Greg Holden

Last updated

Greg Holden
Born Aberdeen, Scotland, UK
Genres folk, soft rock, acoustic rock
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, piano, drum
Years active2005–present
LabelsFalling Art Recordings
Collective Sounds
Warner Music Group
Website www.gregholdenonline.com

Greg Holden (born 28 February 1983) is a Scottish singer-songwriter based in the United States. [1] He is best known for his hit charity single "The Lost Boy" and for co-writing "Home", the 2012 debut single for American Idol -winner Phillip Phillips.

Contents

Early life

Holden was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, and lived in Methlick in Aberdeenshire until he was three. [2] The family then moved to Lancashire in England, and he was raised in Morecambe and then Leyland. He went to St. Patrick's Primary School, Heysham near Morecambe, then attended Leyland St. Mary's Catholic Technology College and the University of Central Lancashire. [3] Holden started learning to play the guitar when he was 18. [1]

After graduating in 2005, he went to Brighton with his band. [4] He then moved to London in 2007 to attempt a career, before moving to New York City in 2009. [2] He relocated to Los Angeles in July 2016.[ citation needed ]

Music career

Holden wrote his first song called "You Go Left, I'll Go Right" when he was 18. [5] He won the Lancashire Evening Post Battle of the Bands in 2005. [3]

Greg first gained a large following by posting live videos of himself performing his songs on YouTube. One series of videos was called the "Not My Living Room Tour" where he performed for his fans in their living rooms. [6] Greg Holden's debut album, A Word in Edgeways (2009, 9 tracks) was followed by the EP Sing for the City. [6] All of Holden's albums were initially either self-released or released on his own label, Falling Art Recordings.

In 2009, Holden moved to New York soon after the release of his first album. A few months later, he toured as a support act for Ingrid Michaelson in the US after she heard him live in his previous visit to New York. [6] [7]

His songs have been featured on several TV shows, for example a track from A Word in Edgeways, "Choking on the Concrete", was featured on an episode of the TV show Private Practice . [8] Other shows include ABC's Make It Or Break It , One Tree Hill and the CW's Life Unexpected .

2011–2014: I Don't Believe You

Greg Holden's second album, I Don't Believe You, was funded by fan donations using Kickstarter in 2010 which raised $30,000. [9] In late 2010 Holden started recording his second studio album with producer Tony Berg in Los Angeles. [10] The album was released in May 2011, and an acoustic version of I Don't Believe You was also released in March 2012, including 2 bonus tracks, one of which is "The Lost Boy".

"The Lost Boy" was written by Holden in 2011 but was not included in the original release of the album, but added in its subsequent releases. It was inspired by the book What is the What by American writer Dave Eggers about Sudanese refugees. [11] [12] Holden recorded it and released as a charity single on 20 December 2011, and it became a hit for him in the Netherlands, topping the Dutch iTunes singles chart on Christmas Day and reaching No. 2 on the Dutch Top 40. [13] In December 2013, he released an official video for "The Lost Boy" after his album I Don't Believe You was re-released in the US when he became signed by Collective Sounds. [14] [11]

The song "The Lost Boy" was featured in an episode of the TV show Sons of Anarchy in 2012, where it was used as the musical backdrop to the funeral procession of Opie Winston. [15] In the following week debuted at No. 36 on the Billboard Rock Charts, selling over 20,000 copies. [16] Holden's single "I Need An Energy", which was released on 26 October 2012, is used on the soundtrack of the film, Chasing Mavericks. [17]

Holden has toured throughout Europe and the United States as a headliner. The Dutch leg of his 2012 European tour sold out months in advance. He has also toured with A Great Big World, BOY, The Lone Bellow, and Jukebox the Ghost. [11] [18]

"Home"

