PJ Harvey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
PJ Harvey
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Harvey in 2024
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Polly Jean Harvey |
| Also known as | PJ Harvey |
| Born | 9 October 1969 Bridport, Dorset, England |
| Origin | Yeovil, Somerset, England |
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| Years active | 1988–present |
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Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969), known as PJ Harvey, is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. She is famous for her powerful voice and guitar playing. Harvey can also play many other instruments.
Harvey started her music career in 1988 with a band called Automatic Dlamini. The band's leader, John Parish, still works with her today. In 1991, she formed her own trio called PJ Harvey. They released two popular albums, Dry (1992) and Rid of Me (1993). After the trio broke up, Harvey continued as a solo artist.
Since 1995, she has released ten more albums. She often works with other musicians, including Parish and producer Flood. Harvey has won many awards for her music. She is the only artist to win the Mercury Prize twice, for her albums Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea (2000) and Let England Shake (2011). In 2013, she was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her contributions to music.
Early Life and First Steps in Music
Polly Jean Harvey was born on 9 October 1969, in Bridport, Dorset. She grew up on her family's farm in Corscombe. Her parents loved music and introduced her to artists like Bob Dylan and Captain Beefheart. This early exposure to blues and rock music shaped her future sound.
As a child, she attended Beaminster School. There, she took guitar lessons from folk singer Steve Knightley. As a teenager, Harvey learned to play the saxophone. She joined a few local bands, writing some of her first songs. After school, she studied visual arts at Yeovil College.
Music Career
Automatic Dlamini and the PJ Harvey Trio
In 1988, Harvey joined a band from Bristol called Automatic Dlamini. The band was led by John Parish. Playing saxophone and guitar with them gave her a lot of experience performing. She toured with the band across Europe.
In 1991, Harvey left to start her own band with former bandmates Rob Ellis and Ian Oliver. She called the group the PJ Harvey Trio. They moved to London and released their first single, "Dress". It was a big success with critics. Famous radio DJ John Peel called it "Single of the Week."
The trio's first album, Dry, came out in 1992. It received great reviews from all over the world. Kurt Cobain of Nirvana listed it as one of his favorite albums. Rolling Stone magazine named Harvey the Best New Female Singer.
In 1993, the band released their second album, Rid of Me. It was recorded with famous producer Steve Albini. The album was a mix of blues, goth, and grunge sounds. After a tour to support the album, the trio broke up. Harvey then began her career as a solo artist.
Going Solo: To Bring You My Love
As a solo artist, Harvey started working with different musicians. Her third album, To Bring You My Love (1995), featured her old friend John Parish. The album had a futuristic blues sound with strings and organs. Rolling Stone described it as a "towering goth version of grunge."
The album's first single, "Down by the Water", became a surprise hit in the United States. Its music video was played often on MTV. The album sold over a million copies worldwide. It also earned Harvey her first Grammy Award nominations.
New Sounds and Big Awards
Harvey's next album, Is This Desire? (1998), added electronic sounds to her music. The single "A Perfect Day Elise" became her biggest hit in the United Kingdom at the time.
In 2000, she released Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea. This album had a more mainstream indie rock sound. It featured Thom Yorke from the band Radiohead on three songs. The album was a huge success and sold over a million copies.
In 2001, Harvey won the prestigious Mercury Prize for the album. The award ceremony happened on the same day as the September 11 attacks in the United States. Harvey was in Washington, D.C., at the time. She later said winning the prize on such a day felt "very surreal."
Her 2004 album, Uh Huh Her, was a return to a rawer sound. Harvey played almost every instrument on the album herself. She also produced it on her own.
Piano, Autoharp, and History
For her seventh album, White Chalk (2007), Harvey changed her style completely. The album was made up of quiet piano songs. It sounded very different from her rock albums. During this time, she also started playing the autoharp, an instrument that looks like a small harp.
In 2011, she released Let England Shake. The album's lyrics were about English history and the war in Afghanistan. The album received perfect scores from many critics. For this album, Harvey won her second Mercury Prize. This made her the first artist ever to win the award twice.
Recent Work and Global Focus
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Harvey's ninth album, The Hope Six Demolition Project (2016), was recorded in front of a live audience. The recording sessions were part of an art installation in London. The album's lyrics were inspired by her travels to Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Washington, D.C. It became her first album to reach number one on the UK charts.
Her tenth album, I Inside the Old Year Dying, was released in 2023. It was praised by critics and debuted at number 5 on the UK Albums Chart. The album was also nominated for a Grammy Award.
Collaborations and Other Projects
Besides her own albums, Harvey has worked with many other artists. She recorded two full albums with her friend John Parish, Dance Hall at Louse Point (1996) and A Woman a Man Walked By (2009).
She has also worked with artists like Nick Cave, Tricky, and Josh Homme. She has written music for many plays and movies. In 2019, she wrote the music for a stage version of the classic film All About Eve. She also composed the score for the TV series Bad Sisters in 2022.
Harvey is also a poet and an artist. In 2015, she published a book of poetry called The Hollow of the Hand. Her second poetry book, Orlam, was released in 2022.
Musical Style
PJ Harvey is known for changing her musical style with every album. She has explored many genres, including alternative rock, punk blues, and folk music. She once said that the most important thing for her is to not repeat herself and to always try something new.
She also changes her look for each album, using different clothes and hairstyles. This helps create a unique visual style for her music. Early in her career, she wore simple black clothes. Later, for the To Bring You My Love tour, she wore glamorous dresses and dramatic makeup.
Harvey was influenced by the blues and rock music her parents listened to, like John Lee Hooker and Jimi Hendrix. She is also a fan of artists like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and Siouxsie Sioux.
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
