Anthony Patrick Hadley (born 2 June 1960) is an English pop singer. He rose to fame in the 1980s as the lead singer of the new wave band

Spandau Ballet Spandau Ballet () were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids, playing "European D ...

and launched a solo career following the group's split in 1990. Hadley returned to the band in 2009 but left again in 2017. Hadley is known for his "expressive voice" and "vocal range".

Early life

Anthony Patrick Hadley was born the first of three children at the

Royal Free Hospital The Royal Free Hospital (also known simply as the Royal Free) is a major teaching hospital in the Hampstead area of the London Borough of Camden. The hospital is part of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, which also runs services at Bar ...

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ...

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshire. The term ''nor ...

. He has a sister, Lee, and a brother, Steve. His father, Patrick Hadley, worked as an electrical engineer for the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

'', and his mother, Josephine, worked for the local health authority.

Spandau Ballet

Hadley co-founded Spandau Ballet in 1976 as The Cut, with Gary Kemp, Steve Norman,

John Keeble John Leslie Keeble (born 6 July 1959) is an English pop and rock drummer. He is best known for his membership of the 1980s new wave band Spandau Ballet. Early years Keeble was athletic as a child, playing both football and cricket. He bought ...

and Michael Ellison, all of whom were students at Dame Alice Owen's Grammar School. As a member of Spandau Ballet, Hadley went on to enjoy international success in the 1980s, including hits such as "

True True most commonly refers to truth, the state of being in congruence with fact or reality. True may also refer to: Places * True, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States * True, Wisconsin, a town in the United States * ...

", "

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile ...

" and " Through the Barricades", as well as appearing at

Live Aid Live Aid was a multi-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, as well as a music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise further funds for relief of the 1983–1985 fami ...

in 1985. As the lead singer of Spandau Ballet, Hadley became known for his suave image, as well as his powerful voice, which has been described by

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

as a "dramatic warble". In his book on the New Romantics, music journalist and author

Dave Rimmer Dave Rimmer is a music journalist and critic who has written books and articles about a number of pop and rock artists. He wrote for '' Smash Hits'' and ''The Face The face is a part of the body, the front of the head. Face may also refer to: ...

described his voice as "like a

foghorn A foghorn or fog signal is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of navigational hazards such as rocky coastlines, or boats of the presence of other vessels, in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport. Wh ...

—if a foghorn could be imagined trying to emulate both rankSinatra and avidBowie". His Spandau Ballet bandmate Steve Norman described him as having "a massive vocal range". According to

Tim Rice Sir Timothy Miles Bindon Rice (born 10 November 1944) is an English lyricist and author. He is best known for his collaborations with Andrew Lloyd Webber, with whom he wrote, among other shows, ''Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'', ...

, Hadley had a "strong and expressive voice that few of his contemporaries came near to matching". Spandau Ballet disbanded in 1990 after their final studio album, ''

Heart Like a Sky ''Heart Like a Sky'' is the sixth studio album by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, released on 18 September 1989 by CBS Records. The album was mainly distributed in continental Europe. It was the group's last release before disbanding and ...

'', failed to live up to the critical and commercial success of their earlier albums, such as ''

'' and ''

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of s ...

'', and was not released in the United States. In April 1999, Hadley, along with fellow band members Steve Norman and

, failed in their attempt to sue Gary Kemp, the band's songwriter, for a share of his

royalties A royalty payment is a payment made by one party to another that owns a particular asset, for the right to ongoing use of that asset. Royalties are typically agreed upon as a percentage of gross or net revenues derived from the use of an asset o ...

. On 25 March 2009, it was confirmed that the band had reformed with Hadley and were embarking on a tour of the UK and Ireland in October 2009. Hadley remained a member of the band intermittently until 2017, when he announced his permanent departure. He later said in 2020: "I'd rather be happy on my own than be in that band again." In 1991, the Spandau Ballet song "

" was sampled by the American hip hop act P.M. Dawn for their song " Set Adrift on Memory Bliss". It achieved immediate commercial success, hitting number one the week of 30 November 1991 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, while also reaching No. 3 in the United Kingdom. Hadley also made a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...

in the

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...

for the song.

