Alex Winston | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Alexandra Leigh Winston |
Born | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, United States | 28 September 1987
Genres | Pop, Indie |
Occupation | Musician |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar, piano |
Years active | 2007 - present |
Labels |
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Alexandra Leigh Winston (born September 28, 1987) is an American indie pop rock singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. [1]
Alex Winston grew up just outside Detroit. She is classically trained as an opera singer, and a self-taught guitarist, songwriter, and pianist. [2] Winston moved to New York City in 2010, where she began performing as both a solo artist and with bands. [3]
Working with the production duo The Knocks, [3] [4] Winston released her first EP, The Basement Covers, on independent label Heavy Roc Music later that year. Recorded in GarageBand, the EP received significant attention, particularly in the UK, where Winston was often compared to Kate Bush, Joanna Newsom, and PJ Harvey. In reviewing the record, The Guardian noted that "there hasn't really been a breakthrough US female from what you might call the alternative/Pitchfork camp, but Alex Winston stands a better chance than most." [5]
Two singles, "Choice Notes" (2010) and "Locomotive" (2011) were released and a music video was made for the latter. These two songs would later appear on the Sister Wife EP, released in February 2011. [6] In 2011, Winston signed with Island Records, [7] [8] and subsequently re-released The Sister Wife EP as well as a collection of Sister Wife remixes. Winston's debut album, King Con, came out on V2 Cooperative Music, a Universal imprint. The album was produced by Charlie Hugall (Florence and the Machine, Ed Sheeran, Crystal Fighters), Bjorn Yttling (Lykke Li), and The Knocks. [9]
"Choice Notes" was used as the music bed for a European and UK advertisement for the Hyundai ix20 [10] and in an ad for TJ Maxx. [11] Winston's 2011 track, "Velvet Elvis" was used as the background music to the Google Chrome advert entitled Julie Deane. [12] She has performed extensively in the US and in Europe, where she supported Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros and Gotye, among others. She has also played at UK festivals including Bestival, VFest, and the Underage Festival. [13] [14] [15]
Winston released the single "101 Vultures" on her own Rat Rizzo Records imprint in September 2013. [16] [17]
In 2015, Winston released The Day I Died EP on 300 Entertainment. [18]
On September 29, 2017, it was announced via Twitter that Winston had embarked on a new pop project entitled Post Precious with Max Hershenow of MS MR. [19] The duo released their Crown EP on July 13, 2018. [20]
Winston released the single, "Tourist," her first solo music in three years, on August 7, 2018. [21]
Winston's second album, Bingo!, released on July 23, 2024. [22]
Nicholas Drain Lowe is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in pub rock, power pop and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. Along with being a vocalist, Lowe plays guitar, bass guitar, piano and harmonica.
Alannah Myles is a Canadian singer-songwriter who has won both a Grammy and a Juno Award for the song "Black Velvet". The song was a top-ten hit in Canada; it was also a number one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1990.
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Wouter André "Wally" De Backer, known professionally as Gotye, is a Belgian-born Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His 2011 single "Somebody That I Used to Know", reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the best-selling song of 2012. This made him the fifth Australian-based artist to top the chart and the second born in Belgium.
"Quasimodo's Dream" is a song by Australian pop/new wave band The Reels and was released as the title single off their second album, Quasimodo's Dream in May 1981. The album peaked at No. 27 on the Australian Kent Music Report Albums Chart but the single did not reach the Top 50 of the related Singles Chart. Rock music historian, Ian McFarlane claimed, "the album's highlight was the sparse, evocative title track". The song, written by lead singer Dave Mason, is now regarded as a classic—in 2001 it was named by Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) at No. 10 of their Top 30 Australian songs of all time. It was covered by fellow Australians Kate Ceberano (1989) and Jimmy Little (1999).
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Bridget Kelly is an American singer and songwriter from New York City. Kelly, an R&B recording artist, has written songs for Kelly Clarkson. In 2008, she secured a recording contract with American rapper and hip-hop mogul Jay-Z's record label Roc Nation.
Terrace Jamahl Martin is an American musician, rapper, singer, and record producer. He is perhaps best known for producing records for several prominent artists in the music industry, including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, the Game, Busta Rhymes, Stevie Wonder, Charlie Wilson, Raphael Saadiq and YG, among others. Martin is a multi-instrumentalist whose music production embodies funk, jazz, classical and soul. Martin released his sixth studio album, Velvet Portraits, on his label, Sounds of Crenshaw Records, through Ropeadope Records.
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