Hugo Chakrabongse Levy (born 6 August 1981), known under the mononym Hugo or Thai name Chulachak Chakrabongse ( th, จุลจักร จักรพงษ์; ) is a Thai American actor and singer-songwriter. Based in New York City and signed to

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

's Roc Nation label, his musical style has been dubbed by Roc Nation as "gangsta-rock". He is best known for his bluegrass re-working of Jay-Z's " 99 Problems". His debut album, ''Old Tyme Religion'', was released on 10 May 2011. He can trace direct royal heritage back from his maternal great-grandfather, Prince Chakrabongse Bhuvanath, a son of King Rama V of Thailand, and is a second cousin once removed of the King of Thailand, King

Vajiralongkorn Vajiralongkorn ( th, วชิราลงกรณ; , ; born 28 July 1952) is the King of Thailand. He is the only son of King Bhumibol Adulyadej and Queen Sirikit. In 1972, at the age of 20, he was made crown prince by his father. After his ...

Early life and career

Levy was born in London to M.R.

Narisa Chakrabongse Narisa Chakrabongse is a writer, publisher, and environmental activist. The only daughter of Prince Chula Chakrabongse, and the only granddaughter of Prince Chakrabongse and his Ukrainian wife Katerina Desnitskaya, a great-granddaughter of th ...

, raised in Thailand near the

Chao Phraya River The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand. Et ...

, and used to live in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. Now he resides in Bangkok, Thailand. He is the grandson of Prince Chula Chakrabongse, the great-grandson of

Chakrabongse Bhuvanath Field Marshal Chakrabongse Bhuvanath, the Prince of Bishnulok ( th, จักรพงษ์ภูวนาถ; ; 3 March 1883 – 13 June 1920), was the 40th child of King Chulalongkorn and the fourth child of Queen Sri Bajarindra. Biography ...

, and the great-great-grandson of King Rama V of Siam. He is of English, Russian, Scottish, Thai and Ukrainian heritage. As a teenager, he released four studio albums with the band Siplor, which had several of its records banned on the radio. After moving to London, he became highly influenced by blues musicians such as Howling Wolf, Son House, Robert Johnson and Skip James as well as more modern musicians and bands such as

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1985. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band comprised vocalist Axl Rose, lead guitarist Slash, rhythm guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKa ...

, Nirvana,

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

, Jeff Buckley,

MGMT MGMT () is an American indie rock band formed in 2002 in Middletown, Connecticut. It was founded by multi-instrumentalists Andrew VanWyngarden and Ben Goldwasser. Alongside VanWyngarden and Goldwasser, MGMT's live lineup currently consists of ...

, Tame Impala, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Devendra Banhart, The Big Pink and Jack White. He achieved recognition when his song "Disappear" was featured on

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

's album '' I Am... Sasha Fierce'', beginning a series of collaborations that led to a record deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation label in 2010.

Personal life

Hugo is Muslim; he converted to

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

to marry his longtime girlfriend, Tassanawalai Ongartitthichai, in 2009. The couple have two children.

Band

* Jon Cornell – bass * Mark Slutsky – drums * Chris LoPresto – keyboards * Jay Barclay – guitar

Discography

Studio albums

(2011) Old Tyme Religion # Old Tyme Religion # 99 Problems # Bread & Butter # Rock 'n' Roll Delight # Hopelessly Stoned # Hurt Makes It Beautiful # Born # Mekong River Delta # Sweetest Cure # Different Lives # Just a Shred # Wake Alone # Sai Lom (สายลม) (Thailand Edition) (2014) Deep in the Long Grass # Twitch and Tug # I Need the Truth # Secrets and Lies # Quiet Fire # Hailstorms # Nightshift # All I Think About # A Fire Worth Keeping # The Long Grass # Down the River # Feather (2017) ดำสนิท # ดำสนิท # อย่ามาให้เห็น # ครอบครอง # อานม้า # ระวัง # แค่มีเธอ # แพ้ให้เป็น # ยอม # Love Song No. 9 # บันไดสีแดง

EP

(2020) Lacuna # Call of the Void # All That I Know # The Deals We Make # Deeper Still # House of Mercy # Show Love

Pop culture references

Hugo's version of "99 Problems," his first single, was featured in the Natalie Portman/ Ashton Kutcher romantic comedy '' No Strings Attached'', in the 2011 remake of '' Fright Night'', and in the pilot episode of the NBC thriller series '' The Blacklist''. "Bread and Butter" was featured on the season two television promo for

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

's comedy-drama series

Castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

. This same song also featured on the seventh season of HBO's hit series, Entourage.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hugo 1981 births Living people

Hugo (musician) Hugo Chakrabongse Levy (born 6 August 1981), known under the mononym Hugo or Thai name Chulachak Chakrabongse ( th, จุลจักร จักรพงษ์; ) is a Thai American actor and singer-songwriter. Based in New York City and sign ...

Chakrabongse family British male singer-songwriters Musicians from London Roc Nation artists Thai Muslims Converts to Islam from Buddhism Thai television personalities English-language singers from Thailand 20th-century Thai male actors Male actors from Bangkok Thai male film actors Thai male television actors