Andrew Ivan Bell (born 25 April 1964)[1] is an English singer and songwriter. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the synth-popduoErasure. The band achieved mainstream success (receiving a Brit Award for Best British Group) and are popular within the LGBT community, for whom he has become an icon.[2]
Erasure have penned over 200 songs and have sold over 25 million albums worldwide.[3][4] They have achieved five consecutive number ones on the UK Albums Chart. Hit singles include "A Little Respect", "Sometimes" and "Always".
His solo career includes the studio albums Electric Blue (2005), Non-Stop (2010), and iPop (2014).
In 1985, during a period in which he worked selling women's shoes and was performing in a band called the Void, he responded to a newspaper advertisement for a singer. Vince Clarke had been Bell's "hero";[citation needed] Bell was successful in his audition and together they formed the group Erasure.
The first single, "Crazy", released on 26 September 2005, included club remixes from his Erasure partner Vince Clarke, plus Cicada, MHC and King Roc. Electric Blue was co-written and recorded throughout 2004 and 2005 with Manhattan Clique (Philip Larsen and Chris Smith) who have worked with Erasure, Moby, the B-52s, Stereophonics and Goldfrapp.
Using the pseudonym Mimó, Bell released two Pascal Gabriel-produced singles on Mute Records: "Running Out" (2009)[9] and "Will You Be There?" (2010)[10] prior to his second solo album.[11] The name, used as a "tribute to good friend Tomeau Mimó", was not used on any subsequent solo releases, as a legal block was issued against Bell by another artist already using the Mimó name.[12] Both songs appear on Non-Stop[8] and have since been re-branded as Andy Bell.
On 26 July 2023, Claire Richards released a cover of the 1978 ABBA single "Summer Night City", in collaboration with Bell on co-lead vocals, as the second single from Richards' second studio album Euphoria.[13]
Bell has also donated time and made recordings for charities. These include Ferry Aid's cover of "Let It Be" (1987); a cover of Cole Porter's "Too Darn Hot", that was included in 1990s Red Hot + Blue album to raise funds for AIDS and HIV research; re-making Lene Lovich's "Rage" alongside her to be included in PETA's album (1991) in favour of a wildlife campaign; and performing twice on Big Spender's Red Hot and Dance events to support various AIDS projects (in both December 1994 and November 2004). Bell also performed on the True Colours Tour 2008.
Personal life
Bell is openly gay. His long-term partner, Paul M. Hickey,[14] died on 11 April 2012 at the age of 62.[15] In January 2013, Bell married Stephen Moss.[16]
On 17 December 2004, Bell publicly announced that he has been HIV-positive since 1998.[17] In a 2007 interview, he remarked that there is a complacency among gay men about HIV:
There are definitely HIV-positive people who meet other HIV-positive men, and like still having unprotected sex. I think it must be quite hard for young gay men because there is so much for them now to do — there are so many saunas and stuff like that for them to go to, and it's so easy to get it.[18]
↑ Harrington, Richard (29 April 2005). "Erasure's Edge: Still Sharp". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2010. One of the first openly gay pop stars, Bell used to cover Tammy Wynette's "Stand by Your Man" sporting bell-bottom cowboy chaps with the backsides cut out, long before Prince or Christina Aguilera struck that ex-pose... Spain (where Bell lives with his partner of 20 years, Paul Hickey)
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