| David
Sneddon |
|
| Origin |
 Scotland |
| Years active |
2003–present |
| Genres |
Pop, Acoustic, Indie |
David Sneddon (born 15
September 1978,
in Paisley,
Scotland) is a British pop singer-songwriter.
His expressive singing captured hearts and votes when he won the first BBC UK
series of Fame Academy in
2002. David
released his single 'Stop Living The Lie' which was a number
one hit
single
selling over 250,000 copies, and making it the 12th highest selling
single of the year. His debut album, Seven Years - Ten Weeks,
released in April 2003, entered the UK
Albums Chart at number 5. David has an instinctive feel for a memorable
melody, and in 2007 he has been writing for many top names in the music
industry. He is taking it back to basics with no PR or runners in
sight… only himself, his piano and a few songs.
David is hosting an all-sports show 'KEEP OFF THE GRASS' on BBC
Radio Scotland at 12.30 on Saturday afternoons - from June 16 to July
14 2007. David is a Rangers FC supporter. In 2007 David is doing an
acoustic tour with backing guitarist David Mullins. He is currently
signed to Universal Music as a songwriter. In 2006 David began writing
and recording a new solo album, describing his new material as
'acoustic based indie pop' [1].
|
Contents
- 1 Origins
- 2 Music
Career and Achievements
- 2.1 Performing
- 2.2 Songwriting
- 3 Discography
- 3.1 Album
- 3.2 EP
- 3.3 Singles
- 4 External
links
|
Origins
David enjoyed performing in musicals from a young age, and when his
parents bought him a piano he discovered he loved writing songs, and
taught himself to play. David was inspired by his father’s record
collection of The Beatles, Frank
Sinatra, Van Morrison and Elton
John, and he cites the Beatles as a huge influence. He
studied music at school, won several talent competitions and played
lead roles in musicals both at school and at PACE Youth drama. "The
person who has inspired me the most is Elton John. I love the Beatles,
but as I was growing up, I always wanted to play the piano like him.
I've never had any lessons, so he has been my only teacher.".........?"[2]
After attending University in Glasgow for a
year, David decided to pursue a career in music. He was offered several
opportunities – a musical in London, and a part in a young boy band
called Arena. He performed in musicals and sang with bands in Scotland
for several years. He also presented 'Inside
Out' a children's show on Scottish TV . While acting in Romeo and
Juliet he met John Kielty - David was Romeo and John was acting
Juliet's father. After playing some acoustic nights together at the
Tron in Glasgow in 2001, they decided to start a band, and called
themselves The Martians Band.
Music Career and Achievements
Performing
David was performing with the Martians in the summer of 2002,
when he decided to enter the BBC Fame Academy show. He made the final
stages in London after auditioning in Glasgow, but was not selected for
one of the final eleven places. On the first show he came second to Sinéad
Quinn in a public vote for the last place. However when
another contestant Naomi Roper pulled out due to illness, he was
offered her place and entered the program two weeks late. David went on
to win the final showdown with 3.5 million of the 6 million public
votes, competing against Sinéad Quinn and Lemar
Obika.
He signed to Mercury Records in December 2002,
and shot his first video at Abbey Road Studios. David's first
single "Stop Living The Lie", which he wrote when he was 17, stayed at
#1 in the UK Charts for two weeks in January 2003. To date, he is
the only artist from a reality TV show to have a no.1 hit single with a
self-written song.
His debut album, "Seven Years Ten Weeks" which refers to
David's seven years of struggling and his ten weeks on the TV show, was
released in April and entered the UK album chart at #5. The album was
produced by Hugh Padgham, and recorded with Elton John's band; it
contains all original material written by David, and some co-writes
with John Kielty. There was a Scottish album launch, for the release on
27 April, when David performed 7 gigs in 10 hours all over Scotland.
Throughout 2003 David and his band played a University tour,
the Box Live and Summer XS tours, headlined at the 'Pop on the Rock'
music festival in the Channel Islands, and supported Bryan
Adams and Elton John. He also performed
on TV many times, including Top of the Pops, as a guest
presenter on CBBC's The Saturday Show and the BBC
Scotland Children in Need Appeal as well as
appearing in Avid Merrion's comedy show 'Bo Selecta'
on Channel
4 [3]
David left Mercury Records and signed a publishing deal with Universal
Music in October 2003. David said "I've loved all the music
side of it, it's everything I hoped it would be - the recording, the
studio, writing, but the other stuff..........?"[4]
David began to focus mainly on his songwriting, sometimes with John
Kielty. He returned to performing in 2004 and 2005 as the lead-singer with indie-rock band
The Sham. They played a number of gigs in London, Scotland and the
North of England, and headlined at the Hogmanay Celebrations in
Aberdeen. The Sham included Ed Carlile(drums),Si Jones(guitar), Jake
Gosling(keys), John Kielty(guitar) & Jay Mein(bass).
