Gabrielle Aplin

Gabrielle Aplin

Gabrielle Aplin at Bestival Festival, Isle of Wight 2015
Background information
Birth name Gabrielle Ann Aplin
Born (1992-10-10) 10 October 1992[1]
Sutton Benger, Wiltshire, England, United Kingdom
Origin Sutton Benger, England, United Kingdom
Genres Folk, indie folk, indie rock
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist
Instruments Guitar, piano, drums
Years active 2008–present
Labels Parlophone, Never Fade, BA1 Records, Warner Bros
Website gabrielleaplin.co.uk

Gabrielle Aplin (born 10 October 1992) is an English singer-songwriter.[2] Aplin came to public attention after she gained a large online following by posting acoustic covers of songs on her YouTube channel.

In February 2012, Aplin signed a recording deal with Parlophone and began recording her début album. She gained mainstream attention the following November, when she was selected to record the soundtrack for a John Lewis television commercial with a cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "The Power of Love", which charted at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart in December 2012.[3] Her début album English Rain, was released in May 2013 to positive reviews. It debuted and peaked at number two on the UK album chart and led to several more singles: "Please Don't Say You Love Me", "Panic Cord", "Home" and "Salvation". English Rain has since been certified Gold in the UK, selling over 100,000 copies.

Aplin's second album, Light Up The Dark, featuring the singles "Light Up The Dark" and "Sweet Nothing", was released on 18 September 2015.[4]

Biography

Early life and career beginnings (1992–2010)

Aplin grew up in the small village of Sutton Benger,[2] near Chippenham. She is the oldest of two children. When she was 11 years old, her parents bought her first guitar.[5] Aplin has stated that her music was influenced by listening to the Joni Mitchell and Bruce Springsteen collections of her parents during her childhood.[6] She is also a fan of the singer-songwriters Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen, as well as the rock band The National.[5]

Aplin went on to study music at the City of Bath College,[2] participating in the college's in-house label BA1 Records.[7]

Aplin's first release was the 5-track Acoustic EP, which she self-released on her own label Never Fade Records on 13 September 2010. It reached the top 25 in the UK iTunes album chart.

Never Fade, Home, and BBC Introducing (2011–12)

Aplin's second EP, Never Fade, was released on 9 May 2011. In this EP, she expanded her sound, showcasing a more folk rock sound and playing all the instruments herself.[8] In April 2011, Aplin was invited to perform for BBC Introducing at Maida Vale Studios, where she played 3 tracks from Never Fade and a cover of the Coldplay song, "Fix You",[2] which is currently the most viewed video on the BBC Introducing YouTube channel.[9]

Aplin released her third EP, Home, on 9 January 2012, again on Never Fade Records.[10] She described this release as "the most honest thing I've ever written and recorded."[11] The lead track "Home" was featured on the iTunes Store as "single of the week" and was also Aplin's first track to be played on BBC Radio 1.

English Rain (2012–2014)

Main article: English Rain

On 29 February 2012, Aplin announced that she had signed a deal with Parlophone Records.[12] Her first major label single "Please Don't Say You Love Me" was set for release on 10 February 2013.[13][14]

Later that year, Aplin was confirmed as the soundtrack to the John Lewis 2012 Christmas television advertisement, covering Frankie Goes to Hollywood's "The Power of Love".[15] In an interview, she said, "I was worried people might hate me because they were so attached to the original single. But I've since been in touch with Holly Johnson, and he said some lovely things about my take on his song."[6]

On 12 December 2012, Aplin announced that the title of her début album would be English Rain. The album's release date was later confirmed as 13 May 2013.[16] On its release, English Rain charted at number two on both the UK album charts, selling over 35,000 copies. It reached number 11 in Ireland, number 10 in Australia, and number 39 in New Zealand.[17] English Rain went on to gain international success and gave Aplin two Australian number ones.

