Eliot Sumner
Eliot Paulina Sumner (born 30 July 1990) is an English musician, actor, and electronic music producer. Sumner's debut album, The Constant (2010), was released under the band name I Blame Coco, while solo work has been released under the name Eliot Sumner. Sumner is the child of musician Sting (born Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner) and actress Trudie Styler.
Eliot Sumner | |
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Eliot Sumner in 2015 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Eliot Paulina Sumner |
Also known as | Coco Sumner |
Born | Pisa, Tuscany, Italy | 30 July 1990
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Occupation(s) |
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Instruments |
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Years active | 2010–present |
Labels |
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Associated acts |
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Career
I Blame Coco
Sumner began writing songs at the age of 15,[1] and signed a multi-record deal with Island Records at age 17.[2][3]
Sumner spent six months writing and recording a debut album, The Constant (2010), in Sweden with producer Klas Åhlund,[1] keyboardist Emlyn Maillard, and multi-instrumentalist and producer Al Shux under the band name I Blame Coco. The album included elements of pop music, electronic music, ska, and punk. The first single, "Caesar", featured Swedish pop singer Robyn.[4] The next single, "Self Machine", was released in July 2010.[5]
According to Christian Wåhlberg, Sumner's manager, Åhlund, had been keen to work with Sumner because he saw the "punk rocker" in them.[6] Wåhlberg said that the electropop sound of the album was influenced by Darcus Beese, president of Island Records, and that if Sumner had signed to a different record label, the music would have been different.[6]
Solo career
In 2014, Sumner said their music would be released under their birth name, Eliot Sumner. Later that year, they released the EP Information, and in 2016 the full album Information appeared.
Sumner's contributions to other musicians' albums include vocals for the song "End of the Road" by Sway and the single "Splash" by Sub Focus.[7] Sumner sang a cover version of the Radiohead song "Creep" with Clint Mansell for the soundtrack to the movie Filth (2013).
Acting career
Sumner appeared briefly in the films Me Without You (2001) and Stardust (2007). They made their adult acting debut in Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen in 2020. They are set to appear in the upcoming James Bond film No Time to Die (2020).[8]
Personal life
Eliot Paulina Sumner is the child of musician Sting (Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner) and actress Trudie Styler.[9] Sumner was born in Pisa, Italy, grew up in Wiltshire, England,[4] and was educated at Bryanston School and then the Fine Arts College in London.[10]
Sumner grew up at Lake House, the family estate near Stonehenge. They have two brothers (Jake and Giacomo), a sister (Mickey), an older half-brother (Joe), and a half-sister (Kate). Family gave Sumner the nickname "Coco". Drawn to the outdoors, Sumner spent a lot of time alone in the woods. They were given their first guitar at age four or five, wrote their first song at age 13, and signed a record deal four years later. After recording and touring with I Blame Coco, they lived alone in a cottage in the Lake District of England and became interested in house music. Sumner also works as a DJ in European dance clubs under the moniker "Vaal".[11]
Sumner's sense of smell was lost after a brain injury in 2009.[9]
In December 2015, when asked if they identified with a particular gender, Sumner replied that they did not believe in gender labels.[11][12] Sumner said in February 2020 that they prefer gender-neutral pronouns.[8]
Awards and honours
- I Blame Coco was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Virgin Media Music Awards in 2010.
