Nathan Abraham Lauren Fagan-Gayle (born 2 November 1986, South London), known commercially as Nathan and more recently Starboy Nathan, is an English R&B singer, most famous for his Top 40 singles "Come into My Room" and "Diamonds".
Nathan | |
|---|---|
 Nathan performing live in Stoke-on-Trent in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Nathan Abraham Lauren Fagan-Gayle |
| Born | 2 November 1986 London, England[1] |
| Genres | R&B, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Years active | 2002 –present |
| Labels | V2 (2004–2005) Mona Records/Vibes Corner Music /C/C/M/G (2005–present) |
| Website | StarboyNathan.com |
Early life
editFagan-Gayle is the son of reggae singer Lorna Gee. Fagan-Gayle and his mother moved to Jamaica when he was two years old so that she could pursue her career. As her profile developed she relocated to the United States while Fagan-Gayle remained in Jamaica with his grandmother. At the age of five he joined his mother in New York City, where they settled until Fagan-Gayle turned 11 years old.[1]
Career
edit2006–2008: First studio album, Masterpiece
editIn 2006, Fagan-Gayle released his debut single "Come into My Room" which charted inside the UK top 40, peaking at number 37.[2] This was his only single for the label V2 Records. His second single "Round and Round", released in January 2007, marked a change in record label and was the first for Mona Records/Vibes Corner Music. On 9 October 2006, he released his debut album Masterpiece, which was led by the third single "Cold as Ice".[3] Masterpiece debuted and peaked at number 122 on the UK albums chart when it was subsequently reissued in 2007.[4] The fourth single from the album, "Do Without My Love" was released prior to this reissue and became the second biggest hit from Masterpiece, peaking at number 44 on the UK Singles Chart.[2]
On 3 January 2008, Fagan-Gayle entered the Big Brother: Celebrity Hijack house. He came sixth in the show.
2009–present: Second studio album, 3D and name change
editSince the release of Masterpiece and the promotion for it ending in 2008, Fagan-Gayle has been working on his sophomore effort. His second studio album is due for release in November 2011 and is entitled 3D – Determination, Dedication, Desire.[5] The first single from the album was "Caught Me Slippin" featuring Flo Rida, which was issued on 5 July 2010.[6]
In 2011, Fagan-Gayle began using the moniker Starboy Nathan instead of the mononym by which he was originally recognised. He explained the reason for the name change in an interview with Tale Tela, "You know what, you kinda proved my point when you said 'Nathan, just Nathan' and that was the point 'just Nathan' and I just wanted to have a bit more fun with it. It came from when I was young and I used to perform in front of my family and my parents and my Mum just to say "Starboy time", it's just a bit of fun and it's more distinctive. I mean, you can type in Nathan, just Nathan into Google and I might come up or you get 50 million other things whereas 'Starboy Nathan' is very defiant and it's definitive and you can search it and all of my library will come up and stuff so it's a bit more like that. And I've changed the Twitter name to 'Starboy Nathan' and the Facebook name as well. It didn't confuse any fans, I told them, they were with me on it."[7]
Following a support slot on the second JLS tour, And The Ndubz tour Starboy Nathan announced that "Diamonds" would be the second single from the 3D album. The single was released on 18 April 2011.[8] Starboy Nathan will also be supporting The Wanted on their UK tour.[9]
Starboy Nathan's single "Hangover" (featuring Wretch 32) was released on 12 September 2011 and reached position 92 on the UK Singles Chart. His album 3D – Dedication, Determination, Desire was released the following year.
Fagan-Gayle auditioned in 2012 for The X Factor. In auditions he received four yeses to take him through to the Bootcamp round, where he then progressed to the Judges Houses round in Dubai. However, judge Nicole Scherzinger did not select him to be one of her final three male singers.
Personal life
editIn May 2016, Fagan-Gayle was sentenced at the Old Bailey to 20 months in prison for his part in a telephone scam in 2014–2015 that defrauded a number of British pensioners of a total of £1 million.[10][11][12]
Discography
editAlbums
edit| Album title | Album details | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK | ||
| Masterpiece |
|
122 |
| 3D – Determination, Dedication, Desire |
|
92 |
Singles
edit| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [13] | |||
| 2005 | "Come into My Room" | 37 | Masterpiece |
| 2006 | "Round and Round" | — | |
| "Cold as Ice" | — | ||
| 2007 | "Do Without My Love" | 44 | |
| 2010 | "Caught Me Slippin" (featuring Flo Rida) | — | 3D – Determination, Dedication, Desire |
| 2011 | "Diamonds" | 23 | |
| "Hangover" (featuring Wretch 32) | 92 | ||
| 2012 | "Cosmic Kiss" | — | |
| "Who Am I" | — | ||
| 2013 | "Dark Room" | — | Non-album single |
References
edit- ^ a b Series: New band of the day No 27: Nathan, Guardian Unlimited Music, 23 January 2007
- ^ a b "NATHAN". The Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "BBC Music – Review of Nathan – Masterpiece". BBC. 2006. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "Chart Log UK: Nadanuf – Michael Nyman". Zobbel. 1994–2008. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "One To Watch : Starboy Nathan – Female First". FemaleFirst. 25 February 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "Nathan – Caught Me Slippin". iLike. 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "Starboy Nathan Reveals If He'd Date A Fan, Why He Changed His Name And If He Really Tweets!". TaleTela. 14 March 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "Starboy Nathan – Diamonds". 4Music. 19 March 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "Starboy Nathan single/video Diamonds, latest album news and UK Spring dates with The Wanted. Now Starboy Nathan has also announced that he is supporting the famous band 'N-Dubz' after meeting up with dappy (N-dubz member)". Buzzin Pop. 23 February 2011. Retrieved 20 March 2011.
- ^ "Gang jailed over pensioner phone scam". BBC News. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- ^ "Former X Factor star found guilty of laundering £20,000 in huge scam on elderly". Daily Mirror. 3 March 2016. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- ^ Proto, Laura (4 May 2016). "Former X Factor contestant jailed for role in £1 million fraud". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ^ "everyHit.com – UK Top 40 Hit Database". everyHit.com. Retrieved 5 May 2008.