Solo

1992–1996: ''The State of Play'' and ''When Saturday Comes''

After Spandau Ballet disbanded, Hadley pursued a solo career, signing to EMI and recording his first album, ''The State of Play'', in 1992. The album spawned three singles, but neither it nor any of the singles achieved any kind of chart success, and after one final single, ''Absolution'', released in the summer of 1993, Hadley was subsequently dropped. After leaving EMI, Hadley formed his own record company, SlipStream Records, and his first release was the single "Build Me Up", from the soundtrack of the film ''

When Saturday Comes ''When Saturday Comes'' (''WSC'') is a monthly magazine about football, first published in London in 1986. "It aims to provide a voice for intelligent football supporters, offering both a serious and humorous view of the sport, covering all the ...

''. In 1996, Hadley performed in a BBC Radio 2 live performance of ''

Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with ...

'', playing the title role opposite

Roger Daltrey Roger Harry Daltrey (born 1 March 1944) is an English singer, musician and actor. He is a co-founder and the lead singer of the rock band The Who. Daltrey's hit songs with The Who include " My Generation", " Pinball Wizard", " Won't Get Fooled ...

's Judas. In December 1996, Hadley embarked on an orchestral tour of Europe, along with

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances that featured expressive body movements. Most of his best known singles were recordings of son ...

Paul Michiels Paul Anna Kamiel Michiels (born 15 June 1948) is a Belgian singer and songwriter who became popular for his work with the Belgian music group Soulsister. He has earned the nickname ''Polle Pap'', a name he inherited from a childhood job as a milk ...

Dani Klein Danielle Schoovaerts (born 1 January 1953), known professionally as Dani Klein, is a Belgian singer, songwriter, band leader and producer, and consistently the center and driving force of the band Vaya Con Dios (1986-1996, 2004-2014 and 2022-). ...

and Guo Yue.

1997–2000: ''Tony Hadley'' and collaborations

On his return from that tour, Hadley collaborated with

Tin Tin Out Tin Tin Out were an English electronic dance music duo, comprising Darren Stokes and Lindsay Edwards. They remixed songs for a variety of artists such as Duran Duran, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, The Corrs and Des'ree, as well as collaborating wi ...

on their hit "Dance With Me", which reached #35 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, and was the first in a series of electronic, dance and house collaborations over the course of the next three years. In May 1997, Hadley signed a joint deal with

PolyGram PolyGram N.V. was a multinational entertainment company and major music record label formerly based in the Netherlands. It was founded in 1962 as the Grammophon-Philips Group by Dutch corporation Philips and German corporation Siemens, to be a ...

TV, and released his next eponymous

solo album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

, which included covers and songs that were chosen to match his voice. The album also featured some of his own self-penned songs, such as "She", which he wrote for daughter Toni. The album spawned three singles, but neither the album nor the singles achieved any chart success, and Hadley was once again dropped. In 1999,

Alan Parsons Alan Parsons (born 20 December 1948) is an English audio engineer, songwriter, musician and record producer. Parsons was involved with the production of several notable albums, including the Beatles' ''Abbey Road'' (1969) and ''Let It Be'' ( ...

chose Hadley as the lead singer for the track "Out of the Blue" on his album ''

The Time Machine ''The Time Machine'' is a science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, published in 1895. The work is generally credited with the popularization of the concept of time travel by using a vehicle or device to travel purposely and selectively for ...

''. This led to collaborations with the likes of Eddie Lock, Marc et Claude, Regi Penxten (

Milk Inc. Milk Inc. is a dance music group that formed in the commercial dance scene in Belgium in 1995. The discography of the group includes a total of seven studio albums and 41 singles. History Milk Inc. released their first hit single "La Vache" i ...

) and the Disco Bros, and saw Hadley pursue an altogether different style of music:

Euro-House A : Emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines instead of lyrics. It has core electronic "squelch" sounds that were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experi ...

