Alex Turner

At 38 years old, Alex Turner has this physical status:

Alexander David Turner (born 6 January 1986) is an English singer-songwriter, singer, and record producer.

He is best known as the frontman and principal songwriter of the rock band Arctic Monkeys, with whom he has released six albums.

In addition, he has performed with his band The Last Shadow Puppets and as a solo artist. Turner was born and raised in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, and was the only child of two secondary school teachers.

He and three others formed the Arctic Monkeys when he was 16 years old.

Whatever People Say I Am (2006), the band's debut album, That's What I Am (2006), debuted on Rolling Stone's list of the best debut albums of all time, ranked at No.30.

The band's subsequent studio albums, Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007), Humbug (2009), Suck It and See (2011), AM (2013), and Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (2018) have all experimented with desert rock, indie pop, R&B, and lounge music.

In both 2007 and 2013, Arctic Monkeys headlined Glastonbury Festival, and they appeared at the 2012 London Summer Olympics opening ceremony. As the co-frontmen of The Last Shadow Puppets, Turner and Miles Kane have released two orchestral pop albums, The Age Of The Understatement (2008) and Everything You Should Expect (2016).

Turner's acoustic soundtrack for the 2010 film Submarine is included.

Belladonna of Sadness, Alexandra Savior's debut album, was co-wrote and co-produced by him. Turner's lyricism, ranging from kitchen sink realism to surrealist word play, has been lauded.

Each of his eight studio albums have risen to the top of the UK Album Charts.

He has been nominated for seven Brit Awards, an Ivor Novello Award, and has been nominated for five times for the Mercury Prize, winning once.

Early life

Alexander David Turner was born in Sheffield on January 6, 1986, the only child of secondary school teachers Penny (née Druce) and David Turner. He was born in Sheffield's High Green suburb. He has said that his parents came from "very different backgrounds,"; his mother, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, taught German and was "fascinated by words." His father, a Sheffield boy, taught music and physics. Turner's parents were both music enthusiasts, and his first musical memories of the Beatles and the Beach Boys were both associated with the Beatles and the Beach Boys. His mother performed Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, and the Eagles during car rides. His father, especially Frank Sinatra, was a fan of jazz and swing music, and he had performed in major bands on saxophone, trumpet, and piano. Turner himself was taught certain scales on the family keyboard by his father and began formal piano lessons until he was eight years old.

Turner grew up with neighbor Matt Helders; they attended primary school, secondary school, and college together. Turner and Helders performed "Morning Glory" in a mimed display by Oasis' "Morning Glory"—Helders starred as Liam Gallagher, while Turner pretended to play the bass guitar, using a tennis racket as his instrument. In secondary school, Andy Nicholson was introduced to Dr. Dre, the Wu-Tang Clan, Outkast, and Roots Manuva, and the three friends became close, sharing their love of rappers like Dr. Dre, Wu-Tang Clan, Outkast, and Roots Manuva. They spent their time playing basketball, skateboarding, riding BMXs, and "making crap hip-hop" beats with Turner's Cubase device. Following the Strokes' debut in 2001, Turner and his pals became interested in rock music. When Turner was 15, his father let him borrow a "couple of chords" to learn a "couple of chords" and his parents bought him an electric guitar for Christmas.

Turner attended Stocksbridge High School from 1997 to 2002. Mark Coleman, his form tutor, characterized him as a "bright" and "popular" student who excelled at sports rather than music. Simon Baker, his English and drama instructor, remembered him as a brilliant student who was "quite reserved" and "a little bit different." Turner took an "incredibly laid-back" approach to his studies, which worried his mother and resulted in criticism from other teachers. Although there were books at home, Turner did not read enough and was too self-conscious to share his writing with others. Nevertheless, he loved English lessons. Turner attended Barnsley College from 2002 to 2004. Given the opportunity to "get away from doing math," he largely dropped out of the "substantial" subjects required for university admission. He studied for A-levels in music technology and media studies, as well as AS-levels in English, photography, and psychology.

Turner's weekends revolved around girls and drinking cider with his family at the age of 15. Turner was "always the quiet one" in their social circle, according to Joe Carnall, a schoolfriend. Turner, Helders, and Nicholson decided to start Arctic Monkeys in mid-2002 after friends started making bands and playing live. Turner already had "instruments about the house" and was fluent in the basics of musicianship, according to Nicholson, who was working as a music tutor. The protesters purchased a drum kit, while Turner suggested that Nicholson play bass guitar and invited Jamie Cook, a neighbor who attended a different school, to play guitar. Turner played guitar in the instrumental band early on, but he became the frontman after two other school acquaintances declined to sing. Turner was regarded as the obvious lyricist contender – "I knew he had a thing for words" – and he began to perform songs with his bandmates. The band rehearsed for a year in Turner's garage and, later, in an unoccupied warehouse in Wath before appearing on a live show. "If they knew you were there, they would have stopped, so we had to sneak in," Helders' mother, who drove the teenagers to and from their rehearsal space three times a week. On Friday, The Grapes, the Grapes' first gig, was held in a local pub. The set, which was partially recorded, featured four original songs as well as four cover versions of Beatles, the White Stripes, the Undertones, and the Datsuns.

