Dan Smith (singer)

Dan Smith
Smith performing with Bastille at Lollapalooza in 2015
Background information
Birth name	Daniel Campbell Smith
Born	(1986-07-14) 14 July 1986[1] London, United Kingdom
Genres	Alternative rock electropop
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter record producer
Instruments	Vocals piano keyboards melodica
Labels	Virgin Virgin EMI Capitol Universal
Associated acts	Bastille Annie Oakley Hanging Randalph Madeon
Website	bastillebastille.com

Daniel Campbell Smith (born 14 July 1986) is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. He is the lead singer, primary songwriter and founder of the British rock band Bastille. The band formed in 2010 and gained mass popularity in 2013 when the song "Pompeii" was released. The band released their second album, Wild World in September 2016.

Career

Smith was educated at the University of Leeds in Leeds, West Yorkshire, where he gained a degree in English Language and Literature^[2] while also writing about film and music for the Leeds student newspaper. A film obsessive from a young age, he originally wanted to be a director or editor until admitting he was "more of a fan than a filmmaker".^[3]

At age fifteen, Smith started writing songs on the piano and his laptop in his bedroom, but kept his music secret from his friends and family until he was persuaded by a friend to enter the Leeds Bright Young Things competition in 2007, which he ultimately became a finalist in.^[4] His early recordings included "Alchemy", "Words Are Words", "Irreverence", and "Dictator". Smith did not achieve mainstream success in his solo career but continued writing songs both alone and with his close friend and roommate Ralph Pelleymounter of the band To Kill a King. The two formed a side project called "Annie Oakley Hanging" which was described as "cowboy-like" by Pelleymounter.^[5]

After finishing his studies, Smith returned to London, where he continued pursuing his solo career, and eventually formed Bastille with Chris "Woody" Wood, Kyle Simmons, and Will Farquarson.^[6] Bastille has released two albums called Bad Blood and Wild World. .

In 2014, Dan Smith took part in the Band Aid charity single, "Do They Know It's Christmas?".

BEST LAID PLANS is an independent record label based in South London which was founded in 2014 by Dan Smith, Mark Crew, and Dan Priddy to release music that they love.

In 2015, Smith featured as vocalist for the song "La Lune," produced and written by the French electronic musician Madeon for Madeon's 2015 album Adventure. In the same year, Smith co-wrote and provided vocals on "Better Love" with Foxes, which was released 4 September 2015.

In 2017, he participated in the Grenfell Tower charity song, "Bridge Over Troubled Water". In 2018, Bastille's new hit single Quarter Past Midnight was released. Soon after the music video came out where Dan Smith shaves his head.

In August of 2018, Bastille collaborated with American DJ, Marshmello and released a single entitled “Happier.”

Influences

Smith is a fan of the TV series Twin Peaks, and of one of its creators, David Lynch.^[7] The show inspired one of his first recorded songs, "Laura Palmer" and Bastille's first Virgin Records single "Overjoyed". Smith has said that his earlier work was influenced by Regina Spektor.^[8]

Personal life

He writes and arranges all of Bastille's songs, apart from remixes and covers, and worked with friend Mark Crew to produce Bad Blood and Wild World.^[9] He plays the piano, keyboard, percussion, and melodica. His original, "Dan Smith Piano" was stolen in 2010.^[10] Smith's parents are South African. Smith is 6’3".^[11]

References

https://bestlaidplansrecords.com/about/