In 2012, Holden became known in the United States for "Home", a song he co-wrote with Drew Pearson. The song was picked by American Idol mentor Jimmy Iovine for Phillip Phillips as his coronation song for the final of the show's season 11. [19] [20] The song quickly topped the US iTunes singles chart and became the best-selling song by an American Idol alum with over 5 million copies sold. [21] In 2014, "Home" was named one of the most performed pop songs of 2013 by ASCAP, [22] and Holden also performed "Home" at the 2014 ASCAP Award Ceremony. [23]

2015: Chase the Sun

In 2014, Holden worked with Greg Wells to record a new album. [18] He signed a record deal with Warner Brothers, and the new album, Chase the Sun, was released on 14 April 2015. [24] It was preceded by the single "Hold On Tight", [25] which debuted in the Triple A chart April 2015. [26] The single was released on 27 January 2015, and its video on 18 February 2015. The album also includes "Boys in the Street", which was written after he was asked by Everyone Is Gay, an organization that supports LGBTQ youth, to contribute to their 2014 fundraiser compilation, The Gayest Compilation Ever Made II. [27] [28]

Holden co-wrote three songs on A Great Big World's sophomore album When The Morning Comes (which was released on 13 November 2015): All I Want Is Love, The Future's Right In Front Of Me and When The Morning Comes.

2019: World War Me

Holden was dropped by Warner Bros Records in late 2017 just before he was due to record his fourth album. He decided to record the album himself in his home studio in Los Angeles, and the album World War Me was released in 2019. [29] He wrote five of the songs on the album with Garrison Starr, and recorded all the songs himself except for “On the Run” which was recorded by Butch Walker, with whom he had originally intended to record the album. [30] [31]

Discography

Albums

TitleAlbum detailsPeak
chart
positions		Notes
NL
Top 40
[32]
A Word in Edgeways
  • Released: 19 February 2009
  • Label: Falling Art Recordings
  • Formats: digital download
-
I Don't Believe You
  • Released: 31 May 2011, 30 September 2013
  • Label: Falling Art Recordings, Collective Sounds
  • Formats: CD (2013), digital download (2011, 2013)
Re-released in 2013
I Don't Believe You
(Acoustic Version)
  • Released: 13 March 2012
  • Label: Falling Art Recordings
  • Formats: CD, digital download
22
Chase the Sun
World War Me
  • Released 29 March 2019
  • Label: Falling Art Music
  • Formats: CD, Vinyl, Digital

EPs

Singles

YearTitlePeak
chart
positions		Album
US
Rock
[33] 		US
AAA 		NL
Top 40
[34] 		NL
Single
Top 100
[35]
2011"The Lost Boy"36—152Non-album song
2015"Hold On Tight"—15——Chase the Sun
2016"Exactly Like You" [36] ———— 30 Days, 50 Songs
Others

Songwriting

Related Research Articles

Mark Ronald Holden is an Australian singer, actor, TV personality, record producer, songwriter, and barrister. He was a pop star in the 1970s and had four top 20 hit singles, "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again", "I Wanna Make You My Lady" (September), "Last Romance" (November) and "Reach Out for the One Who Loves You". Holden regularly appeared on national pop music show, Countdown. Holden is remembered for his clean-cut image, his white dinner suit and his penchant for handing out carnations to girls on the set of the popular television show Countdown – he was nicknamed "The Carnation Kid". In the 1980s he worked as a songwriter in Los Angeles providing material recorded by Meat Loaf, Joe Cocker, Gladys Knight, Bob Welch and Steve Jones. He was one of three original judges on the TV series Australian Idol (2003–07) and the first season (2005) of The X Factor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Carnes</span> American singer and songwriter

Kim Carnes is an American singer and songwriter born and raised in Los Angeles. She began her career as a songwriter in the 1960s, writing for other artists while performing in local clubs and working as a session background singer with the famed Water Sisters. After she signed her first publishing deal with Jimmy Bowen, she released her debut album Rest on Me in 1971. Carnes' self-titled second album primarily contained self-penned songs, including her first charting single "You're a Part of Me", which reached No. 35 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in 1975. In the following year, Carnes released Sailin', which featured "Love Comes from Unexpected Places". The song won the American Song Festival and the award for Best Composition at the Tokyo Song Festival in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Martin</span> Swedish record producer and songwriter