Discography
Studio albums
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK | AUT [13] |
BEL (VL) [14] |
BEL (WA) [15] |
FRA [16] |
GER | POL [17] |
SWI [18] | |||
The Constant (as I Blame Coco) |
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86 | 58 | 82 | 88 | 41 | 31 | 36 | 72 | |
Information |
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— | — | — | — | — | 99 | — | — | |
Nosferatu (as Vaal) |
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— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Singles
As lead artist
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK | BEL (VL) [14] |
BEL (WA) [15] |
GER | |||
"Caesar" (featuring Robyn) | 2010 | — | — | — | — | The Constant |
"Selfmachine" | 64 | 53 | 93 | 56 | ||
"Quicker" | — | 91 | — | — | ||
"In Spirit Golden" | — | — | — | — | ||
"Turn Your Back on Love" | 2011 | — | — | — | — | |
"Information" | 2014 | — | — | — | — | Information |
"I Followed You Home" | — | — | — | — | ||
"Dead Arms & Dead Legs" | 2015 | — | — | — | — | |
"After Dark" | — | — | — | — | ||
"Firewood" | — | — | — | — | ||
"Species" | — | — | — | — |
As featured artist
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
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UK | UK Dance | |||
"Animal" (with Miike Snow) | 2009 | 98 | — | Miike Snow |
"Splash" (with Sub Focus) | 2010 | 41 | 7 | Sub Focus |
Other: Remixes
- Eliot Sumner – After Dark (Mr Tophat's Alterned 303 Remix)
- Eliot Sumner – After Dark (Dixon Remix)
- Eliot Sumner – Firewood – Lakker Remix
Music videos
Year | Title | Director |
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2010 | "Caesar" | Hope Audikana[19] |
"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" | Tom & Tabitha[20] | |
"Splash" | Nick Frew[21] | |
"Self Machine" | Alex Smith[22] | |
"Quicker" | China Moo-Young[23] | |
"In Spirit Golden" | Hope Audikana[24] | |
2014 | "Information" | Eliot Lee Hazel[25] |
2015 | "Dead Arms & Dead Legs" | tech wizards, Flat-E[26] |
"After Dark" | ||
"Firewood" | ||
"Species" | ||
"I Followed You Home" |
References
- "About". I Blame Coco. Archived from the original on 25 March 2010. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
- McCormick, Neil (1 February 2010). "Coco Sumner: 'Forget my dad! Hear my band'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
- Machell, Ben (30 January 2010). "Coco Sumner on Sting, shyness and singing". Times Online. Retrieved 31 March 2010.
- Phares, Heather. "Eliot Sumner". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
- "Forthcoming UK Singles". www.radio1.gr. Archived from the original on 29 September 2012. Retrieved 2016-05-18.
- "Interview With Christian Wåhlberg". HitQuarters. 2 May 2011. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
- "Sub Focus Ft. Coco 'Splash' (Official video) - Drum & Bass Arena :: Established 1996". Archived from the original on 28 April 2010. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
- Syme, Rachel (27 February 2020). "Eliot Sumner Plays the Lank-Haired Muse to Calvin Klein's New CK Everyone". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- "Coco Sumner: My dad Sting talked me into having life-saving brain scan". Now Magazine. 13 February 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- "Coco Sumner – Every little thing Sting's daughter does is magic". The Independent. 30 April 2010. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
- Goodman, Lizzy (15 June 2016). "How Sting's Daughter Sabotaged Her Music Career". New York magazine/The Cut. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
- "I don't believe in 'gender labels,' says Sting's child Eliot Sumner". Evening Standard. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 24 December 2015.
- "Discographie Eliot Sumner". Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 26 March 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- "Discografie Eliot Sumner". Ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- "Discografie Eliot Sumner". Ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- "Discographie Eliot Sumner". Lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- Peak position for The Constant:
"OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart :: sales for the period 02.11.2010 - 07.11.2010". OLiS. Retrieved 18 February 2015. - "Discography Eliot Sumner". Swisscharts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 28 February 2015. Retrieved 18 February 2015.
- "Promo News " Blog Archive " I Blame Coco's Caesar by Hope Audikana " Promo News". Promonews.tv. Archived from the original on 1 June 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- "Coco and Fyfe – Only Love Can Break Your Heart". YouTube. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- "Promo News " Blog Archive " Sub Focus' Splash (feat. Coco) by Nick Frew " Promo News". Promonews.tv. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- "Promo News " Blog Archive " I Blame Coco's Self Machine by Alex Smith " Promo News". Promonews.tv. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- Moo, China. "I Blame Coco 'Quicker' on Vimeo". Vimeo.com. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- "Promo News " Blog Archive " I Blame Coco's in Spirit Golden by Hope Audikana " Promo News". Promonews.tv. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- "Promo News " Blog Archive " Eliot Sumner's Information by Eliot Lee Hazel " Promo News". Promonews.tv. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- "Music Video Commissions". Natalia Maus. Retrieved 10 November 2018.