Elijah Hewson

Last updated

Elijah Hewson
NDLE2022Inhaler 01.jpg
Hewson performing in 2022
Background information
Birth nameElijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q Hewson
Born (1999-08-17) 17 August 1999 (age 25)
Dublin, Ireland
Genres
OccupationMusician
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
Years active2016–present
Member of Inhaler

Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q Hewson (born 17 August 1999) is an Irish rock musician. Born to U2 frontman Bono and activist Ali Hewson in Dublin, he grew up in Killiney and featured on the cover of U2's Songs of Experience in 2017. He formed Inhaler in late 2012 with two friends from St Andrew's College, Dublin, with a fourth member joining later, and released the albums It Won't Always Be Like This (2021) and Cuts and Bruises (2023) as part of the band. His unusual name, for which his father received odium in the press, is a result of Bono's Christianity and incorporates the names of Guggi and Quincy Jones.

Contents

Life and career

Elijah Bob Patricius Guggi Q Hewson [1] was born in Dublin on 17 August 1999 to Bono, the lead singer of U2, and Ali Hewson, an activist. He has two older sisters, Jordan Joy Hewson and Memphis Eve Sunny Day Iris Hewson, [2] and a younger brother, John Abraham Hewson. [3] Elijah was raised Catholic and lived at Temple Hill in Killiney, which his parents had moved into in the late 1980s. [4] He attended Dalkey School Project [5] and St Andrew's College, Dublin. [6]

At age 13, [7] he took up the guitar after playing the video game Guitar Hero , [8] three years after discovering that his father was famous. [7] In late 2012, [9] while at St Andrew's College, he met Robert Keating and Ryan McMahon [10] and formed a band with them and a vocalist under the name "The Collapsible Chairs". He became the band's lead singer when he was fourteen or fifteen after the band's original singer left after his vocals were found to be substandard. [11] They later earned the sobriquet "The Inhalers" after the medical device of the same name due to Hewson's asthma [12] and adopted the moniker Inhaler in February 2015. [9] Around this time, Josh Jenkinson joined the band after Hewson played him "I Wanna Be Adored" by The Stone Roses at a party. [8]

In December 2017, a photograph taken by Anton Corbijn of Elijah holding hands with Sian Evans, the daughter of U2's the Edge, appeared on the cover of Songs of Experience, U2's fourteenth album. [13] After graduating with a Leaving Certificate, [14] Inhaler took a year out to play music with the intention of going to college afterwards if they were not successful. [15] Hewson's parents made a point of not assisting further than necessary; [7] in an interview with Craig McLean of the Evening Standard in January 2023, he noted that after his Airbnb was cancelled on the band's first trip to London and he asked his mother to provide a hotel, he found himself instructed to sleep "on a park bench". [16] A friend later allowed them to use their couch. [17] Inhaler later had a No. 1 album on the UK Albums Chart with It Won't Always Be Like This in 2021 and a No. 2 album with Cuts & Bruises in 2023; [18] in contrast, his father's band's first two albums, Boy and October , had charted at No. 52 and No. 11. [19]

Artistry and personal life

Hewson takes inspiration from grunge, having been obsessed with the genre as a child. [20] Reviewing Inhaler in December 2019, BBC Culture remarked that Hewson's voice was "like you've got back in time, 40 years to witness [U2]'s first faltering steps in a sweaty, smoky Dublin club"[ sic ], [21] and while reviewing It Won't Always Be Like This for The Daily Telegraph, Neil McCormick found Hewson's "raw tone" reminiscent of Bono's, but with "a loose, understated fluidity to his melodies that is very pop contemporary". [22]

Hewson's first name is a result of the Christianity of his father. [23] His other middle names make reference to Guggi, a member of the Virgin Prunes, and Quincy Jones, [24] a long-time friend of his father. Bono's naming decision, which took him a week to make and two further weeks to announce, [1] earned him ordure in the press, with John Walsh of The Independent wondering what he was thinking [25] and Euan Ferguson of The Observer suggesting that he should be ashamed of himself. [26] In 2023, it was reported that Elijah was dating Grace Burns, the daughter of Christy Turlington and Edward Burns. [27]

Family tree

Hewson family tree
Brendan Robert
Hewson		Iris Elizabeth
Rankin		Terry
Stewart		Joy Stewart
Norman
Hewson		 Paul David
Hewson [28] 		Ian
Stewart [29] 		Alison Stewart [30]
Jordan Joy
Iris Still Water
Hewson [31] 		Memphis Eve
Sunny Day
Iris Hewson 		Elijah Bob
Patricius Guggi
Q Hewson		John Abraham Hewson