After meeting lead singer Jon McClure on a bus, Turner played seven gigs in York and Liverpool as a rhythm guitarist for Judan Suki in the summer of 2003. Turner asked Alan Smyth if he'd produce a Arctic Monkeys demo while filming a demo with Judan Suki at Sheffield's 2fly Studios in August. "They had absolutely nothing special going on," Smyth said. At that first session, I told Alex off for singing in an American voice." Smyth's introduction resulted in the band's hiring Geoff Barradale and Ian McAndrew as part of their management team. They charged Smyth and Arctic Monkeys to perform many three-song demos in 2003 and 2004. During recording sessions, Turner was quiet and observant, as Smyth said: "Before anyone came in the studio, he would sit and listen to them before he would say anything." The owner lent the band's touring equipment, while the owner's wife assisted Turner with his singing in their rehearsal room in Yellow Arch Studios, Arctic Monkeys, and the owner owes them a reputation as a devoted worker. Barradale played the band around Scotland, the Midlands, and the north of England to establish their reputation as a live band. After each performance and audience members began posting the unofficial Beneath the Boardwalk demo collection online, the band gave out free copies of the demo CDs. Turner deferred vague plans to enroll in Manchester after finishing college in mid-2004. He began working part-time at The Boardwalk, a Sheffield music venue. Richard Hawley and poet John Cooper Clarke were among the notable figures on the trip, including musician Richard Hawley and poet John Cooper Clarke. Arctic Monkeys' audiences were starting to sing along with their songs by the end of 2004, and Zane Lowe's "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" was broadcast on BBC Radio 1.

In early 2005, Arctic Monkeys attracted national attention. They were first published in a national newspaper in April, with a Daily Star reporter describing them as "the most exciting band to debut this year." In May, they self-released an EP based on the single "Fake Tales of San Francisco," and soon after, they began their first national tour shortly afterwards. Arctic Monkeys signed to the independent label Domino Recording Company in June, during a bidding war. They produced an album in rural Lincolnshire with producer Jim Abbiss after initial sessions with James Ford and Mike Crossey. Johanna Bennett, a London-based student, was first dating Turner around this time. The single "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart in October. What People Say I Am, That's What I Am The debut album by Arctic Monkeys, which debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart in January 2006. Turner's songs, which chronicled teenage nightlife in Sheffield, were widely lauded. "Mr. Turner's songs are worth waiting for and often worth memorizing," The New York Times' Kelefa Sanneh said. He has an uncanny knack of evoking Northern English youth culture while neither romanticizing nor sneering at it." Alexis Petridis of the Guardian said that the album was inspired by guitar bands "from the previous five years"; "they don't seem to be apologetic for not knowing the intricacies of rock history."

It was the fastest-selling debut album in British music history and it quickly became a cultural phenomenon. Turner was dubbed "the voice of a generation" by British media outlets. However, in interview profiles, he was described as quiet and uncomfortable with attention. Cook said that the band's aim was to grow like The Clash, despite the hype. It was a young, punky start when they first started. They began to take off and go in a variety of directions. We want it, but we don't want that." Turner said that Sheffield-inspired songwriting was "a closed book" on the album's release: "We're moving forward and thinking about new things." Turner said that the attention during this period made him "a bit scared or worried": "We closed down a lot of people out in order to hold some sort of control." Many promotional opportunities were turned down and quickly released new music – a five-track EP Who the Fuck Are Arctic Monkeys? In April, there was a stand-alone single "Leave Before the Lights Come On" and "Leave Before the Lights Come On" in August, as well as a stand-alone single "Leave Before the Lights Come On." Nicholson, who had taken a break due to "fatigue," was replaced permanently by the band this summer by Nick O'Malley, another childhood friend. At a band meeting, Nicholson was informed that "Al did the speaking." Turner and Nicholson stopped speaking for two years, but they later reconnected, and they were able to reunite.