2000–2002: ''Unreleased House Album''

Following a number of successful collaborations with other house artists and DJs, Hadley became the subject of some newfound respect in the 2000s, rooted in an "ironic" appreciation for Spandau Ballet. This saw him begin work on album of solo euro-house material, which remains unreleased, after signing a deal with European label Frontera Recordings. Two singles from the project were released to markets in continental

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, with ''Will U Take Me'' being released in November 2000 and ''Sweet Surrender'' in March 2002, neither of which sparked enough interest for the album to be released. Back on home soil, fearing that the project was too far removed from his origins with Spandau Ballet, Hadley released an EP of four new songs, ''Get So Lonely'', on his own label, Blueprint Recordings, in the summer of 2001. Meanwhile, ''Debut'' and ''Obsession'', two live albums featuring recordings taken from a performance in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

in 1992 and Ronnie Scott's in 1999 respectively, were released in limited numbers by small-budget labels. The summer of 2002 saw Hadley reunite with former band members

and Steve Norman for a tour entitled ''An Evening of Gold'', under the moniker Hadley, Norman and Keeble.

2003–2005: ''Reborn in the USA'' and ''True Ballads''

Although a collaboration with Marc et Claude followed in April 2002, no further singles from the house album were released; and by the autumn of 2002, Hadley had signed up to partake in the new ITV reality series ''

Reborn in the USA ''Reborn in the USA'' is a British reality television show broadcast on ITV, in which ten British pop acts were transported to the US, where they were supposedly not known in the hope of revitalising their music career. Each week, the American ...

''. Competing against the likes of Peter Cox, Hadley beat ten other artists to win the prize of a recording contract with

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and it ...

. The resulting album was ''True Ballads'', a compilation of three re-recorded hits from the

days, ten tracks from his 1997 self-titled album and two new songs: "

I Can't Make You Love Me "I Can't Make You Love Me" is a song written by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin and recorded by American singer Bonnie Raitt for her eleventh studio album, '' Luck of the Draw'' (1991). Released as the album's second single in 1991, "I Can't Make ...

", which he performed on the show, and "After All This Time", the theme song from the BBC drama series '' Down to Earth'', which ran from 2000 until 2005. Following his success on the show, Hadley continued with a busy performing schedule, and co-headlined a tour with Cox, performing songs from both the Go West and

back catalogues, as well as number of covers. The tour spawned a live album and DVD, both of which were released in 2004. The following year, Hadley co-headlined another tour, this time with

Martin Fry Martin David Fry (born 9 March 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, composer, musician, and record producer. Fry's music career spans more than 40 years. He came to prominence in the early 1980s as co-founder and lead singer of the pop band ...

of ABC, in very much the same vein; performing both ABC and Spandau Ballet songs. A live album and DVD of this tour was released in 2005.

2006–2008: ''Passing Strangers''

2006 saw the release of Hadley's first solo album in nine years, a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

swing Swing or swinging may refer to: Apparatus * Swing (seat), a hanging seat that swings back and forth * Pendulum, an object that swings * Russian swing, a swing-like circus apparatus * Sex swing, a type of harness for sexual intercourse * Swing ri ...

album entitled ''Passing Strangers''. The album consisted of eighteen tracks, both covers and original songs, and was laid out in the format of a vinyl album, described by Hadley as being a "nod" to the good old days. In support of the album, Hadley headlined a "By Request" tour from March to May 2006, llowed by a

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s ...

tour later in the year. Hadley performed a set with several other 1980s acts at the ''Retro Fest'' on 1 September 2007 at

Culzean Castle Culzean Castle ( , see yogh; sco, Cullain) is a castle overlooking the Firth of Clyde, near Maybole, Carrick, in South Ayrshire, on the west coast of Scotland. It is the former home of the Marquess of Ailsa, the chief of Clan Kennedy, but is ...

Ayrshire Ayrshire ( gd, Siorrachd Inbhir Àir, ) is a historic county and registration county in south-west Scotland, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine and it borders the counties of ...