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">U2</span> Irish rock band

U2 are an Irish rock band formed in Dublin in 1976. The group comprises Bono, the Edge, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr.. Initially rooted in post-punk, U2's musical style has evolved throughout their career, yet has maintained an anthemic quality built on Bono's expressive vocals and the Edge's chiming, effects-based guitar sounds. Bono's lyrics, often embellished with spiritual imagery, focus on personal and sociopolitical themes. Popular for their live performances, the group have staged several elaborate tours over their career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bono</span> Irish musician and activist, lead vocalist of U2 (born 1960)

Paul David Hewson, known by the nickname Bono, is an Irish singer-songwriter and activist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam Clayton</span> Irish rock musician, bassist of U2 (born 1960)

Adam Charles Clayton is a British-Irish musician who is the bass guitarist of the rock band U2. Born in Oxfordshire, England, he lived in County Dublin, Ireland since his family moved to Malahide in 1965, when he was five years old. Clayton attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School, where he met schoolmates with whom he co-founded U2 in 1976. A member of the band since its inception, he has recorded 15 studio albums with U2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Mullen Jr.</span> Irish rock musician, drummer of U2

Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr. is an Irish musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2. A member of the band since its inception, he has recorded 15 studio albums with U2. Mullen's distinctive, almost military drumming style developed from his playing martial beats in childhood marching bands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killiney</span> Suburb of Dublin in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Ireland

Killiney is an affluent suburb in the southern coastal part of County Dublin, Ireland. It lies south of Dalkey, east and northeast of Ballybrack and Sallynoggin and north of Shankill. The place grew around the 11th century Killiney Church, and became a popular seaside resort in the 19th century. The area is notable for some famous residents, including two members of U2, and Enya.

Virgin Prunes were an Irish post-punk band formed in 1977 in Dublin. They disbanded in 1986 after the departure of singer Gavin Friday. The other members continued under the name the Prunes until they split up in 1991.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gavin Friday</span> Musical artist

Gavin Friday is an Irish singer and songwriter, composer, actor and painter, best known as a founding member of the post-punk group The Virgin Prunes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mount Temple Comprehensive School</span> Mixed second-level comprehensive school in Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland

Mount Temple Comprehensive School is a secondary school in Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland. The school operates under the patronage of the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, and has, as a primary objective, the provision of state-funded second-level education to the Protestant population of northern Dublin, while accepting pupils of all religions and none. The school was established in 1972 following the amalgamation of Mountjoy School, Royal Hibernian Marine School in coastal Clontarf, and Bertrand & Rutland School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dave Fanning</span> Disk jockey and journalist from Ireland

David Fanning is an Irish television and radio broadcaster, rock journalist, DJ, film critic and author. Fanning currently hosts weekend midday magazine/chat show The Dave Fanning Show on the Irish national radio station RTÉ 2fm and a number of RTÉ Radio 1 programmes. He regularly deputises on RTÉ Radio 1 across a range of primetime programmes and also presented his own Monday-Friday 9 am show Mornings With Dave Fanning in 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guggi</span> Musical artist

Guggi is an Irish artist and musician who was once a member of the post-punk band Virgin Prunes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sweetest Thing</span> 1998 single by U2

"Sweetest Thing" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It was originally released as a B-side on the "Where the Streets Have No Name" single in 1987. The song was later re-recorded and re-released as a single in October 1998 for the band's compilation album The Best of 1980–1990.

"Running to Stand Still" is a song by rock band U2, and it is the fifth track from their 1987 album, The Joshua Tree. A slow ballad based on piano and guitar, it describes a heroin-addicted couple living in Dublin's Ballymun flats; the towers have since become associated with the song. Though a lot of time was dedicated to the lyrics, the music was improvised with co-producer Daniel Lanois during a recording session for the album.

"Kite" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the fifth track on their 2000 album All That You Can't Leave Behind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ali Hewson</span> Irish activist and businesswoman

Alison Hewson is an Irish activist and businesswoman. She is married to singer and musician Paul Hewson, known as Bono, from the rock group U2.

This is a timeline of the history of rock band U2:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eve Hewson</span> Irish actress (born 1991)

Memphis Eve Sunny Day Iris Hewson is an Irish actress. A daughter of activist Ali Hewson and singer Bono, she began acting in the late 2000s. Her first major role was in the 2011 drama film This Must Be the Place, and she subsequently starred in the 2014 series The Knick. She appeared in films such as Blood Ties (2013), Bridge of Spies (2015), and Robin Hood (2018).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invisible (U2 song)</span> 2014 single by U2

"Invisible" is a song by Irish rock band U2. Produced by Danger Mouse, it was released as a non-album single on 2 February 2014. The song was unveiled in a Super Bowl XLVIII television advertisement, launching a promotion that offered the song as a free digital download in the iTunes Store from 2–3 February. For each download of the track, Bank of America donated $1 to (RED), an organisation co-founded by lead vocalist Bono, to fight HIV/AIDS. Ultimately, $3.1 million was raised during the 36-hour promotion. Since 4 February, "Invisible" has been available as a paid download that continues to benefit (RED).

