Lauren Maria "Ren" Harvieu (born 3 September 1990) is an English singer and songwriter from Broughton, Salford, Greater Manchester.
Ren Harvieu | |
|---|---|
 Harvieu performing at Manchester Pride, 25 August 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Lauren Maria Harvieu |
| Born | 3 September 1990 Broughton, Salford, England |
| Genres | Pop rock, soul, indie pop |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | Universal Music Group |
Early life and education
editHarvieu was introduced to music by her mother. While in sixth form college, she performed in musical theatre and entered several talent competitions before uploading some of her own recordings to MySpace.[1]
Career
editHarvieu was discovered on MySpace by a local music manager[who?] after uploading demo tracks. After being introduced to record producer Jimmy Hogarth (Amy Winehouse, Duffy) she began working on demos and was signed to Universal Music aged 18.
Harvieu started recording an album in May 2011, but before it could be released, she broke her back in what she describes as a 'freak accident', "I heard it snap. I couldn't feel my feet," the singer recalled. After a 14-hour operation, Harvieu spent months recovering at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.[2]
On 5 December 2011, the BBC announced that Harvieu had been nominated for their BBC Sound of 2012 poll.[3] After releasing the singles "Through the Night" and "Open Up Your Arms",[4] her first album Through the Night was released on Island Records on 14 May 2012, entering the UK Albums Chart at No 5.
In 2014, Harvieu was featured on "Sweet Malaise", the B-side to "In My Time of Dust", from Ed Harcourt's mini-album Time of Dust.[5] "Love is a Melody", a song written by Ed Harcourt and Jimmy Hogarth for Harvieu's debut album, was also covered on Time of Dust.[6]
Harvieu began working on her second album in 2013.[7] The album, titled Revel in the Drama, was released in April 2020.[8]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [9] | |||
| Through the Night |
|
5 | |
| Revel in the Drama |
|
— | |
Singles
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [10] | |||
| "Through the Night" | 2011 | 178 | Through the Night |
| "Open Up Your Arms" | 2012 | 108 | |
| "Tonight" | — | ||
| "Do Right By Me" | — | ||
| "Teenage Mascara" | 2019 | — | Revel in the Drama |
| "Yes Please" | — |
Guest appearances
edit| Year | Artist | Track | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Mark Owen | "S.A.D." | The Art of Doing Nothing |
| 2024 | Linda Thompson | "I Used To Be So Pretty" | Proxy Music |
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Organisation | Award | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | BBC | Sound of 2012 | Nominated | [3] |
References
edit- ^ Collar, Matt (2014). "Ren Harvieu – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
- ^ Doyle, Tom. Q, March 2012, #308. Q Now. The Singer Who Cheated Death. p. 35
- ^ a b "BBC Sound of 2012: Ren Harvieu". bbc.co.uk. 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
- ^ "Ren Harvieu". iTunes. 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
- ^ "Listen to ed Harcourt's Sweet Malaise featuring Ren Harvieu - Q MagazineQ Magazine". Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
- ^ "Time of Dust - Ed Harcourt | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ Bourne, Dianne (19 September 2013). "Singer Ren's new sound feels so right". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
- ^ Horowitz, Hal (2 April 2020). "Ren Harvieu Invites You To 'Revel In The Drama' With Her Sumptuous, Opulent Opus". American Songwriter. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
- ^ "Ren Harvieu | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- ^ Peaks on the UK Singles Chart:
- "Through the Night": "CHART: CLUK Update 28.01.2012 (wk3)". zobbel.de. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
- "Open Up Your Arms": "CHART: CLUK Update 05.05.2012 (wk17)". zobbel.de. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
External links
edit