Hayden Norman Thorpe (born 18 January 1986) is an English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, originally from

Kendal Kendal, once Kirkby in Kendal or Kirkby Kendal, is a market town and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England, south-east of Windermere and north of Lancaster. Historically in Westmorland, it lies within the dale of th ...

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumb ...

and currently based in

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a large town in East London, east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London and the Historic counties of England, ancient county of Essex. Situated northeast of Chari ...

, London.

Career

From 2002 to 2018, Thorpe was the frontman of the indie pop band

Wild Beasts Wild Beasts were an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in Kendal. They released their first single, "Brave Bulging Buoyant Clairvoyants", on Bad Sneakers Records in November 2006, and subsequently signed to Domino Records. They have rele ...

, which he initially co-founded as a duo with guitarist Ben Little. Eventually expanding into a four-piece, the band released five studio albums on Domino Records to much critical acclaim, yet only modest commercial success. Following the band's dissolution, Thorpe pursued a solo career, and released his debut album ''

Diviner Diviner, also referred to as the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment (DLRE), is an infrared radiometer aboard NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, part of the Lunar Precursor Robotic Program which is studying the Moon. It has been used to create ...

'' through Domino in May 2019. In July 2021, Thorpe announced his second album, ''

Moondust for My Diamond ''Moondust for My Diamond'' is the second studio album by English musician Hayden Thorpe, released on 15 October 2021 through Domino Recording Company. It was produced by Richard Formby, Nathan Jenkins and Thorpe, and preceded by the single "The U ...

'' to be released 15 October 2021 via Domino Records, the announcement came with a video for the song "The Universe Is Always Right".

Musical style and influences

Thorpe is often noted for his distinct, operatic

countertenor A countertenor (also contra tenor) is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range is equivalent to that of the female contralto or mezzo-soprano voice types, generally extending from around G3 to D5 or E5, although a sopranist (a s ...

vocal style, which critics commonly described as being both unusual and an

acquired taste An acquired taste is an appreciation for something unlikely to be enjoyed by a person who has not had substantial exposure to it. It is the opposite of innate taste, which is the appreciation for things that are enjoyable by most persons without ...

in the field of indie rock. Thorpe has cited

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...

and

The Smiths The Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. They comprised the singer Morrissey, the guitarist Johnny Marr, the bassist Andy Rourke and the drummer Mike Joyce. They are regarded as one of the most important acts to emerg ...

as amongst his musical influences, as well as writer

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he starte ...

on his lyrics.

Discography

Albums

* ''

'' (2019) * ''

'' (2021)

EPs

* ''Aerial Songs'' (2020)

References

1986 births 21st-century English singers English male singers English bass guitarists English male guitarists Male bass guitarists English people of Australian descent Rhythm guitarists Countertenors Domino Recording Company artists Living people People from Kendal 21st-century British male singers People from Walthamstow {{UK-singer-stub