St Andrew's College Dublin is a co-educational, inter-denominational, international Private day school, founded in 1894 by members of the Presbyterian community, and now located in Booterstown, Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown, Ireland. The school colours are blue and white.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inhaler (band)</span> Irish rock band

Inhaler are an Irish rock band originating from Dublin. Formed in 2012, the band consist of vocalist and guitarist Elijah Hewson, bassist Robert Keating, guitarist Josh Jenkinson and drummer Ryan McMahon. Their debut album, It Won't Always Be Like This, was released on 9 July 2021. It entered the Irish & UK Albums Charts at number one, while also entering the top 10 and top 20 album charts in other European countries such as the Netherlands and Germany. The band's second studio album, Cuts & Bruises, was released on 17 February 2023.

<i>It Wont Always Be Like This</i> 2021 studio album by Inhaler

It Won't Always Be Like This is the debut studio album by Irish rock band Inhaler, released on 9 July 2021 through Polydor Records.

References

  1. 1 2 "BBC News | Entertainment | Unforgettable name for Bono's boy". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  2. ↑ "Bono's 4 Children: Everything to Know". Peoplemag. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  3. ↑ "Bono's heir raising method of delivery". Independent.ie. 2001-07-20. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  4. ↑ Coyle, Colin (2023-12-21). "Mrs Bono has 'right of way' to the beach in property dispute". The Times . ISSN   0140-0460 . Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  5. ↑ Price, Ryan. "Bono's son Eli Hewson wants his band to be as big as U2, but vows to make it without his dad's help". The Irish Post. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  6. ↑ "Inhaler: tour dates, new album, latest single and more". Radio X. 2019-05-06. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  7. 1 2 3 "Passing the torch: The musical offspring of famous rock stars - National". Global News. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  8. 1 2 Dork (2020-01-07). "Hype List 2020: Inhaler". Dork. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  9. 1 2 "Bono's son's band responds in Inhaler name row". BBC News. 2018-05-12. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  10. ↑ "Inhaler Are Breaking Big. But They Still Want More". Esquire. 2023-02-17. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  11. ↑ "Irish rock band Inhaler: 'People assume our band went straight into the big leagues'". The Independent. 2022-07-24. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  12. ↑ Ehrlich, Brenna (2020-01-21). "Inhaler: How an Asthmatic Irish Band Went From Talent Shows to Interscope". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  13. ↑ "U2 release cover art and single from new album". RTÉ.ie . 1 November 2017. Archived from the original on 1 November 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  14. ↑ "Inhaler front man says being Bono's son helps - sort of". Irish Post . 2019-06-19.
  15. ↑ ""We wanted to get out of school as badly as possible" - Inhaler in conversation". JOE.ie. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  16. ↑ "'He's actually quite small in person. I've got a bigger shadow' - Inhaler singer Elijah Hewson on his famous father and 'nepo baby' debate". Irish Independent. 2023-01-24. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  17. ↑ McLean, Craig (2023-01-23). "Inhaler: Ireland's best new band on embracing nepo-babyism with style". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  18. ↑ "INHALER". Official Charts. 2021-07-22. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  19. ↑ "U2". Official Charts. 1981-08-08. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  20. ↑ "Inhaler's Elijah Hewson: ' I was obsessed with like Nirvana and Kurt Cobain'". Music-News.com. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  21. ↑ "BBC Music Sound Of 2020 longlist revealed". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  22. ↑ McCormick, Neil (2021-07-08). "Inhaler: It Won't Always Be Like This, review: youthful exuberance – and an impeccable rock pedigree". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  23. ↑ "Pro Bono | Comment | The Observer". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  24. ↑ "Whatever happened to baby Moon Unit Zappa?". The Independent. 2004-05-16. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  25. ↑ "My old man's a rock star, see?". The Independent. 2001-07-03. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  26. ↑ "Euan Ferguson on offsprings and mundane names". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
  27. ↑ "Meet Christy Turlington's daughter Grace Burns, who's dating Bono's son". South China Morning Post. 2023-09-18. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  28. ↑ Cantarelli, Loris (2013-06-26). 'I nearly quit U2 before we found fame' says Bono. Irish News.
  29. ↑ "Ali's other Eden". Independent.ie. 2005-03-06. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  30. ↑ "Ali Hewson: It's a wonderful life being Mrs Bono". Independent.ie. 2011-08-27. Retrieved 2023-12-19.
  31. ↑ Bono (2022-11-01). Surrender: Bono Autobiography: 40 Songs, One Story. Cornerstone. ISBN   978-1-5291-5179-4.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.