Edward Henry Richard Harcourt-Smith (born 14 August 1977) is an English singer-songwriter. To date, he has released six studio albums, two EPs, and thirteen singles. His debut album, Here Be Monsters, was nominated for the 2001 Mercury Prize.[1] Since 2007 he has been writing for other artists, including Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Paloma Faith, and has performed with Marianne Faithfull and the Libertines.[2] His music is influenced by Tom Waits, Nick Cave, and Jeff Buckley, among others.[3][4]
Harcourt was born Edward Henry Richard Harcourt-Smith on 14 August 1977, in Wimbledon, London, England.[1] The youngest of three, Harcourt is the son of Maj. Charles Harcourt-Smith of the Life Guards and also a former diplomat,[2][5] and his wife Sabrina, an art historian. Ed began to study piano at the age of nine and achieved grade 8 when he was 17.[6] He declined the offer to study music, citing “the idea of having to analyse, dissect and everything [of one piece of music] would completely destroy any enjoyment”.[6]
Before going solo, Harcourt played the bass and keyboards for Snug, a band formed at school in the mid-1990s by Harcourt, James Deane, Ed Groves and Johnny Lewsley.[7] The band recorded two albums and a handful of singles together before dissolving.
In 2000, Harcourt recorded his debut mini-album Maplewood EP straight to a 4-track recorder at Wootton Manor.[8] After signing with Heavenly Records and releasing Maplewood in November 2000, Harcourt recorded his debut studio album Here Be Monsters with producers Gil Norton and Tim Holmes.[8] The album was released in June 2001, and charted on the UK Albums Chart at No. 84.[9] One month after its release, the album was nominated for the 2001 Mercury Prize.[1] He later described the period as “very strange for me, I was naive, I knew nothing. I was used to making music in my room, so it felt very odd being on stage”.[2] In the US he signed with Capitol Records.[10]
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