, Scotland, which saw him reunite with Fry and Cox for a special rendition of " Addicted to Love", with Fry and Cox. In February 2008, Hadley took part in the Italian Sanremo Festival, where he duetted in both English and Italian with contestant Paolo Meneguzzi on Meneguzzi's song, "Grande" ("''Big''"), during the third day of the contest, where all contestants re-interpreted their songs with guest artists. On 22 February 2008, he performed as an interval act at the semi-final of Dora 2008, the selection of the Croatian entry for the

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

. By the summer of 2008, rumours of a

reunion had reached the press and in the summer of 2009, a reunion tour with the original line-up was announced.

2011–2014: Spandau Ballet hiatus

After two successful years touring, Spandau Ballet once again entered hiatus in June 2010. In 2011, Hadley stated that his solo career has been more financially rewarding than his period at the top of the charts with Spandau Ballet. He stated that 2008 was his best-ever earning year, having performed in over 220 shows. In 2012, Hadley recorded a career-spanning set of hits from Metropolis Studios, which was released in a limited edition CD/DVD box set the following year. In 2013, Hadley and 1980s chart peers

Kim Wilde Kim Wilde (born Kim Smith, 18 November 1960) is an English pop singer, DJ and television presenter. She first saw success in 1981 with her debut single " Kids in America", which peaked at No. 2 in the UK. In 1983, she received the Brit Awar ...

Bananarama Bananarama are an English pop duo from London, formed as a trio in 1980 by friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when the trio became a duo. T ...

and Go West set a new world record for

Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...

when they performed the highest ever gig, singing on a Boeing 767 aeroplane at 43,000 ft (13,000 m). In 2014, Hadley took part in the prime-time

RAI RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

TV show '' La Pista'' as team leader of the Tacco 10 female dance troupe. Over the course of the competition, Hadley performed both Spandau Ballet's "

", as well as "

Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

", originally a hit for rival band

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger Taylor the following year the band we ...

. The summer of 2014 saw the release of a new solo single, "Take Back Everything", before a further tour with Spandau Ballet to celebrate the band's 35th Anniversary was confirmed for the summer of 2015. Although recorded several years before, an unreleased album of Christmas songs was released on 27 November 2015, shortly after the conclusion of the tour.

2017–2021: ''Talking to the Moon''

On 3 July 2017, Hadley announced on Twitter that due to circumstances beyond his control, he was no longer a member of Spandau Ballet. Towards the end of 2017, Hadley duetted with

Jane McDonald Jane Anne McDonald (born 4 April 1963) is an English singer, songwriter and television presenter. Born and raised in Wakefield, McDonald spent much of her early career performing in local clubs and pubs before landing work as a singer on cr ...

on the song "I See It in Your Eyes", from her album ''Hold the Covers Back'', and went on to perform on her television Christmas special later that year. ''Talking to the Moon'', Hadley's first album of original solo material since ''Passing Strangers'', was released in the summer of 2018, backed by the single "Tonight Belongs to Us", and also including "Take Back Everything", despite it having been released four years earlier. A tour in support of the album followed in the autumn. Subsequently, work on a follow up album began in early 2020, with "Obvious", the first single recorded for the project, being released on 12 June. Later in the year, Hadley was one of the featured vocalists on the single "The Best Christmas (in Lockdown)", a charity assemble of around one-hundred celebrities recording for the Hertfordshire-based Electric Umbrella organisation. In 2021, Hadley appeared alongside

Marcella Detroit Marcella Levy (born June 21, 1952), known professionally as Marcy Levy and (later in her career) Marcella Detroit, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. She co-wrote the 1977 Eric Clapton hit " Lay Down Sally" and released her debut a ...

Jools Holland Julian Miles Holland, (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Jayne County, Sting, Eric C ...

and

Glen Matlock Glen Matlock (born 27 August 1956) is an English musician, best known for being the bass guitarist in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is credited as a songwriter on 10 of the 12 songs on the Sex Pistols' only albu ...

on a charity version of the

Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

song "

Angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles incl ...

", recorded in tribute to the producer Steve Brown and with funds going to the late producer's COVID-19 charity.

2022–present: ''40th Anniversary Tour''

On 18 February 2022, Hadley released his first solo single in over two years, "Because of You", an up-tempo number that marks a distinct change in his sound from previous solo material. During March and May 2022, Hadley will embark on a 40-date tour of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

to celebrate his 40th Anniversary in the music business. The tour was scheduled for 2020, but was delayed due to 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 ...