Karl Martin Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish record producer and songwriter. He rose to prominence in the late 1990s making a string of hit singles such as Britney Spears's "...Baby One More Time" (1998), the Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" (1999), Céline Dion's "That's the Way It Is" (1999) and NSYNC's "It's Gonna Be Me" (2000).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rick Nowels</span> American songwriter and record producer

Richard Wright Nowels Jr. is an American songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and arranger. He has co-written and co-produced over 90 hit singles with multiple artists and albums his songs have appeared on have sold over 250 million copies. In 2020, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dr. Luke</span> American record producer (born 1973)

Lukasz Sebastian Gottwald, known professionally as Dr. Luke, Tyson Trax, and Made in China, is an American record producer and songwriter. His professional music career began in the late-night television sketch comedy Saturday Night Live as its house band's lead guitarist in 1997 and producing remixes for artists such as Bon Jovi and Gravediggaz. He came into music prominence in 2004 for producing Kelly Clarkson's single "Since U Been Gone" with Swedish record producer Max Martin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Morgan</span> American musical artist

Craig Morgan Greer is an American country music artist. A veteran of the United States Army as a forward observer, Morgan began his musical career in 2000 on Atlantic Records, releasing his self-titled debut album for that label before the closure of its Nashville division in 2000. In 2002, Morgan signed to the independent Broken Bow Records, on which he released three studio albums: 2003's I Love It, 2005's My Kind of Livin', and 2006's Little Bit of Life. These produced several chart hits, including "That's What I Love About Sunday", which spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard country charts while also holding the No. 1 position on that year's Billboard Year-End chart for the country format. A greatest hits package followed in mid-2008 before Morgan signed to BNA Records and released That's Why later that same year. After exiting BNA, Morgan signed with Black River Entertainment and released This Ole Boy in 2012, followed by A Whole Lot More to Me in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sara Watkins</span> American musician

Sara Ullrika Watkins is an American singer-songwriter and fiddler. Watkins debuted in 1989 as the fiddler of Nickel Creek, the progressive bluegrass group she formed with her brother Sean and mandolinist Chris Thile. In addition to singing and fiddling, Watkins also plays the ukulele and the guitar, and also played percussion while touring with the Decemberists. In 2012, she and her brother played with Jackson Browne during his "I'll Do Anything" acoustic tour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Open Arms (Journey song)</span> 1982 single by Journey

"Open Arms" is a song by American rock band Journey. It was released as a single from the Heavy Metal soundtrack and their 1981 album, Escape. Co-written by band members Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain, the song is a power ballad whose lyrics attempt to renew a drifting relationship. It is one of the band's most recognizable radio hits and their biggest US Billboard Hot 100 hit, reaching number two in February 1982 and holding that position for six weeks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toby Gad</span> German songwriter and producer

Tobias "Toby" Gad is a Los Angeles-based German music producer/songwriter, best known for co-writing John Legend's biggest hit, "All of Me," the fifth-highest certified single in RIAA history, and for co-writing and producing "Big Girls Don't Cry" by Fergie and "If I Were a Boy" by Beyoncé. Other notable works include "Skyscraper" for Demi Lovato, "Who You Are" for Jessie J, "Untouched" for The Veronicas, "A Year Without Rain" for Selena Gomez & the Scene, "Don't Hold Your Breath" for Nicole Scherzinger, "Love You More" for JLS, and "I Do" for Colbie Caillat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bucky Covington</span> American singer