Favourite Worst Nightmare, Arctic Monkeys' second album, was released in April 2007, just over a year after they had released their debut. It was produced in London by Mike Crossey and James Ford. Every subsequent Turner project has been delivered as of 2020. The album, on lyrically, touches on fame, passion, and cries. Turner and Bennett had broken up in January, but she had been credited as a co-writer on "Fluorescent Adolescent." Pitchfork's Marc Hogan said the album featured Turner's "usual gift for vivid images" and explored "new emotional depth," despite being uninterested in the songs concerning fame. The band was "pushing delicately but confidently at the boundaries of their sound," according to Petridis of The Guardian, hinting at "woozy psychedelia" and "piledriving metal." The album was a commercial success, debuting at number one in the United Kingdom, while Arctic Monkeys headlined the Glastonbury Festival in 2007. Turner began collaborating with other artists in the same year. He collaborated with rapper Dizzee Rascal on the Arctic Monkeys B-side "Temptation," a version of which also appeared on Rascal's album Maths and English. After briefly sharing a Sheffield flat with frontman Jon McClure, he co-wrote three songs on Reverend and The Makers' debut album The State Of Things. Richard Hawley, a Sheffield singer, appeared on the Arctic Monkeys' B-side "Bad Woman" and performed with the band at the Manchester Apollo as part of Richard Ayoade's concert film. Turner also revealed plans to form the Last Shadow Puppets, a side-project band formed with Ford and Miles Kane, who had been contacted during a tour in mid-2005.

The Age of the Understatement, Turner's debut album, was released in April 2008, only after Turner had migrated from Sheffield to east London. Turner and Kane co-written the album, which also featured string arrangements by Owen Pallett. Alexa Chung, who has been dating Turner since mid-2007, is featured in the music video for "My Mistakes Were Made for You." Turner was "moving from his anthropologically detailed Arctics bushstrokes to bold, cinematic gestures," Hogan said. "The audible passion of an artist broadening his scope" has been lauded by Petridis of The Guardian, who also acknowledged "a certain fearlessness on display." Kane's presence gave him "somewhere to hide" on stage, according to Turner during a tour with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Both Matt Helders and Jack White made guest appearances at Glastonbury Festival, with the Last Shadow Puppets performing a surprise appearance. Alison Mosshart appeared with the band at the Olympia in Paris and also provided vocals for a B-side. Turner formed a covers band with Dev Hynes in London for a one-off show in London and released "A Choice of Three" for Helders' compilation album Late Night Tales.

Arctic Monkeys' third album, Humbug, was released in August 2009 as a "massive turning point" in the band's career, according to Turner. They travelled to Joshua Tree, California, to collaborate with producer Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age; it was the band's first time in a studio for a long time. Homme claims that the album's heavier sound was triggered by the band itself, while Turner was encouraged to explore longer guitar solos and experiment his newfound "crooning" style of singing. Although Petridis of The Guardian discovered some songs "too oblique to understand," the band's "desire to progress" impressed him. "Cornerstone" is a "dazzling glimpse of what Turner can do: a dazzling display of lost love, according to the singer. Pitchfork's Joe Tangari said the album was a "legitimate extension of the band's songwriting arsenal" and that "Cornerstone" was the highlight. Turner joined Richard Hawley on stage at a London charity concert and performed a seven-song acoustic set during a break in the UK Humbug tour. Homme appeared with the Arctic Monkeys in Pioneertown, California, for a live performance.

Turner produced an acoustic soundtrack for the upcoming debut-of-age film Submarine (2010) while living in Brooklyn, New York, where he moved with Chung in the spring of 2009; it was released as an EP in March 2011. Originally, director Richard Ayoade tried to sing cover versions, but instead, he recorded six original songs in London, accompanied by James Ford and Bill Ryder-Jones. Two of the songs had already been written; Turner wrote the remainder after watching dailies from the film set. The songs were released within the film's world as a mixtape created by the main character's father. "Turner's keen wit and eye for detail," according to Pitchfork's Paul Thompson, created a "tender portrayal" of adolescent mystery. The "exquisite" soundtrack, according to Ben Walsh of The Independent, was "reminiscent" of Cat Stevens' work on Harold and Maude. The Submarine soundtrack appeared on The Times' list of the 100 Soundtracks to Love in 2014. Turner also co-wrote Kane's solo album "First of My Kind" (2012) and co-wrote Kane's debut solo album Colour of the Trap (2011).

Turner produced Arctic Monkeys' fourth album, Suck It and See, in New York, and he and his bandmates and James Ford met up in Los Angeles for recording sessions. Pitchfork's Marc Hogan loved the album's "chiming indie pop balladry" and "muscular glam-rock." Turner's latest lyrical style of "dense, Dylanesque wordplay is impossible to get right," Petridis of The Guardian noted. He takes it off more often than not. There are some amazingly turned words and piercing observation." Richard Hawley co-wrote and performed vocals on "You and I" on the B-side, and performed the song with the band at the Olympia in Paris. Turner performed "Lipstick Vogue" on Broadway in New York with Elvis Costello.