. The set includes a number of

's big hits, a series of carefully selected covers, as well as several new tracks from Hadley's upcoming seventh solo album, including "Because of You", "Obvious" and the yet-to-be released "Mad About You". The tour will conclude with four special additional dates in October 2022, which will see Hadley backed by a full orchestra.

Other work and awards

Hadley worked as a radio presenter with

Virgin Radio Virgin Radio launched in the United Kingdom in 1993. In 2008, Virgin Radio UK was sold to TIML, a subsidiary of The Times of India group, and the name was changed to Absolute Radio; the Virgin Radio name was not included in the sale. In 2001, ...

, taking over the ''Friday Night Virgin Party Classics'' show from

Suggs Graham McPherson (born 13 January 1961), known primarily by his stage name Suggs, is an English singer-songwriter, musician, radio personality and actor from Hastings, England. In a music career spanning 40 years, he came to prominence in the ...

(of the band

Madness Madness or The Madness may refer to: Emotion and mental health * Anger, an intense emotional response to a perceived provocation, hurt or threat * Insanity, a spectrum of behaviors characterized by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns * ...

) in August 2007. In January 2008, he was given the ''Saturday Night Virgin Party Classics'' show as well. He left both shows in September 2008. In 2015 he was listed as a presenter for Absolute Radio and presented Tony Hadley's 80's Party on a Saturday night from 6.00 – 8.00pm on Absolute 80s until December 2019. Hadley appeared, sang and gave advice in ''

Pinoy Dream Academy ''Pinoy Dream Academy'' (also known as PDA) is the Philippine version of Endemol's ''Operación Triunfo'' (Operation Triumph). The format is similar to Big Brother, where a set number of finalists (billed as "scholars" throughout the series) wo ...

'', a singing reality show in the Philippines. He also appeared in '' RocKwiz'', an Australian TV programme that aired in November 2008. Hadley also appeared in the British short movie ''Shoot The DJ'', in which he plays Eddie Richards. The film also featured Hadley's daughter, Toni. Hadley took part in the 2015 series of '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!'', beginning on 10 November 2015. He was eliminated on 4 December, finishing in sixth place. In 2019, Hadley started presenting the Sunday Mid Morning Show on

BBC Three Counties Radio BBC Three Counties Radio is the BBC's local radio station serving the counties of Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. It broadcasts on FM, DAB, digital TV and via BBC Sounds from studios at Grove Park in Dunstable. According t ...

. He also performed alongside

Arisa Rosalba Pippa (born 20 August 1982), better known by her stage name Arisa, is an Italian singer and actress. Early life Arisa was born in Genoa, Italy. A week after her birth, her family moved back to their original hometown, Pignola, a villag ...

in the fourth show of the

Sanremo Music Festival 2019 The Sanremo Music Festival 2019 ( it, 69º Festival della Canzone Italiana di Sanremo 2019) was the 69th annual Sanremo Music Festival, a television song contest held in the Teatro Ariston of Sanremo and organised and broadcast by RAI. The show wa ...

. He is a patron of the UK

Huntington's Disease Association The Huntington's Disease Association (HDA) is a charity that supports people in England and Wales affected by the genetic neurodegenerative brain condition Huntington's disease (HD). The HDA was founded in 1986 and is based in Liverpool. It ...

Shooting Star Chase Shooting Star Children's Hospices is an English children's hospice charity (No: 1042495). The charity cares for babies, children and young people with life-limiting conditions, and their families, across Surrey and West London. They provide spec ...

and The Lowe Syndrome Trust. In December 2019 it was announced that he had been awarded an MBE in the

New Year Honours The New Year Honours is a part of the British honours system, with New Year's Day, 1 January, being marked by naming new members of orders of chivalry and recipients of other official honours. A number of other Commonwealth realms also mark this ...

for charitable services to

Children's Hospice Care.

