| Alex
Parks |
| Origin |
Cornwall,
England |
| Years active |
2003
– present |
| Genres |
folk
pop, alternative, indie rock |
| Labels |
Polydor
(2003-2006) |
Alexandra Rebecca Parks (born 26 July 1984, in Mount
Hawke, Cornwall)
is an English
singer-songwriter. She is best known for winning Fame
Academy in 2003, her subsequent singles, and the albums Introduction
and Honesty.
|
Contents
- 1 Career
- 2 Influences
- 3 Discography
- 4 External
links
|
Career
Parks started songwriting at the age of fifteen. At college
she studied theatrical and performing arts, and at the same time
performed regularly as lead singer in a local band, One Trick Pony.
During this period she was introduced to indie, folk and rock
music, and began playing guitar. The band eventually broke up, but
Parks continued to write songs.
On Parks' behalf, her father submitted an impromptu
application to the BBC's
Fame
Academy in 2003. Parks won the contest, and was
given the opportunity to showcase her self-penned song Maybe
That's What It Takes to a public audience. The song was
released on 17 November 2003 and peaked at number 3 in the UK
singles chart the following week. Her debut album Introduction
was subsequently released and sold over 500,000 copies.
After the release of her second single Cry
in February 2004, Parks withdrew from the limelight for eighteen months
while working on her second album Honesty
with co-writers/producers Greg Wells, John Reynolds, Peter-John Vettese and Judie
Tzuke. The album suffered many setbacks, and delays, with
reports that the record label, Polydor, were unhappy with the record
and could not hear potential singles. Songwriter Eg
White revealed that he wrote the song "Shiver", which was
released by Natalie Imbruglia and became a #1
radio hit, for Parks, but she declined it. Parks revealed on her web
site that she spent a week with Greg Wells writing 4 new tracks, all of
which appear on the album. Honesty was eventually
released in October 2005, preceded by the lead single, "Looking For
Water," in October 2005. Fans were infuriated when Polydor chose to
release the track as an internet-download only, cancelling the CD release two weeks
before it was due to go on sale. The album peaked at #24 in the UK
album chart, met with mixed reviews about the record's overall
downtempo, more noncommercial sound.
Polydor released the title track, "Honesty", as the second
single from the album in January 2006, with it charting at #56. Parks
toured the UK to support the album, with gigs in
venues in Edinburgh,
Manchester,
Birmingham
and Cornwall,
ending with a finale gig in London's Shepherds
Bush Empire on February 10th 2006.
On February 8th 2006, Parks announced that she had parted
company with her record label, since both she and Polydor had been
unhappy with their relationship. Parks revealed she had received offers
from independent labels, but decided to take a sabbatical from the
music industry to consider her options. In November 2006, her
management team confirmed that Parks remains committed to a career in
music.
In December 2006, Parks received a Special Award for 2006 from
the independent music site Shakenstir [1]. The editor commented that
"Alex Parks remains the most individual talent to come out of any of
the TV talent shows" and also that "Parks ended her contract with
Polydor with the finest live performance I have ever seen from a young
performer."
In late 2006, Parks went to Australia and went travelling
across the country for several months, writing updates to her fans
telling them of her enjoyment of the experience. In April 2007, she
revealed she had returned to the UK and was ready to start work on a
new EP of material, to be released later in the year.
Influences
Parks' musical influences as a songwriter and performer
include Ani
DiFranco, Nick Drake, Joni
Mitchell, Jeff Buckley and Annie
Lennox. She has also expressed a strong interest in rock
artists and bands, including Jimi Hendrix, Skin,
Radiohead,
Razorlight
and The Killers.
Discography
(with UK chart positions)
Albums
- Introduction
(2003) #5
- Honesty (2005) #24
Singles
- "Maybe That's What It
Takes" (2003)
#3
- "Cry" (2004) #13
- "Looking for
Water" (2005)
(download only - record company cancelled physical release)
- "Honesty" (2006) #56
External links
- Official Site
- Fan Sites
- Forums
- Myspace
- Feature Articles
- Reviews
Studio albums: Introduction
• Honesty
Singles: "Maybe That's What It
Takes" • "Cry"
• "Looking for
Water" • "Honesty"
v • d • e
Fame
Academy winners
David Sneddon (2002) •
Alex Parks (2003)
Comic Relief series:
Will Mellor (2003) •
Edith Bowman (2005) •
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson (2007)