Arctic Monkeys were based in Los Angeles by 2012, with Turner and Helders sharing a house. In early 2012, the Arctic Monkeys toured the United States as the Black Keys' support act. Although the band had opened for Oasis and Queens of the Stone Age at one-off shows, this was the band's first appearance as a supporting act.

They released "R U Mine?"

With Turner's new girlfriend, Arielle Vandenberg, appearing in the music video, the tour is as a complete package. At the 2012 London Summer Olympics opening ceremony, Arctic Monkeys performed "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and a version of "Come Together" by the Beatles. Turner played bass guitar on "Get Right," a Miles Kane B-side, in early 2013. For the second time in June, the Arctic Monkeys headlined Glastonbury Festival.

In September 2013, AM was first published in September 2013. Pitchfork's Ryan Dombal said the album, which was dealing with "desperate 3 a.m. thoughts," managed to modernize "T. Rex bop, Bee Gees backup vocals, Rolling Stones R&B, and Black Sabbath riffery." "Turner demonstrates that he hasn't lost his knack for an insightful lyric," The Guardian's Phil Mongredien said. Arctic Monkeys soared in the United States, in comparison to previous album campaigns, where they may not have told you why at the time." Just stubborn teenage thoughts." The Arctic Monkeys spent 18 months in touring AM; Josh Homme joined them onstage in both Los Angeles and Austin. Turner briefly reunited with Chung in the summer of 2014, after putting an end to his two-year friendship with Vandenberg earlier this year.

Turner inquired about working with Alexandra Savior in 2014, and she co-wrote Belladonna of Sadness, a collection of Arctic Monkeys' touring dates. Turner and James Ford co-produced the album in 2015, with Turner also playing bass, guitars, keyboards, and synthesisers. T Bone Burnett and an additional song "risk" was recorded for an episode of the crime drama True Detective. Although Turner and Savior appeared together in Los Angeles in 2016, the album was not released until April 2017. "The narrator's musical ticks are so distinct that they're instantly recognizable when someone else dresses them up as their own," Hilary Hughes of Pitchfork wrote about it. "I'm so grateful for him," Turner said later, "I'm also like, alright!'" he said.

In April 2016, the Last Shadow Puppets debuted Everything You've Come to Expect. Zach Dawes of Mini Mansions, a Turner collaborator, joined Turner on the songs "Vertigo" and "I Love You All The Time" in 2015. Owen Pallett arranged the string arrangements this time, this time in the band's studio rather than remotely, as opposed to remotely. According to Turner, the album contained "the most straight-up love letters" of his career, written for American model Taylor Bagley, who lived from 2015 to 2018. In the album, Laura Snapes of Pitchfork detected a hint of "misanthropy." Turner admitted that she was "no less a gifted lyricist than ever" and that some songs were "completely stunning," according to her. Turner's "characteristically sparkling use of words" and "melodic ability," Alexis Petridis of The Guardian applauded. However, he thought the pair's "in-joking" during interviews, and Kane's "leery" encounter with a female Spin journalist sullied the album. They toured Europe and North America from March to August 2016. Johnny Marr appeared on guitar at two shows, while Turner's father David played saxophone at a Berlin show.

Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, Arctic Monkeys' sixth album, was released in May 2018. Turner wrote the space-themed album from the perspective of "a lounge-y character" after receiving a Steinway Vertegrand piano as a 30th birthday gift from his manager. In early 2017, he recorded demos at home alone and later with Helders, and later with Helders, then presenting them with Cook. Cook was initially taken aback by the change in direction, but by the end, he was "very excited by what he'd come up with." The entire band, produced by Turner and James Ford, was recording the album in both Los Angeles and France by mid-2017. They were joined by musicians from Tame Impala, Klaxons, and Mini Mansions. "Tranquility Base" was described by Jonah Weiner of Rolling Stone as "a stunningly diverse album about the role of entertainment – the desire to escape into it and the desire to create it – during times of social upheaval and crisis." It was "quitelly surprising" that the band chose to debut the "thrilling, smug, thoughtful, and curiously cold album" rather than more crowd-pleasing fare. It was described as a "delirious and artful satire directed at modern life by Jazz Monroe of Pitchfork." Turner's career saw the album become his eighth top-one album in the United Kingdom. From May 2018 to April 2019, the band toured the country. In mid-2018, Turner began dating French singer Louise Verneuil.

The Car, Arctic Monkeys' seventh studio album, will be published on October 21, 2022. In August, Turner's first single, "There'd Better Be a Mirrorball," was released, as well as a Turner video. The band headlined the 2022 Reading and Leeds Festival on a tour to promote the band's impending debut.

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