Daniel Campbell Smith (born 14 July 1986) is an English singer, songwriter and record producer, best known as the founder, lead singer and primary songwriter of the English pop rock band

Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known formally as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stor ...

. The band formed in 2010 and gained mass popularity in 2013 when the song " Pompeii" was released with their album '' Bad Blood''. The band then released their second album, '' Wild World'' in September 2016. In June 2019, the band released their third album '' Doom Days''.

Career

Smith attended

King's College School King's College School, also known as Wimbledon, KCS, King's and KCS Wimbledon, is a public school in Wimbledon, southwest London, England. The school was founded in 1829 by King George IV, as the junior department of King's College London an ...

and the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

in Leeds, West Yorkshire, where he graduated with a degree in English Language and Literature while also writing about film and music for the Leeds student newspaper. A film obsessive from a young age, he originally wanted to be a director or editor until admitting he was "more of a fan than a filmmaker". At age fifteen, Smith started writing songs on the piano and his laptop in his bedroom, but kept his music secret from his friends and family until he was persuaded by a friend to enter the Leeds Bright Young Things competition in 2007, which he ultimately became a finalist in. His early recordings included "Alchemy", "Words Are Words", "Irreverence", and "Dictator". Smith did not achieve mainstream success in his solo career but continued writing songs both alone and with his close friend and roommate Ralph Pelleymounter of the band To Kill a King. The two formed a side project called "Annie Oakley Hanging" which was described as "cowboy-like" by Pelleymounter. After finishing his studies, Smith returned to London, where he continued pursuing his solo career, and eventually formed

with Chris "Woody" Wood, Kyle Simmons, and Will Farquarson. Bastille has released four albums called '' Bad Blood'', '' Wild World'', '' Doom Days'' and ''Give Me The Future'', the latest of which was released 4 February 2022. In 2014, Dan Smith took part in the Band Aid charity single, "Do They Know It's Christmas?". In 2015, Smith featured as vocalist for the song "La Lune," produced and written by the French electronic musician

Madeon Hugo Pierre Leclercq (; born 30 May 1994), better known by his stage name Madeon (), is a French DJ and music producer from Nantes, currently based in Los Angeles. He initially came to widespread public attention at 17 through a YouTube video, " ...

for Madeon's 2015 album ''Adventure''. In the same year, Smith co-wrote and provided vocals on "Better Love" with

Foxes Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

, which was released 4 September 2015. In 2017, he participated in the Grenfell Tower charity song, " Bridge Over Troubled Water". Smith was part of the music video for the

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is an English singer and songwriter. Born in Cambridge and raised in Start Hill, Essex, she began posting songs on Myspace in 2008, which led to her discovery ...

single '

Boys A boy is a young male human. The term is commonly used for a child or an adolescent. When a male human reaches adulthood, he is described as a man. Definition, etymology, and use According to the ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'', a boy is "a ...

' which was released on 26 July 2017. He featured in the December 2017 ITV programme of ''

The Nation's Favourite ''The Nation's Favourite...'' is a British documentary series, celebrating music by a particular artist or popular genre, including ABBA, the Beatles, the Bee Gees, the Carpenters, Elton John, Elvis Presley and Queen. To date, 19 episodes have b ...

'' series which found out the nation's favourite Elton John song. At the

2019 Brit Awards Brit Awards 2019 was the 39th edition of the British Phonographic Industry's annual pop music show, the Brit Awards. It was held on 20 February 2019 at The O2 Arena in London, with Jack Whitehall as the host for the second year running. Archit ...

, Smith performed a duet with American artist,

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

, of her song, "

Just Give Me a Reason "Just Give Me a Reason" is a song recorded by American singer Pink featuring Nate Ruess of the band Fun. The song was chosen as the third single from Pink's sixth studio album, '' The Truth About Love'' (2012). Written alongside producer Jeff Bh ...

", as part of her medley performance. In November 2019, a cover of the REO Speedwagon song "

Can't Fight This Feeling "Can't Fight This Feeling" is a power ballad performed by the American rock band REO Speedwagon. The song first appeared on the 1984 album '' Wheels Are Turnin. The single reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and held the to ...

" sung by Smith was used in the

John Lewis & Partners John Lewis & Partners (formerly and commonly known as John Lewis) is a brand of high-end department stores operating throughout the UK, with concessions also located in the Republic of Ireland and Australia. The brand sells general merchandis ...

2019 Christmas advert.

Influences

Smith is a fan of the TV series ''

Twin Peaks ''Twin Peaks'' is an American mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cancellation in 1991. The show returned in 2017 for ...

'', and of one of its creators, David Lynch. The show inspired one of his first recorded songs, " Laura Palmer" and Bastille's first Virgin Records single " Overjoyed". Smith has said that his earlier work was influenced by

Regina Spektor Regina Ilyinichna Spektor (russian: Регинa Ильинична Спектор, ; born February 18, 1980) is a Russian–born American singer, songwriter, and pianist. After self-releasing her first three records and gaining popularity in ...

Personal life

Smith writes and arranges some of Bastille's songs, apart from remixes and covers, and worked with friend Mark Crew to produce '' Bad Blood'' and '' Wild World''. He plays the piano, keyboard, percussion, and

melodica The melodica is a handheld free-reed instrument similar to a pump organ or harmonica. It features a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. The keyboard usua ...

. His original, "Dan Smith Piano" was stolen in 2010. Smith's parents are South African lawyers who met at university. During the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

in 2020, Smith performed music live on Instagram, and also set up a film club named 'Distraction Tactics', inspired by different countries around the world; each week the club visits a different country and film. Its aim is to provide distraction and happiness to those in need of some relief from social distancing and isolation.

Songwriting credits

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Dan Living people English people of South African descent 21st-century English singers Electropop musicians English male singers Virgin Records artists Musicians from London Bastille (band) members 1986 births People educated at King's College School, London Alumni of the University of Leeds