Daniel Anthony McNamara (31 December 1970 in Halifax) is an English musician, best known as the lead singer of English band

Embrace Embrace may refer to: * A hug, a form of physical intimacy * Acceptance Music Bands * Embrace (American band), a post-hardcore band from Washington, D.C. * Embrace (English band), a post-Britpop band from West Yorkshire * Embrace (duo), a Dan ...

Early years

McNamara and his brother Richard (guitarist) grew up in the village of

Bailiff Bridge Bailiff Bridge is a village north from Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England, and is from Huddersfield and from Bradford. Bailiff Bridge falls within the Hipperholme and Lightcliffe Ward of Calderdale Council. The village is centred on the A64 ...

Brighouse Brighouse is a town within the metropolitan borough of Calderdale, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically within the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is situated on the River Calder, east of Halifax. It is served by Junction 25 of the M62 m ...

in West Yorkshire, England. Aged 11, he passed his 11+ exam and gained entry to

Hipperholme Grammar School ) , established = , closed = , type = Independent school , religious_affiliation = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head Teacher , head = Mr Nick James , chair_label = Chair of Go ...

. When he left school, he studied psychology at

Manchester University , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

, but eventually quit to concentrate on the band.

Embrace

Embrace are an English rock band from West Yorkshire. To date they have released eight studio albums, one singles album and one b-sides compilation. The band consists of brothers singer Danny McNamara and guitarist Richard McNamara, bassist Steve Firth, keyboardist Mickey Dale and drummer Mike Heaton. The group has released six studio albums: The Good Will Out (1998) which went to number 1; Drawn from Memory (2000); If You've Never Been (2001); Out of Nothing (2004) which also went to number 1; This New Day (2006) which went to number one spawning their most successful single to date "Natures Law", which just missed the top spot by a few hundred copies. Their sixth, and most recent album self-titled Embrace was released on 28 April 2014 and went top 5 marking a return after 8 years. Embrace have received critical and commercial acclaim at home where they have picked up several awards and nominations including the best new band award at the NME Brat Awards, and in the US where the band were on the cover of Billboard magazine, and in Thailand where their single "You're Not Alone" stayed at number 1 for six weeks becoming the biggest selling single of that year. Secret gigs by the band so far have involved playing on beaches and forests, and in a staged break in of the Big Brother TV series house. After number of 'secret gigs', Embrace had 5 gigs in Scotland in February 2014, prior to a tour of England during April/May 2014. They are due to appear at the 'T in the Park Festival' in July 2014 and 'V Festival' in August 2014.

Conditions

McNamara suffers from the hearing condition,

tinnitus Tinnitus is the perception of sound when no corresponding external sound is present. Nearly everyone experiences a faint "normal tinnitus" in a completely quiet room; but it is of concern only if it is bothersome, interferes with normal hearin ...

, and supported a campaign for the condition. In 2012 he wrote about suffering from

PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a ...

DJ

Recently, McNamara and his brother have been involved in DJ sessions. The first was at Get Loaded in the Park festival in

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

, and then on a weekly basis, as part of "Another Music = Another Kitchen" (named after a song by the

Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...

), at the Proud Gallery nightclub in Camden, London. They also did a set for a special aftershow party for their gig at

Manchester Apollo The O2 Apollo Manchester (known locally as The Apollo and formerly Manchester Apollo) is a concert venue in Ardwick Green, Manchester, England. It is a Grade II listed building, with a capacity of 3,500 (2,514 standing, 986 seats). History The ...

in October 2006, which was opened up to the public, as well as one-off sets with Richard in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

and

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

, and even more recently in

Huddersfield Huddersfield is a market town in the Kirklees district in West Yorkshire, England. It is the administrative centre and largest settlement in the Kirklees district. The town is in the foothills of the Pennines. The River Holme's confluence into ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McNamara, Danny 1970 births English male singers English songwriters Living people People from Halifax, West Yorkshire People educated at Hipperholme Grammar School 21st-century English singers 21st-century British male singers British male songwriters