William Joel "Bucky" Covington III is an American country music singer. He placed eighth on the 5th season of the Fox Network's talent competition series American Idol. In December 2006, he signed a recording contract with Lyric Street Records. His self-titled debut album, produced by Dale Oliver and Mark Miller of the band Sawyer Brown, was released on April 17, 2007. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, and produced three hit singles on the Hot Country Songs charts: "A Different World" at number six, "It's Good to Be Us" at number eleven, and "I'll Walk" at number ten. Three more singles: "I Want My Life Back", "Gotta Be Somebody", and "A Father's Love ", were released for an unreleased second album, titled I'm Alright, and later included on his 2012 album, Good Guys.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phillip Phillips</span> American singer-songwriter and actor

Phillip LaDon Phillips Jr. is an American musician and singer-songwriter who rose to fame after winning the eleventh season of American Idol in 2012. His coronation song, "Home", became the best-selling song in American Idol history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brett James</span> American singer-songwriter and record producer

Brett James Cornelius is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer based in Nashville. James' compositions have been credited on 494 recordings by a wide variety of artists. Signed to Career Records as a solo artist in 1995, James charted three singles and released a self-titled debut album that year. He returned to Arista as a recording artist in 2002, releasing two more singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kris Allen discography</span>

American singer Kris Allen has released six studio albums, five EPs, eight singles and five music videos. He self-released an album titled Brand New Shoes in 2007 before rising to prominence in 2009 as the winner of the eighth season of American Idol. His coronation single, "No Boundaries", reached the top 15 on both the American Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Hot 100 charts. Allen released his self-titled second album in November 2009, which included the successful lead single, "Live Like We're Dying". The album additionally generated the singles "The Truth" and "Alright with Me" in 2010.

David Jamahl Listenbee, better known by his stage name GoonRock, is an American record producer, musician, singer, songwriter and rapper. Raised in Los Angeles, California, early in his career he focused on hip hop and sold beats to artists such as Dr. Dre, Ne-Yo, Kanye West, and Juvenile. He later began incorporating club music. GoonRock co-wrote and co-produced a number of songs on LMFAO's 2011 album Sorry for Party Rocking, including hit singles "Party Rock Anthem" and "Sexy and I Know It."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colton Dixon</span> American musician

Michael Colton Dixon is an American singer-songwriter and musician from Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He placed seventh on the eleventh season of American Idol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jessica Sanchez</span> American singer-songwriter

Jessica Elizabeth Sanchez is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence following her finish as the runner-up on the eleventh season of American Idol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Home (Phillip Phillips song)</span> 2012 single by Phillip Phillips

"Home" is the debut single and coronation song from American Idol season 11 winner Phillip Phillips. The song was co-written by Drew Pearson and Greg Holden, and produced by Drew Pearson. Phillips first performed the song on the season's final performance night on May 22, 2012, and then again on the finale after he was declared the winner. His recording of "Home" was released as a single on May 23, 2012 and included as a track on the compilations American Idol Season Finale - Season 11 EP and Journey to the Finale released at the same time. The song was also included on his debut album, The World from the Side of the Moon, released later in November that year.

<i>The World from the Side of the Moon</i> 2012 studio album by Phillip Phillips

The World from the Side of the Moon is the debut album from American Idol season 11 winner, Phillip Phillips. The album was released on November 19, 2012 and includes Phillips' coronation song, "Home". The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America in August 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maluma</span> Colombian singer, songwriter, and actor

Juan Luis Londoño Arias, known professionally as Maluma, is a Colombian singer and songwriter.

