Thomas Azier (born in

Leiderdorp Leiderdorp () is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland near the city of Leiden. It had a population of in . The municipality covers an area of of which is water. Leiderdorp has now become a suburb ...

, Netherlands, on 14 August 1987) is a Dutch avant-pop singer and musician. Azier studied at the Academie voor Popcultuur in Leeuwarden in 2005. At age 19, he moved to Berlin, Germany, where he performed in various night venues. In 2012, he won the Friesland Pop Talent Award and released two EPs, ''Hylas 001'' and ''Hylas 002'' on his own Hylas Records label which led to a deal with Universal Music France (Island France / Mercury Music Group).

Debut album Hylas

In 2014, he had his first studio album ''Hylas'' released, the result of five years of work. It has charted in the Netherlands, France and Belgium. The album became Album of the Week at VPRO's 3VOOR12 in Holland and the single ''Red Eyes'' became Single of the Week at iTunes. Another single from the album - ''Ghostcicty'' - was featured in the series

Lucifer Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passa ...

. Azier also co-wrote and played on several songs on the album

Racine carrée Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditio ...

by the Belgian singer

Stromae Paul van Haver (; born 12 March 1985), better known by his stage name Stromae (), is a Belgian singer, rapper, songwriter and producer. He is mostly known for his music blending hip hop and electronic music. Stromae came to wide public attenti ...

and as a solo artist he provided the support acts during his tour and tours of Woodkid.

Rouge, Stray & Raven On The First Floor

In 2017, Azier released his second studio album ''Rouge'', which featured the successful radio singles ''Talk To Me'' and ''Gold''. The music on the album ''Stray'', 2018, was composed and produced fully on the move, a travel that took him from Kyoto to Abidjan, Paris, New York, Berlin and back to the Netherlands. The tension of constant travel resulted in the fact that the entire album was recorded and created on his laptop with a USB microphone in several hotels and short term rental flats. Stray was released independently on Azier's label Hylas Records. The song ''Vertigo'' was released as a single. ''Echoes'', ''White Horses'' and ''Hymn'' became live favourites. In 2019, Thomas produced two singles by Dutch rock singer Anouk, which he also co-wrote: ''It's A New Day'' and ''Million Dollar''. The EP Raven On The First Floor was released in May 2019, featuring the singles ''Map Of Your Loneliness'' and ''Strangling Song''. On the EP Thomas collaborated with the German multi-instrumentalist Obi Blanch for the first time.

Love, Disorderly, A Collection Of Broken Ideas & The Inventory Of Our Desire

The album ''Love, Disorderly'' was released on Hylas Records on 12 June 2020. Preceded by the short films ''Love, Disorderly'', ''Entertainment'' and ''Hold On Tight''. Thomas' version of Gala' 1997 hit ''Freed From Desire'' was featured on the album as well. In 2021 - during the pandemic - the meditative ''A Collection Of Broken Ideas'' was released, a more 40-minute, largely instrumental piece, divided into Side A and Side B. About the piece Thomas wrote on his Facebook page: "Recorded at my home studio over the past year, these compositions kept me company when making music with others was impossible. I searched for space in my music and these ideas gave me hope. Now I hope it can do the same for you". During his club tour in October 2022, Azier announced a new album to be released in February 2023. Preceded by the singles ''Faces'', ''Blister & Skin'', ''Pelechian'' & ''What Does It Mean To Be Free''. ''The Inventory Of Our Desire'' was released on February 10, accompanied by the single ''Invisible''.

Discography

Albums

EPs

*''Hylas 001'' (2012) *''Hylas 002'' (2013) *''Live At Studio Davout, Paris (2017) *''S t r a y'' (2018) *''Raven On The First Floor'' (2019) *''Too Much Entertainment (Remixes) (2020) *''A Collection Of Broken Ideas'' (2021)

Singles

Videography

*''Angelene'' - Directed by Sander Houtkruijer *''Ghostcity'' - Directed by Sander Houtkruijer *''Verwandlung'' - Directed by Sander Houtkruijer *''Love, Disorderly'' - Directed by Laurent Chanez http://presskitchen.com/laurent-chanez-thomas-azier/ Director of "Love, Disorderly" *''Winners'' - Directed by Ellen Treasure *''Entertainment'' - Directed by Nils Edström

References

Official websiteInterview The Daily Indie Interview The Daily Indie

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Azier, Thomas Dutch male songwriters 1987 births Living people People from Leiderdorp 21st-century Dutch male singers 21st-century Dutch singers