Personal life

Hadley has three children with his first wife, Leonie Lawson: Tom, Toni and Mackenzie. Hadley split from Lawson in 2003, after 20 years of marriage, and married Alison Evers in July 2009 at

Cliveden House Cliveden (pronounced ) is an English country house and estate in the care of the National Trust in Buckinghamshire, on the border with Berkshire. The Italianate mansion, also known as Cliveden House, crowns an outlying ridge of the Chiltern ...

. They live in

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-e ...

with their two children: Zara (born 21 December 2006) and Genevieve (born 6 February 2012). Hadley is an

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...

fan and has played for the Arsenal ex-Professional and Celebrity XI team. Hadley stated on the television show ''

Loose Women ''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...

'' (22 February 2007) that he is and . He is proud of his

work ethic Work ethic is a belief that work and diligence have a moral benefit and an inherent ability, virtue or value to strengthen character and individual abilities. It is a set of values centered on importance of work and manifested by determination o ...

, which he states was instilled into him from a young age by his parents, and he says he has never claimed benefits. In 2006, Hadley became a co-owner of the Red Rat Craft Brewery, which produced Hadley's Golden Ale and Hadley's Crazy Dog Stout. The business closed in 2013, after which Hadley became associated with The Great Yorkshire Brewery, which issued a

lager Lager () is beer which has been brewed and conditioned at low temperature. Lagers can be pale, amber, or dark. Pale lager is the most widely consumed and commercially available style of beer. The term "lager" comes from the German for "storag ...

called "Gold" and a

pale ale Pale ale is a golden to amber coloured beer style brewed with pale malt. The term first appeared around 1703 for beers made from malts dried with high-carbon coke, which resulted in a lighter colour than other beers popular at that time. Dif ...

called "Moonstone

IPA IPA commonly refers to: * India pale ale, a style of beer * International Phonetic Alphabet, a system of phonetic notation * Isopropyl alcohol, a chemical compound IPA may also refer to: Organizations International * Insolvency Practitioners A ...

". This association has now ended.

Political affiliations

Hadley is a supporter of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

and an admirer of former

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

. He has attended the party's annual conference and was reported in 2008 to be interested in standing as an MP. In 2012 the ''

New Statesman The ''New Statesman'' is a British political and cultural magazine published in London. Founded as a weekly review of politics and literature on 12 April 1913, it was at first connected with Sidney and Beatrice Webb and other leading members ...

'' described Hadley as one of the few openly

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this pos ...

rock stars.

Discography

Studio

* ''The State of Play'' (1992) * ''Tony Hadley'' (1997) * ''True Ballads'' (2003) * ''Passing Strangers'' (2006) * ''The Christmas Album'' (2015) * ''Talking to the Moon'' (2018)

Live

* ''Debut'' (2000; re-released 2003) * ''Obsession: Live at Ronnie Scott's'' (2001; also re-released as ''Dance With Me'' and ''Tony Hadley: Reborn'') * ''Tony Hadley vs. Peter Cox & Go West'' (2004) * ''Tony Hadley vs. Martin Fry & ABC'' (2005) * ''Hadley, Norman & Keeble: An Evening of Gold'' (2009) * ''Live from Metropolis Studios'' (2013)

EPs

* ''Get So Lonely'' (2001)

Singles

Literature

* *Hadley, Tony (2022). ''My Life in Pictures''. London:

Omnibus Press Omnibus Press is a publisher of music-related books. It publishes around 30 new titles a year to add to a backlist of over 250 titles currently in print. History Omnibus Press was launched in 1972 as a general non-fiction publisher to complem ...

. ISBN 9781913172718.

References

External links

* *
Tony Hadley's 80s Party on Absolute 80s
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hadley, Tony 1960 births British male jazz musicians British synth-pop new wave musicians Conservative Party (UK) people English crooners English jazz singers English male film actors English male singers English new wave musicians English pop singers English soul singers I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! (British TV series) participants Living people Male new wave singers Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Islington (district) People from Muswell Hill Singers from London Singing talent show winners Sophisti-pop musicians Spandau Ballet members Virgin Radio (UK) EMI Records artists PolyGram artists Universal Music Group artists