David started writing and recording for a new solo album, and
in July 2006 he showcased his new songs in a series of intimate,
acoustic gigs with John Kielty in London, Essex and Scotland. John
moved to to San Francisco in January 2007 to continue his acting and
writing career there. David now has David Mullins [5]
as his new backing guitarist.
David released a 5-track EP called "White Noise" in January 2007. White Noise’ Ep
topped the Indie charts for 3 months – at No.1 for several weeks, and
then staying at No. 3 for another month. TRACKS: White Noise, Time,
Lady Lullaby, One Old Soul and Wish You Well. www.indiestore.com/davidsneddon
In 2007 David is doing an acoustic tour with backing guitarist
David Mullins. Check his myspace for latest gigs. www.myspace.com/davidsneddon
He performs his own acoustic songs and describes his music as 'melody
driven'. "It’s not what people are expecting, I’m trying
something a bit different. The feedback, from people who know me from
the show, on the new songs has been incredible."
FPR Radio Interview Oct 2006
In July 2007 David announced FESTIVAL GIGS: 1st Sep 'A truly
Scottish Evening' in the grounds of Hilton Dunkeld House, Dunkeld, Scotland [6] in aid of the Anthony
Nolan trust. David is now writing for many top names in the industry
and will feature as special guest at this concert in support of the
charity close to his heart.
David will play 3 Acoustic sessions at the [Edinburgh Festival
Fringe], at the Jazz Bar, Chambers St (23rd/24th/25th). On the 18th
August 'Live at the Lake', Cleethorpes Boating Lake Paddock, Cleethorpes.
At the Kilsyth
International Carnival popularly known as KIC [7])
at the Colzium
on the 12th August.
Songwriting
David co-wrote the international hit “The Message” for UK soul
artist Nate James which was released as a single in the UK in 2005, and
was also a track on Nate’s debut album “Set The Tone”. It charted in
Italy and Japan in 2006.
In October 2003 David’s single, Baby Get Higher, co written
with Graham Stack and ex A1 member Mark Read, made the British Top 40,
and this song has subsequently achieved chart success. In November 2003
the dance label Almighty Records [8]
produced an exclusive promo remix, which proved to be hit on the dance
floor. The label then recorded a version featuring Belle Lawrence,
which has been included on several dance compilation albums. In
November 2006 this song was a Singles chart hit for Dutch artist Van
Velzen [9].
David had four songs picked up by other artists worldwide in 2006.
In 2007 David began writing with the highly anticipated 18
year-old British singer/ songwriter Julian Perretta [10] for his debut album, a date
for release is unknown. David has described the pairing as "exciting,
we are great friends and he's a huge talent to work with."
- Awards - Nordoff Robins Award for Contribution to music
2003.
- Radio Forth (Forth One) Best Newcomer award 2003.
Discography
Album
Seven Years - Ten Weeks (2003) #5 UK
TRACKS:
- "Best Of Order"
- "Time To Fall Down"
- "Stop Living The Lie"
- "All My Life"
- "Follow Me"
- "Don't Let Go"
- "The Bluebird"
- "Lazy"
- "OK"
- "Without You"
- "Neverland"
- "Long Time Coming"
EP
White Noise (2007) #1 in indiestore.com
chart
TRACKS:
- "White Noise"
- "Time"
- "Lady Lullaby"
- "One Old Soul"
- "Wish You Well"
Singles
- "Stop Living The Lie" (2003) #1 UK
- "Don't Let Go" (2003) #3 UK
- "Best Of Order" (2003) #19 UK
- "Baby Get Higher" (2003) #38 UK
External links
Fansites
- Fansite for David Sneddon - www.davidsneddonfansite.co.uk-
Biography, Fan Gig Reviews, Photos, and News
- David Sneddon Fan MySpace Page - www.myspace.com/davidsneddonfans
- Photos, Biography, Blog.
- David's band The Sham (2004) - www.shamfansite.co.uk
- Sham Info & News, Fan Gig Reports and Photos.
- Official site for the Martians band - www.the-martians.co.uk
- Official Martians site: Latest News, Articles, Blog, Forum.
- Fansite for the Martians - www.themartiansfansite.co.uk
- the Martians Bio, John Kielty Bio, News, Gig Reports and Photos.
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)
