Dlamini in January 1991. She wanted to start her own band. But she stayed good friends with John Parish. She calls him her "musical soulmate." Parish has worked on many of Harvey's solo albums. He has also toured with her many times. They have even made two albums together.
Harvey said that her time with Automatic Dlamini helped her a lot. She learned to play guitar and write songs. She also learned how to perform in front of an audience from John Parish.
The PJ Harvey Trio: 1991–1994
Harvey decided to call her new band the PJ Harvey Trio. She was the singer and guitarist. Rob Ellis played drums, and Steve Vaughan played bass. Their first show in April 1991 was not very good. Harvey said that almost everyone left during their first song!
In June 1991, the group moved to London. They recorded some demo songs and sent them to record labels. The independent label Too Pure decided to release their first single, "Dress". It came out in October 1991. Critics loved "Dress." It was even voted Single of the Week by Melody Maker magazine.
In February 1992, they released their second single, "Sheela-Na-Gig." Their first album, Dry, came out in March. Dry was a huge success around the world. Kurt Cobain from the band Nirvana said it was one of his favorite albums ever. Rolling Stone magazine named Harvey Songwriter of the Year.
In 1992, a bigger record company called Island (PolyGram) signed the trio. In December 1992, they went to the United States to record their next album. This album, Rid of Me, was released in May 1993. It was promoted with two singles, "50ft Queenie" and "Man-Size." The band also toured the UK and the US.
However, the band members started having problems during the US tour. The trio officially broke up after touring with U2 in August 1993. Harvey then started her career as a solo artist. She released 4-Track Demos in October, which had demo versions of songs from Rid of Me.
Solo Success: 1995–1999
As a solo artist, PJ Harvey started working with other musicians. In 1995, she released her third album, To Bring You My Love. This album featured John Parish and Mick Harvey. It was also her first album produced by Flood. The album had a blues-influenced sound. It included instruments like strings, organs, and synthesizers.
The album had a surprise hit song in the United States called "Down by the Water." Its music video was played a lot on MTV. To Bring You My Love sold over one million copies worldwide. It was named Album of the Year by many magazines. In 1996, Harvey was nominated for her first Grammy Awards.
In 1996, Harvey started writing songs for her fourth album, Is This Desire?. This album added electronic sounds to her music. Original PJ Harvey Trio drummer Rob Ellis rejoined her band for this album. Is This Desire? was released in September 1998. It was nominated for a Grammy Award. The album's main single, "A Perfect Day Elise", was her most successful single in the UK.
Continued Success: 2000–2006
In early 2000, Harvey began working on her fifth album, Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. She wrote songs in Dorset, Paris, and New York. The album had a more mainstream indie rock and pop rock sound. The lyrics were about love and her feelings for New York City. Radiohead singer Thom Yorke sang on three songs, including "This Mess We're In."
When it was released in October 2000, the album was a big hit. It sold over one million copies worldwide. It was nominated for a BRIT Award and two Grammy Awards. Harvey won the Mercury Prize in 2001 for this album. She was on tour in Washington, D.C., when she won. She later said the award didn't feel as important because of the September 11 attacks happening that day.
After working with other artists, Harvey released her sixth album, Uh Huh Her, in May 2004. For this album, Harvey played almost all the instruments herself. She was also the only producer. The album received good reviews and sold well.
Harvey went on a long world tour to promote Uh Huh Her. Recordings from this tour were released on her first live DVD, On Tour: Please Leave Quietly, in 2006.
New Directions: 2007–2014
In 2006, Harvey announced that her next album would mostly feature piano. Her seventh album, White Chalk, was released in September 2007. It was very different from her usual rock style. It mostly had piano ballads. Critics liked the album's unique sound. Harvey said the album felt like it was from a different time. During her tour for this album, she started playing the autoharp. This instrument has been important in her music ever since.
In March 2009, she released her second album with John Parish, called A Woman a Man Walked By. Parish wrote the music, and Harvey wrote the lyrics and sang.
In April 2010, Harvey performed a new song called "Let England Shake." She said the song was inspired by the English landscape and history. Her eighth album, Let England Shake, was released in February 2011. It received excellent reviews. The album talked about war and English history. John Parish, Mick Harvey, and Jean-Marc Butty were her backing band.
After releasing two singles from the album, Harvey won her second Mercury Prize in September 2011. This made her the first artist to win the award twice. The album's sales went up a lot after her win. Let England Shake was named album of the year by many magazines.
In August 2013, Harvey released a song called "Shaker Aamer." This song supported a man held at Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
Recent Work: 2015–Present
_(53222698237).jpg)
On 16 January 2015, PJ Harvey began recording her ninth album, The Hope Six Demolition Project. She recorded it in a special studio in London where people could watch. The album's lyrics were about politics and global issues. She used instruments like saxophones, autoharp, and bouzouki. Flood produced the album.
