Daley (musician)

Gareth Daley (/ˈdeɪˈli/; born 29 September 1989),[1] known mononymously as Daley, is a British singer-songwriter and artist, internationally acclaimed for his unique contributions to R&B/Soul music and captivating vocal performance. He first became prominent after co-writing and featuring on the Gorillaz single "Doncamatic", having been spotted by the band's creator Damon Albarn early in his career as an underground artist on the UK music scene.

Daley (musician)
Daley in 2015.
Background information
Birth nameGareth Daley
Born (1989-09-29) 29 September 1989
Manchester, England
OriginManchester, England
GenresAlternative R&B, soul
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
InstrumentsKeyboards, piano, vocals
Years active2010–present
LabelsRepublic Records, Polydor
Websitedaley.tv

Daley was promptly signed to Universal Music, and established himself as an international recording artist celebrated for songs including top five radio hit Alone Together [2] with Marsha Ambrosius (of Floetry), top ten single Look Up (produced by Pharrell Williams), Remember Me featuring Jessie J, and top ten single Until The Pain Is Gone[3] featuring three time Grammy winner Jill Scott. He has received praise from The Grammys,[4] BET, Billboard, Soul Train Awards and the MOBO Awards.

These releases span four projects including the Those Who Wait mixtape, Alone Together EP, and studio albums Days & Nights and The Spectrum - all of which incorporate elements of R&B, Soul, Pop, Funk, Alternative, electronic and orchestral arrangement, and showcase Daley's auto-biographical, personal lyrical style.

Early life

Daley was born and brought up in the suburbs of South Manchester in the North-West of England. Before pursuing music professionally, a passion for the creative visual arts lead him to study Design & Art Direction at Manchester Metropolitan University, and work as a Graphic Designer, video editor and animator. He lived in Manchester until age 21, before making the decision to quit his day job and relocate to London to focus solely on making music.

Career

2010: Breakthrough

With some early demos, Daley took to the UK live scene, performing at open-mic nights, jam sessions and new talent stages including 'Troy Bar' in Hoxton, 'iLuvLive' in Camden and widely respected music industry showcase 'Wired' at Shoreditch House. Whipping up excitement with his standout vocal performances he would often find himself on stages with fellow emerging artists Ed Sheeran, Jessie J, Emeli Sande and Maverick Sabre - many of whom he has since collaborated or toured with.

Steadily making a name for himself, Daley caught the attention of Gorillaz co-creator Damon Albarn, who invited him to meet and work on new material for the animated band's Plastic Beach album, resulting in their 2011 single "Doncamatic", which Daley co-wrote and fronted as lead vocalist. It shot him into the spotlight, appearing in the music video and joining the Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour, along with Little Dragon, De La Soul, Lou Reed and Snoop Dogg.

The collaboration enhanced Daley's visibility within the music industry, and early radio airplay started largely at BBC Radio 1Xtra, who's DJ's Twin B, Ras Kwame, MistaJam and Ronnie Herel all championed the singer. This eventually lead to him taking part in emerging artist discovery platform BBC Introducing, where he was invited to record three of his songs at the world-famous Maida Vale Studios in London, and began to attract the attention of record labels.

2011: Those Who Wait

Daley's first solo offering was the Those Who Wait mixtape in late 2011, an independently released free download that was distributed through his official website Daley.TV. The mixtape achieved 50,000 downloads in its first month, increasing to 150,000 downloads over the months that followed and garnered Daley support from UK media including BBC's 'Sound of...' poll[5] and online buzz from bloggers and fans alike. It consisted of ten songs, and showcased an alternative R&B sound. Stand out tracks included "Those Who Wait", "Game Over", "Smoking Gun", and an acoustic cover of 'Maxwell's "Pretty Wings", which became a viral favourite.

2014: Days + Nights

Released on 11 February 2014 by Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and Republic Records in the United States - the critically acclaimed Days + Nights was Daley's official debut studio album. Featuring stand out songs 'Look Up', 'Broken', 'Time Travel' and 'Blame The World', the album featured collaborations with Pharrell Williams, Illangelo, Bernard Butler and Shea Taylor.

2017: The Spectrum

On 14 July 2017, after a two-year hiatus, Daley's sophomore studio album The Spectrum was released via BMG Rights Management. The album featured lead single "Until The Pain Is Gone"[3] a soaring soulful duet with three time Grammy winner Jill Scott), which catapulted the singer back to the top of the US R&B charts.[6] and stand out songs including Prince-inspired funk jam "Sympathy" with UK producer/DJ Swindle, "Selfish" produced by Montreal producer 'xSdtrk' and UK Garage inspired "Careless". The album saw Daley continue to develop with his auto-biographical songwriting style, delving into emotional and even occasional spiritual territory, and pushing boundaries with both vocal performance/arrangement and musical sonic.

Artistry

Daley has become known for his Alternative R&B sound, which contains hints of Soul, Electronica and Pop. His songwriting is largely autobiographical with an emphasis on vocal performance and arrangement, a trait that has often defined him when compared to his male contemporaries. He has referred to his sound as "Future-Throwback" in interviews, stating that the music has a familiar, nostalgic roots, contemporised with a futuristic sonic and production. Daley has cited a mix of US and UK sounds and songwriters as influences, including: Prince, Chaka Khan, Radiohead, Maxwell, Sade, Joni Mitchell, Imogen Heap and George Michael.

