Daley (musician)

Daley

Daley

Daley in 2015.
Background information
Birth name Gareth Daley
Born (1989-09-29) 29 September 1989
Origin Manchester, England
Genres Alternative R&B, soul
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments Keyboards, piano, vocals
Years active 2010–present
Labels Republic Records, Polydor
Website daley.tv

Gareth Daley (born 29 September 1989),[1] better known professionally as Daley (pronounced day-lee), is a British recording artist and songwriter. Daley first became prominent after co-writing and featuring on the Gorillaz 2010 single "Doncamatic", having been spotted by the band's creator Damon Albarn early in his career as an underground artist on the London music scene. The song exposed him to a wider international audience.[2] In 2011, his mixtape Those Who Wait mixtape was independently released and achieved 150,000 downloads over its first twelve months. Its success saw him promptly signed to Universal Music.

The next two years saw him releasing two top 30 singles on the UK Singles Chart, including 2012's "Remember Me" featuring singer Jessie J and 2013's "Broken". Daley's debut album Days & Nights was released in February 2014 to critical acclaim and generated the Pharrell Williams produced top ten hit "Look Up" on the Billboard's Adult R&B Songs. Next to opening for the likes of Miguel, Maxwell, Emeli Sande, Jill Scott and Maverick Sabre, Daley has headlined venues like KOKO, Highline Ballroom, El Rey Theatre, 930 Club, and the Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta.

Early life

Daley was born and brought up in the suburbs of Manchester in the North-West of England. He completed secondary school, college and University studying Design & Art Direction at Manchester Metropolitan, pursuing music in his free time. He lived in Manchester until age 21, when he quit his job as a Graphic Designer and relocated to London to focus on making music.

Career

2010 – Breakthrough

With just a Myspace page and an advocate of transgender right starting some early demos, Daley took to the London live scene, performing at open-mic nights, jam sessions and new talent stages including 'Troy Bar' in Hoxton, 'iLuvLive' in Camden and widely respected music industry showcase 'Wired' at Shoreditch House. He would often find himself on the same stages as fellow emerging artists Ed Sheeran, Jessie J, Emeli Sande and Maverick Sabre - who later became his contemporaries and many of which he has since collaborated or toured with.

While steadily making a name for himself Daley caught the attention of Gorillaz co-creator Damon Albarn, who invited him to meet and work on new material for the cartoon band's 'Plastic Beach' album, resulting in their 2011 single Doncamatic which Daley co-wrote and fronted as lead vocalist. It shot him into the spotlight, appearing in the band's first non-cartoon music video and joining the Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour, along with Little Dragon, De La Soul, Lou Reed and Snoop Dogg.

The collaboration enhanced Daley's visibility within the industry, and early radio airplay started largely at BBC Radio 1Xtra, who's DJ's Twin B, Ras Kwame, Ronnie Herel and MistaJam all championed the singer. This eventually lead to him taking part in emerging artist discovery platform BBC Introducing, where he was invited to record three of his songs at the world famous Maida Vale Studios in London, and began to attract the attention of record labels.

Those Who Wait

Daley's first solo offering came in the form of the 'Those Who Wait' mixtape in late 2011, an independently released free-download which was distributed through his official website Daley.TV. The mixtape achieved 50,000 downloads in its first month, increasing to 150,000 downloads over the twelve months that followed and garnered Daley support from UK media including BBC's 'Sound of...' poll[3] and online buzz from bloggers and fans alike. It consisted of ten songs, and showcased a left-of-center, Alternative R&B sound, emotive songwriting style and soulful vocal performance. Stand out tracks included Those Who Wait, Game Over, Smoking Gun, and an acoustic cover of Maxwell's Pretty Wings - which became a viral favourite.

Artistry

Daley has become known for his Alternative R&B sound, which contains hints of Soul, Electronica and Pop. His songwriting is vocal-lead and puts emphasis on vocal performance and arrangement, a trait that has often defined him when compared to his male contemporaries. He has referred to his sound as 'Future-Throwback' in interviews, stating that the music has a familiar, occasionally nostalgic feel, contemporised with a futuristic sonic and production. Daley has stated that he has been influenced predominantly by a mix of US and UK sounds and songwriters, has cited some of his influences as: Prince, Chaka Khan, Radiohead, Maxwell, Sade, Joni Mitchell, Imogen Heap and George Michael.

Discography

Albums

List of albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications
Title Details Peak positions
UK US US R&B
Days + Nights — 128 21

EPs

Title Details Chart positions Notes
US
Heat
[4]
Those Who Wait
  • Released: August 2011
  • Format: Free download
 —
Alone Together 42
Songs That Remind Me of You
  • Released: 18 July 2013
  • Format: Free download
 —
"—" denotes albums that did not chart or were not released.

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
UK
[5]		 US Adult R&B
[6]		 US R&B
[7]
2010 "Doncamatic"
(Gorillaz featuring Daley)		 37 — — Plastic Beach
2011 "Those Who Wait" — — — Those Who Wait
2012 "Alone Together"
(featuring Marsha Ambrosius)		 — 5 66 Alone Together
"Remember Me"
(featuring Jessie J)		 24 — —
2013 "Broken" 24 — — Days + Nights
"Look Up" — 10 —
2014 "Time Travel" — — —
"—" denotes singles that were not officially released.

Appearances

Song Year Artist(s) Album
"Long Way Home" 2011 Wretch 32 featuring Daley Black and White
"Heaven" 2013 Nelly featuring Daley M.O.
"Birds & Bees" 2015 Vince Staples featuring Daley Summertime '06

Touring & Live

Daley tours throughout the US, UK and Europe and has sold-out headline shows from London's KOKO, to New York's SOB's and Highline Ballroom, to the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, 930 Club in Washington DC and the Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta.

Over the last year Daley has completed three largely sold-out headline tours around the US with legs in Europe, as well as a series of festivals and support shows, and has announced plans to be on the road again in Summer 2015.

Artists he has performed with include: Gorillaz, Miguel, Jessie J, Emeli Sande, Maxwell, Jill Scott, Maverick Sabre, Kelly Rowland and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Headline Tours

Headline USA (18 dates)

Support Tours

Festivals

References

External links

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