The album was released on 15 April 2016. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award. Harvey toured the world in 2016 and 2017 with her band.
Since then, Harvey has released folk songs for TV shows and films. In 2019, she released an instrumental album for a play called All About Eve. In 2022, she released another soundtrack album for the TV series Bad Sisters.
From 2020 to 2022, her older albums were re-released. In November 2022, a collection of 59 rare songs called B-Sides, Demos and Rarities was released.
In June 2022, Harvey announced her next album would come out in summer 2023. In January 2023, Rolling Stone magazine listed her as one of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.
Her tenth album, I Inside the Old Year Dying, was released on 7 July 2023. It was her first album on an independent label in 30 years. The album received great reviews. It reached number 5 on the UK Albums Chart. It was also nominated for a Grammy Award. Harvey toured Europe in 2023 and has more festival dates planned for 2024.
Collaborations and Other Projects
Besides her own music, PJ Harvey has worked with many other artists. In 1995, she sang a duet with Nick Cave called "Henry Lee." She also sang on his album Murder Ballads. She has worked with Tricky and Sparklehorse. She also contributed vocals to songs by Josh Homme's project the Desert Sessions.
Harvey has released two albums with her long-time friend John Parish. Dance Hall at Louse Point (1996) was written with Parish. Their second album, A Woman a Man Walked By, came out in 2009. Both albums received good reviews. In 2017, she released a charity song called "The Camp" with Egyptian musician Ramy Essam. It helped children affected by the Syrian civil war.
Harvey has also composed music for plays and films. In 2009, she wrote music for a play called Hedda Gabler on Broadway. In 2011, she composed music for a play called Hamlet in London. She has worked on several other plays. In 2019, she composed music for the play All About Eve. She also wrote music for the TV series The Virtues (2019) and Bad Sisters (2022).
In 2014, some of Harvey's songs were used in the TV series Peaky Blinders. In 2024, her songs were featured in a new stage play called London Tide.
Musical Style and Influences
PJ Harvey has a powerful singing voice. She tries to make each of her albums sound different. She wants to challenge herself and explore new musical ideas. Her music has been described as alternative rock, punk blues, and art rock. But she also experiments with electronica, indie rock, and folk music.
She often changes her look for each album. She changes her clothes or hairstyle to create a unique style. This style goes from the album cover to her live shows. She works closely with her friend and photographer Maria Mochnacz to create these looks.
When she was young, her parents introduced her to blues music, jazz, and art rock. These artists, like John Lee Hooker and Captain Beefheart, influenced her deeply. She also listened to Nina Simone and the Rolling Stones. As a teenager, she liked new wave bands like Soft Cell. Later, she became a fan of Pixies and Slint. She has also mentioned Bob Dylan and Neil Young as influences. Harvey has also found inspiration in Russian folk music and classical composers.
Other Creative Work
Besides music, PJ Harvey is also an artist and sculptor. She has shown her sculptures in galleries. In 2010, she was a guest designer for a literary magazine. This magazine featured her paintings and drawings. Her artwork is also in her second book of poetry, Orlam.
In December 2013, Harvey gave her first public poetry reading. In October 2015, she published her first poetry book, The Hollow of The Hand. She created this book with photographer Seamus Murphy. They traveled to Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Washington, D.C., for inspiration. Their experiences were also shown in Murphy's film A Dog Called Money. In April 2022, she published another long poem called Orlam.
Personal Life
PJ Harvey was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 2013. This was for her contributions to music. As of 2023, she lives in Dorset, England.
Personnel
Current members
- Polly Harvey – vocals, saxophone, guitar, autoharp, piano, organ, keyboards, violin, cello, vibraphone, marimba, bells and chimes, percussion, djembe, bass, melodica, zither, harmonica, harp, cigfiddle (since 1991)
- John Parish – guitar, drums, keyboards, bass, backing vocals, banjo, organ, ukulele, trombone, rhodes, mellotron, xylophone, percussion (1994–1998, since 2006)
- Jean-Marc Butty – drums, percussion, backing vocals (1994–1996, since 2006)
- James Johnston – keyboards, violin, guitar, organ, backing vocals (1993 live performance guest, since 2014)
- Giovanni Ferrario – guitar, bass, keyboards, backing vocals (2006–2009, since 2023)
Former collaborators
|
|
Awards and Nominations
- List of awards and nominations received by PJ Harvey
Discography
- Dry (1992)
- Rid of Me (1993)
- To Bring You My Love (1995)
- Is This Desire? (1998)
- Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000)
- Uh Huh Her (2004)
- White Chalk (2007)
- Let England Shake (2011)
- The Hope Six Demolition Project (2016)
- I Inside the Old Year Dying (2023)
|
See also
In Spanish: PJ Harvey para niños