Discography

Albums
List of albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications
Title Details Peak positions
US
[7]		 US
Heat
[8]		 US R&B
[9]
Days + Nights 128112
The Spectrum[10]
  • Released: 14 July 2017
  • Label: BMG
  • Format: CD, digital download
 —7—

EPs
Title Details Chart positions Notes
US
Heat
[8]
Those Who Wait
  • Released: August 2011
  • Format: Free download
 —
No.TitleLength
1."Those Who Wait" 
2."Let It Go" 
3."Game Over" 
4."Alone Together" (featuring Marsha Ambrosius) 
5."Love Lost (Interlude)" 
6."Smoking Gun" 
7."Spent" 
8."Pretty Wings" (Acoustic) 
9."Doncamatic" (Harry Love remix) (Gorillaz x Daley) (promo CD only) 
10."Like a Virgin" (Acoustic) 
Alone Together
  • Released: 6 November 2012
  • Label: Republic
  • Formats: Digital download, CD
 30
No.TitleLength
1."Alone Together" (featuring Marsha Ambrosius) 
2."Blame the World" 
3."Game Over" 
4."Remember Me" (featuring Jessie J) 
5."Those Who Wait" 
6."Love Is a Losing Game" (Acoustic) 
Songs That Remind Me of You
  • Released: 18 July 2013
  • Format: Free download
 —
No.TitleLength
1."Songs That Remind Me of You" 
2."Glitter Haze" 
3."Silly Games" 
"—" denotes albums that did not chart or were not released.

Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions Album
UK
[11]		 US Adult R&B
[12]		 US R&B/HH
[13]		 US R&B/HH
Airplay
[14]
2010 "Doncamatic"
(Gorillaz featuring Daley)		 37——— Plastic Beach
2011 "Those Who Wait" ———— Those Who Wait
2012 "Alone Together"
(featuring Marsha Ambrosius)		 —56631 Alone Together
"Remember Me"
(featuring Jessie J)		 24———
2013 "Broken" ———— Days + Nights
"Look Up" —12—48
2014 "Time Travel" ————
2017 "Until the Pain Is Gone"
(featuring Jill Scott)[15]		 —6—41 The Spectrum
"—" denotes singles that were not officially released.

Appearances
Song Year Artist(s) Album
"Long Way Home" 2011 Wretch 32 featuring Daley Black and White
"Heaven" 2013 Nelly featuring Daley M.O.
"Birds & Bees" 2015 Vince Staples featuring Daley Summertime '06
"Find Me" 2019 Natalia Nykiel featuring Daley Origo

Touring and live performances

Daley tours throughout the US, UK and Europe and has sold-out headline shows from London's KOKO, to New York's SOB's and Highline Ballroom, to the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, 930 Club in Washington, D.C. and the Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta.

Daley has completed several sold-out headline tours around the US with legs in Europe, as well as a series of festivals and support shows. Artists he has performed with include Stevie Wonder, Gorillaz, Miguel, Jessie J, Emeli Sande, Maxwell, Jill Scott, Maverick Sabre, Kelly Rowland and Earth, Wind & Fire.

Headline tours

  • Days & Nights Tour (2014) Headline US Tour (30 dates)
  • Daley, Unplugged Tour (2014) Headline US Tour (15 dates)
  • Look Up Tour (2013) Headline US Tour (18 dates)
  • Those Who Wait Tour (2012) Headline UK / Europe Tour (15 dates)
  • 2016 tour (2016) Headline USA (18 dates)

Support tours

  • Maxwell Summer Solstice Tour Opening act (2014)
  • Miguel UK Tour Opening act (2013)
  • Emeli Sande UK Tour Opening act (2012)
  • Maverick Sabre UK Tour Opening act (2012)
  • Gorillaz Plastic Beach World Tour Featured artist (2010)

Festivals

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References
  1. "New band of the day – Daley (No 1,108)". The Guardian. 19 September 2011. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  2. Music, Bio. "Alone Together Billboard Top 5". Billboard. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  3. Music, Bio. "Daley Until The Pain Is Gone". Okayplayer.
  4. Music, Bio. "5 Questions With Daley". Grammy.com. Recording Academy. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  5. "BBC – Sound of 2011 – Daley". BBC. Archived from the original on 2 January 2011. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  6. Music, Bio. "Until The Pain Is Gone Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  7. "Daley – Chart history: Billboard 200". Billboard.
  8. "Daley – Chart history: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard.
  9. "Daley – Chart history: R&B Albums". Billboard.
  10. "Daley Announces Upcoming Album "The Spectrum"". YouKnowIGotSoul.com. 2 June 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  11. "Daley > UK Charts". Officialcharts.com/. Official Charts Company.
  12. "Daley – Chart history: Adult R&B Songs". Billboard.
  13. "Daley – Chart history: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard.
  14. "Daley – Chart history: R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay". Billboard.
  15. "Until the Pain Is Gone". iTunes (RU). Retrieved 24 March 2017.
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