Simon Henwood facts for kids
Simon Henwood (born on March 31, 1965) is a British artist, author, and director. He is known for his paintings that explore what it's like to be a teenager. He also directs films and music videos.
Simon Henwood first became known for writing and illustrating children's books. Later, he gained fame for directing the music video for Kanye West's song "Love Lockdown". He was also the creative mind behind Rihanna's Rated R album, helping to design its look and feel.
Contents
Early Life and Art
Simon Henwood was born in Portsmouth, England. In 1986, he earned his art degree from Exeter College of Art and Design. Many of his paintings show the feelings and experiences of young people. His artwork has been shown in famous galleries, including the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London.
Books and Magazines
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Simon Henwood wrote and drew pictures for several children's books. These books were published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Some of his books include A Piece of Luck (1990) and The Troubled Village (1991).
In 1993, Henwood created a magazine filled with pictures called Purr. He also started his own record label that year. Later, he made a short film called Alice. He also created another magazine with the same name, which looked at how childhood is shown in art and the media. In 2001, he developed an animated TV show called Johnny Pumpkin.
Music Videos
Simon Henwood is also well-known for directing music videos for many artists. Since 2004, he has worked with HSI London, a film company. He has directed videos for artists like Badly Drawn Boy, Devendra Banhart, and Imogen Heap.
In 2008, he directed the music video for Kanye West's hit song "Love Lockdown". This video was nominated for several awards at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year.
Working with Rihanna
In 2009, pop superstar Rihanna asked Simon Henwood to be the creative director for her album Rated R. He designed the album's logo and helped create the overall style for the album, its music videos, and TV ads. He also helped with Rihanna's tour, designing the stage, costumes, and background visuals.
In 2010, a photo book called Rihanna: The Last Girl on Earth was released. It showed all the amazing work Henwood did for Rihanna.
Other Projects
Simon Henwood also painted the cover art for the album Ruby Blue by Irish singer-songwriter Róisín Murphy. He also directed music videos for her songs, including "If We're in Love" and "Sow into You".
Music Video Projects
Simon Henwood has directed many music videos over the years. Here are some of them:
- 2002: "You Were Right" – Badly Drawn Boy
- 2003: "Dude Descending a Staircase" – Apollo 440
- 2005: "If We're in Love" – Róisín Murphy
- 2005: "Sow into You" – Róisín Murphy
- 2005: "Heard Somebody Say" – Devendra Banhart
- 2006: "Kelepçe" – Hande Yener
- 2006: "Valentine" – Delays
- 2006: "Hideaways" – Delays
- 2006: "Headlock" – Imogen Heap
- 2007: "Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)" – Groove Armada featuring Mutya Buena
- 2008: "Love Lockdown" – Kanye West
