Matt Henry | |
---|---|
Born | Birmingham, England [1] |
Genres | Pop, Gospel, Soul, Electronic |
Occupation(s) | Singer, actor |
Years active | 2002–present |
Matt Henry MBE is a Laurence Olivier Award-winning British singer and actor. [2]
His first career highlight was being chosen by the Prince's Trust to perform at the Two Nations Concert at Johannesburg Stadium in 1997 alongside the Spice Girls, Billy Ocean and Omar.
Henry studied at the Roehampton University of Surrey, now known as University of Roehampton, obtaining a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Drama and Sociology, [3] before continuing his theatrical training at the Urdang Academy in London's Covent Garden.
Henry answered an open call to audition as understudy for Simba in The Lion King while he was in his second year at Urdang Academy in London. As a student, he was not supposed to audition for professional roles, but skipped his classes. When he returned, the principal summoned Henry to his office and asked where he had been. He said he was ill and the principal told him that the casting director of The Lion King called and said he had the part. [1]
His early West End credits include Saturday Night Fever and Avenue Q . [4]
In 2013, Henry competed in series two of the BBC's The Voice UK , where he was mentored by both will.i.am and Jessie J. He reached the grand final and ultimately finished in fourth place. His performance of Ray LaMontagne's "Trouble" has received over 12 million hits on YouTube, [5] and LaMontagne’s original recording re-entered the UK Singles Chart following the airing of Henry's performance. [6]
In 2015, he released his debut solo album Red Flare, which was recorded live at the studio owned by The Feeling’s Dan Gillespie and produced by Mr Hudson. He promoted the album with a UK tour supporting pop icon Cyndi Lauper. [7]
Henry was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2018 New Year Honours, for services to musical theatre. [2] [8]
In 2020, he originated the role of Frankie The Foetus in Jonathan Harvey's play Our Lady of Blundellsands at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool.
In 2020, Henry co-created and starred in the new musical, The Drifters Girl , alongside Beverley Knight. The show delayed its original October 2020 opening at the Garrick Theatre in London, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, eventually opening in November 2021, following previews at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne in October 2020.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2012 | Britain and Ireland’s Next Top Model | Himself | Runway coach |
2013 | The Voice UK | Himself | Contestant, fourth place |
2019 | Kinky Boots (musical) | Lola | |
2022 | Matilda the Musical | Doctor |
Year | Title | Role | Theatre | Location |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | The Lion King | Simba (understudy) | Lyceum Theatre | West End |
2004 | Miss Saigon | John Thomas (understudy) | — | UK National Tour |
2005 | Saturday Night Fever | Cesar | Apollo Victoria Theatre | West End |
2006-2012 | Avenue Q | Gary Coleman | Noël Coward Theatre | West End |
2008 | Hair | Hud | — | UK National Tour |
2009 | The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | Mr. Beaver | Royal & Derngate | Northampton |
2009 | The Frontline | Benny | Shakespeare's Globe | London |
2010 | The Rat Pack: Live From Las Vegas | Sammy Davis Jr. | Adelphi Theatre & UK Tour | West End & UK National Tour |
2011 | The Harder They Come | Ivanhoe "Ivan" Martin | Stratford East & UK Tour | Stratford & UK National Tour |
2015 | Red Flare | Debut studio album | ||
2015-16 | Kinky Boots | Lola/Simon | Adelphi Theatre | BroadWay |
2018 | The Two Noble Kinsmen | Piritous | Globe Theatre | London |
2019 | One Night in Miami | Sam Cooke | — | UK National Tour |
2020 | Our Lady of Blundellsands | Frankie The Foetus | Everyman Theatre, Liverpool | Liverpool |
2021–present | The Drifters Girl | Multiple Characters | The Garrick Theatre | Newcastle and West End |
Year | Title | Note | |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | Red Flare | Debut studio album | |
Year | Award | Category | Result |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | Laurence Olivier Award | Best Actor in a Musical ( Kinky Boots ) | Won |
2016 | WhatsOnStage Awards | Best Actor in a Musical ( Kinky Boots ) | Won |
2017 | Order of the British Empire | MBE | Awarded |
2017 | Grammy Awards | Best Musical Theater Album ( Kinky Boots West End Cast Recording) | Nominated |
Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and activist. Her career has spanned over 40 years. Her album She's So Unusual (1983) was the first debut album by a female artist to achieve four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100—"Girls Just Want to Have Fun", "Time After Time", "She Bop", and "All Through the Night"—and earned Lauper the Best New Artist award at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards in 1985. Her success continued with the soundtrack for the motion picture The Goonies (1985) and her second record True Colors (1986). This album included the number-one single "True Colors" and "Change of Heart", which peaked at number three. In 1989, Lauper saw success with "I Drove All Night" and in 1993, had her first dance club hit with "That's What I Think".
"She Bop" is a song by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released as the third single from her debut studio album, She's So Unusual (1983). It reached number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in September 1984. Worldwide, the song is her third most commercially successful single after "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Time After Time", and also reached number 46 on the UK Singles Chart and number six on the ARIA Singles Chart. "She Bop" was Lauper's third consecutive top 5 on the Hot 100. She recorded a quieter version of the song for her 2005 album The Body Acoustic.
She's So Unusual is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Cyndi Lauper, released on October 14, 1983, by Portrait Records. The album was re-released in 2014 to commemorate its 30th anniversary, and was called She's So Unusual: A 30th Anniversary Celebration. The re-release contains demos and remixes of previously released material, as well as new artwork.
"Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is a song made famous by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper four years after it was written by Robert Hazard. It was released by Portrait Records as Lauper's first major single as a solo artist and the lead single from her debut studio album, She's So Unusual (1983). Lauper's version gained recognition as a feminist anthem and was promoted by a Grammy-winning music video. It has been covered, either as a studio recording or in a live performance, by over 30 other artists.
"I Drove All Night" is a song written and composed by American songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly and originally intended for Roy Orbison. Orbison recorded the song in 1987, the year before his death, but his version was not released until 1992. Cyndi Lauper recorded the song and released it as a single for her A Night to Remember album. Her version became a top 10 hit on both sides of the Atlantic in 1989 and was also her final top 40 hit on the American pop charts. Lauper still regularly performs the song in her live concerts. The song has also been covered by Canadian singer Celine Dion, whose version topped the Canadian Singles Chart and reached number 7 on the US Adult Contemporary chart in 2003.
"Time After Time" is a 1983 song by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, co-written with Rob Hyman, who also provided backing vocals. It was the second single released from her debut studio album, She's So Unusual (1983). The track was produced by Rick Chertoff and released as a single in March 1984. The song became Lauper's first number 1 hit in the U.S. The song was written in the album's final stages, after "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", "She Bop" and "All Through the Night" had been written or recorded. The writing began with the title, which Lauper had seen in TV Guide magazine, referring to the science fiction film Time After Time (1979).
"I'm Gonna Be Strong" is a song written by the songwriting duo Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. It was first recorded by Frankie Laine in 1963 and released as a single on Columbia Records. However, the song did not become a major hit until 1964, when Gene Pitney released his version as a single. It was also a single released by the 1980 band Blue Angel, with lead vocals provided by future star Cyndi Lauper. This release was prior to Lauper's solo career; however, Lauper re-recorded the track and released it as a single in 1994. The song was also featured on 1982's Quiet Lies album by Grammy winner Juice Newton. Though Newton never released the song as a single, her remake was later added as a bonus track to her first Greatest Hits collection.
Kinky Boots is a 2005 British comedy-drama film directed by Julian Jarrold and written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth. Nominated at the 64th Golden Globe Awards, it is based on a true story. The film tells of struggling shoe factory owner Charlie, who forms an unlikely partnership with Lola, a drag queen, to save the business. Charlie develops a plan to produce custom footwear for drag queens, rather than the men's dress shoes that his firm is known for, alienating many in the process.
"True Colors" is a song written by American songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. It was both the title track and the first single released from American singer Cyndi Lauper's second studio album of the same name (1986). Released in mid-1986, the song would become a hit for Lauper, spending two weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming her last single to occupy the top of the chart. It received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
American singer Cyndi Lauper has released eleven studio albums, six compilation albums, five video albums and fifty-three singles. Worldwide, Lauper has sold approximately 50 million albums, singles and DVDs. According to RIAA, She has sold 8.5 million certified albums in the United States with She's so Unusual being her biggest seller.
"Who Let in the Rain" is a song by American singer Cyndi Lauper, from her fourth studio album, Hat Full of Stars (1993). Released as the lead single from the album on June 22, 1993, it is a ballad about the end of a relationship that proved popular among Lauper's fans. Outside the United States, it was a modest hit peaking in the top 40 in the UK and New Zealand. In the US, the song failed to make the Hot 100 and reached only as high as number 33 on the Adult Contemporary singles chart.
"Come On Home" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper and released in August 1995 as the third and final single from her greatest hits album, Twelve Deadly Cyns...and Then Some (1994). It peaked at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and at number 39 on the UK Singles chart.
Killian Donnelly is an Irish tenor singer and stage actor. He has appeared in musicals such as Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera, and Kinky Boots.
Marcus Collins is an English singer who was a finalist on the eighth series of The X Factor in 2011. He was mentored by Take That frontman Gary Barlow, who continued to work with him on his debut album.
Kinky Boots is a musical with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and book by Harvey Fierstein.
The 67th Annual Tony Awards were held June 9, 2013, to recognize achievement in Broadway productions during the 2012–13 season. The ceremony returned to Radio City Music Hall in New York City, after two years at Beacon Theatre, and was broadcast live on CBS television. Neil Patrick Harris hosted for the third consecutive year, his fourth time as host. Awards in four of the eight acting categories, were given to African-American performers. Furthermore, it is the second time in Tony history that both directing prizes went to women. Garry Hynes and Julie Taymor had previously won in 1998. Kinky Boots had a season best 13 nominations and 6 awards. Cyndi Lauper, composer of the score for Kinky Boots, is the first solo female winner for Best Original Score.
The She's So Unusual: 30th Anniversary Tour was the twelfth concert tour by American recording artist Cyndi Lauper. Launched to mark the anniversary of her debut solo album, the tour visited North America, Asia and Australia.
Urdang, previously known as The Urdang Academy, is a performing arts academy based in Islington, London. Founded as a ballet school by Leonie Urdang in 1970 and had been under the direction of CEO Solange Urdang from 2001 until August 2022, the academy now provides specialist vocational training in dance and musical theatre at Sixth Form, further and higher education level. It was acquired by City, University of London in April 2022.
Matthew James Terry is an English singer and songwriter. In 2016, he was crowned as the winner of the thirteenth series of The X Factor. His debut single, "When Christmas Comes Around", which was released on 11 December 2016, peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart. His debut album, Trouble was released on 24 November 2017 and charted at 29 on the UK Albums Chart.
Natalie McQueen is an English actress known for her performances in a number of UK West End productions including Bonnie & Clyde, 9 to 5, Kinky Boots and Wicked.