Dan Gillespie Sells

Daniel Giles Gillespie Sells (; born 20 September 1978) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known as being the lead vocalist and frontman for the rock group The Feeling.

Biography

Sells and his brother James were co-parented, being brought up dividing their time between their father's house and their mother's house after their parents split when he was three years old. His mother is disability rights campaigner Katherine Gillespie Sells, and his father is Keith Sells. He was also parented by his mother's former partner Dilis, whom he refers to as his other mother. Sells attended Osidge Primary School and The Ashmole School in London along with fellow students Amy Winehouse and Rachel Stevens (S Club 7).

In early 2007, Sells was seen in an advertising campaign for the ''Autograph'' range at Marks and Spencer. He says he took part partly because his grandmother liked M&S, and would like to see him advertising it.

In addition to his work with The Feeling, he co-wrote songs for Sophie Ellis-Bextor's third solo album, ''Trip the Light Fantastic''. The two songs he co-wrote appear on the track-listing as, "Only One" and "Love Is Here". Both tracks also feature his vocals, and "Love Is Here" includes his bandmate Richard Jones, Sophie Ellis-Bextor's husband, on bass guitar. Ellis-Bextor features on The Feeling's album, Together We Were Made, in song "Leave me Out of It".

Sells co-wrote and co-performed (both with Ian Masterson) the theme tune to the 2008 BBC comedy drama series '' Beautiful People'', an adaptation of the memoirs of Simon Doonan. In addition, Sells also contributed another original track, entitled "Beautiful People", as well as a 2006 cover version of Hall & Oates's "She's Gone" with his The Feeling bandmates. All three tracks appeared on the ''Beautiful People'' soundtrack album released in October 2008.

As well as his accomplishments within the music industry he has also branched out in recent years into various theatre projects.

In 2014, he began his collaboration with choreographer Javier de Frutos on a ballet piece entitled '3 With D' which featured The Royal Ballet's principal dancer Edward Watson (dancer) and premiered at The London Coliseum.

In 2017, Sells composed the music for the musical ''Everybody's Talking About Jamie''. The show opened at The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield in February 2017 and transferred to the West End at the Apollo Theatre in November. The soundtrack was released as an album in the same year, and features vocals by Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Betty Boo, and Josie Walker.

Influences

Sells has stated that Karen Carpenter was "one of the greatest vocal technicians ever". He also cites Freddie Mercury and Neil Young as influences.

Personal life

Sells is gay, and won two Stonewall Awards for Entertainer of the Year in 2007 and Entertainer of the Decade in 2015. Sells featured on the cover of an issue of ''Attitude'' magazine in 2008, being the first cover shoot Sells had done and was later on the front cover again on the September 2008 issue, alongside Alan Carr, Markus Feehily of Westlife and Sir Ian McKellen. He also revealed that he had given input into a future issue of ''Gay Times'' and that his middle name is Giles. In 2012, Sells wrote about his coming-out experience.Dan G Sells on Coming Out
I don't know why I struggled with it for so long. Other people in much tougher circumstances came out much earlier than I. I guess we all get held back for different reasons (I think for me it was school) but as long as we get there in the end we can all be happy..

In 2014 Sells criticised gay celebrities who were not publicly out, saying that "their refusal to open up about their personal lives" makes them 'part of the problem' of sexual inequality in society.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sells, Dan Gillespie
1978 births
Living people
Singers from London
English male singer-songwriters
English rock guitarists
English male guitarists
English people of Scottish descent
English rock singers
British LGBT singers
LGBT songwriters
People educated at the BRIT School
People from Bounds Green
English gay musicians
21st-century English singers
21st-century British guitarists
21st-century British male singers
20th-century LGBT people
21st-century LGBT people