References

  1. 1 2 Gillian Telling (5 February 2015). "Meet Greg Holden, the Singer-Songwriter Who Penned the Phillip Phillips Hit 'Home'". People.
  2. 1 2 Michele Amabile Angermiller (18 June 2012). "Songwriter Greg Holden Discusses the Success of Phillip Phillips' 'Home'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. 1 2 Melanie Wallwork (25 May 2012). "Millions wowed by Greg's song". Lancashire Evening Post.
  4. ↑ Karen Bale (17 June 2012). "Scots songwriter Greg Holden tells of his shock as song he co-wrote becomes hit for American Idol winner". Sunday Mail. Scottish Daily Record and Sunday Mail Ltd.
  5. ↑ Andrianna Yeatts (17 November 2013). "Greg Holden". American Songwriter.
  6. 1 2 3 "Q&A with Greg Holden". You Sing, I Write. 25 November 2009.
  7. ↑ R.P.M. (3 October 2009). "Concert Review: Ingrid Michaelson with Greg Holden – Center Stage Loft, Atlanta, Georgia on September 22, 2009". Blogcritics.
  8. ↑ Maggie Gryske (14 March 2010). "Greg Holden Interview: SXSW 2010". Spinner.
  9. ↑ "Help Greg Holden Fund His New Album!". Kickstart.
  10. ↑ "Believing In Greg Holden". Grammy.com.
  11. 1 2 3 Kyle Anderson (12 September 2013). "Singer-songwriter Greg Holden steps into the spotlight from behind Phillip Phillips and 'Sons of Anarchy'". Entertainment Weekly.
  12. ↑ "Must Watch: Greg Holden – The Lost Boy". merqurious. 22 December 2011.
  13. ↑ Phil Gallo (8 June 2012). "Home is Where the Cash is". Billboard.
  14. ↑ Craig Shelburne (17 December 2013). "Greg Holden Sees the World With "The Lost Boy"". CMT Edge.
  15. ↑ Mandi Bierly (2 October 2012). "'Sons of Anarchy' recap: The Lost Boy". Entertainment Weekly.
  16. ↑ "Greg Holden". ASCAP.
  17. ↑ "Greg Holden's Releases Official Music Video For "I Need An Energy"".
  18. 1 2 "Interview: Greg Holden". Emo at Heart. 21 June 2014.
  19. ↑ Shirley Halperin (22 May 2012). "'American Idol': The Story Behind Phillip Phillips' Coronation Song (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
  20. ↑ Marissa R. Moss (24 May 2012). "The Ballad of Phillip Phillips". American Songwriter.
  21. ↑ Grein, Paul (27 March 2013). "Chart Watch Extra: Phillips Takes Idol Title". Chart Watch. Yahoo. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  22. ↑ "Most Performed Songs". ASCAP. Archived from the original on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  23. ↑ Phil Gallo (24 April 2014). "Tom Petty, Fun., Max Martin Honored at ASCAP Pop Awards". Billboard.
  24. ↑ Ashley Zimmerman (12 February 2015). "Singer Greg Holden Is a Scotsman With a Heart of Gold". Broward/Palm Beach New Times.
  25. ↑ Becky Foinchas (10 June 2015). "Know Who's Next: Greg Holden". Baeble Music.
  26. ↑ "Tomorrow's Hits: Ryn Weaver, Galantis & Greg Holden". Billboard. 10 April 2015.
  27. ↑ Nolan Feeney (23 June 2015). "How Greg Holden Did Gay Acceptance Right on 'Boys in the Street'". Time.
  28. ↑ Lyndsey Parker (17 April 2015). "Greg Holden Goes From 'Home' to 'Street' With Touching Gay Rights Anthem". Yahoo! Music.
  29. ↑ Holden, Greg (6 May 2019). "Greg Holden Takes Us Inside the Recording of 'World War Me'". Performer.
  30. ↑ LaPlante, Brad (29 March 2019). "INTERVIEW: Greg Holden discusses 'World War Me' and its political message". Substream Magazine.
  31. ↑ "Greg Holden Releases World War Me". Sideways. 29 March 2019.
  32. ↑ "Greg Holden in the Dutch Top 40". dutchcharts.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 22 May 2012.
  33. ↑ "Greg Holden Album & Song Chart History: "Billboard Hot Rock Songs"". Billboard . Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
  34. ↑ Top40.nl: greg Holden - "The Lost Boy" song page
  35. ↑ DutchCharts.nl - Single Top 100 - Greg Holden page discography
  36. ↑ "Greg Holden - 30 Days, 30 Songs". 30 Days 30 Songs. Retrieved 23 June 2020.

websites

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.