In 2013, Aplin announced that her record label, Never Fade Records which was originally launched in 2010 so that Aplin could release her own music, would now represent other musicians. Her first signings were Welsh folk-jazz singer Hannah Grace, who had previously supported Aplin on tour, and indie folk artist Saint Raymond.[18] Never Fade Records' first release since Aplin's own Home EP in January 2012, was Saint Raymond's Escapade EP, released on 22 April 2013. Saint Raymond has since been released from Never Fade Records to allow him to sign a deal with Asylum, part of the Atlantic Records group.[19]

In 2014, Aplin released her English Rain EP in the United States. This EP was released on 6 May and features five songs from her début album, as well as a cover of Canadian singer Joni Mitchell's A Case of You.[20]

Light Up the Dark (2015–present)

Main article: Light Up the Dark

In May 2015, Aplin announced her second studio album, Light Up the Dark. The album announcement also featured the release of the title track's music video.[21] The video for the second single from Light Up the Dark, "Sweet Nothing", was released on 6 August 2015.

Aplin has appeared in fashion spreads for magazines such as Vogue and GQ. In September 2015, it was revealed that she had signed a modelling deal with Select modelling agency, although she stated in an interview, "It’s not like I want to go and be a model or anything. They’ll only ever book me to do something that reflects me and fits my music."[22] On September 22 2015 Aplin appeared on BBC Radio 1's Innuendo Bingo.[23]

Discography

Television and Film

References

  1. ↑ "Gabrielle Aplin – Biography". BBC Music.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Wiltshire singer's big radio opportunity". BBC News. 19 April 2011.
  3. ↑ "Power of Love cover claims number one spot". BBC News. 9 December 2012. Retrieved 9 December 2012.
  4. ↑ "Gabrielle Aplin – ‘Light Up The Dark’". Universal Music Publishing. 18 September 2015. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  5. 1 2 Thomas-Corr, Johanna (13 November 2012). "Gabrielle Aplin: the jingle belle who rocks the John Lewis Christmas ad". London Evening Standard (London). Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  6. 1 2 Thrills, Adrian (16 November 2012). "Gabrielle Aplin, the folk singer behind the festive soundtrack for John Lewis, gets the thumbs-up from Frankie Goes To Hollywood". Mail Online. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  7. ↑ "Gabrielle Aplin to support Gotye on European tour". City of Bath College. 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2012.
  8. ↑ "Gabrielle Aplin: Never Fade". Bath Chronicle. 21 December 2011. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  9. ↑ Davies, Lynda (26 March 2012). "Tip of the Week: Gabrielle Aplin – Home". BBC Introducing Blog. BBC. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  10. ↑ "Home EP – Gabrielle Aplin". AWAL. 9 January 2012. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  11. ↑ "Gabrielle Aplin – Out On My Own (Home EP now available on iTunes)". YouTube. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2012.
  12. ↑ "Bath singer Gabrielle Aplin signs recording deal". Bath Chronicle. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  13. ↑ "Gabrielle Aplin covers Frankie Goes To Hollywood classic". South Wales Argus. 16 November 2012. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  14. ↑ Steve Holden (17 April 2012). "Introducing... Gabrielle Aplin". Newsbeat (BBC). Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  15. ↑ "Gabrielle Aplin: The Power of a Christmas John Lewis advert?". The Independent. 8 November 2012. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  16. ↑ Artwork English Rain – Deluxe Edition
  17. ↑ "Gabrielle Aplin Reacts to Chart Success". BBC Newsbeat. 20 May 2013.
  18. ↑ Tina Hart (25 February 2013). "Parlophone's Gabrielle Aplin launches own label". Music Week. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  19. ↑ "Nottingham musician Saint Raymond signs major label deal". Nottingham Post.
  20. ↑ "A Case Of Her: Gabrielle Aplin To Release "English Rain" EP - Drfunkenberry.com". drfunkenberry.com.
  21. ↑ "Gabrielle Aplin: Singer-Songwriter Announces New Album 'Light Up The Dark'". Inveterate. 18 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  22. ↑ "Listen to Gabrielle Aplin's Light Up the Dark – exclusive album stream". Telegraph. 16 September 2015. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  23. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjvQAhrXU7U
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