Gareth Daley (/ˈdˈli/),[1] known mononymously as Daley, is a British singer-songwriter and creative artist from Manchester, known for his collaborations with Gorillaz, Jill Scott, Pharrell Williams, Marsha Ambrosius and Jessie J.

Daley
Daley in 2015.
Background information
Birth nameGareth Daley
BornManchester, England
GenresAlternative R&B, soul
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
Instrument(s)Keyboards, piano, vocals
Years active2010–present
LabelsRepublic Records, Polydor
Websitedaley.tv

After signing with Universal Music, Daley achieved Billboard chart success with the singles Alone Together[2] with Marsha Ambrosius (of Floetry), the Pharrell Williams-produced Look Up and Until The Pain Is Gone[3] featuring three time Grammy winner Jill Scott.

Early life edit

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 led 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.[citation needed]

Career edit

2010: Breakthrough edit

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. 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. He subsequently joined 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, whose DJs 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 edit

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[4] 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 edit

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 edit

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 duet with three time Grammy winner Jill Scott).[5] and the Prince-inspired funk jam "Sympathy" with UK producer/DJ Swindle, "Selfish" produced by Montreal producer 'xSdtrk' and UK Garage inspired "Careless"

Discography edit

Albums edit

List of albums, with selected chart positions, sales figures and certifications
Title Details Peak positions
US
[6]
US
Heat

[7]
US R&B
[8]
Days + Nights 128 1 12
The Spectrum[9]
  • Released: 14 July 2017
  • Label: BMG
  • Format: CD, digital download
7

EPs edit

Title Details Chart positions Notes
US
Heat

[7]
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 edit

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
UK
[10]
US Adult R&B
[11]
US R&B/HH
[12]
US R&B/HH
Airplay

[13]
2010 "Doncamatic"
(Gorillaz featuring Daley)
37 The Singles Collection 2001–2011
2011 "Those Who Wait" Those Who Wait
2012 "Alone Together"
(featuring Marsha Ambrosius)
5 66 31 Alone Together
"Remember Me"
(featuring Jessie J)
24
2013 "Broken" Days + Nights
"Look Up" 10 48
2014 "Time Travel"
2017 "Until the Pain Is Gone"
(featuring Jill Scott)[14]
5 41 The Spectrum
"—" denotes singles that were not officially released.

Appearances edit

Song Year Artist(s) Album
"Doncamatic" 2013 Gorillaz featuring Daley The Singles Collection 2001–2011
"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
"Heaven" 2019 Dyllón Burnside featuring Daley Heaven (Single)

Touring and live performances edit

Daley has embarked on several sold-out headline tours around the US and Europe, notably playing London's KOKO, to New York's Apollo Theatre and Highline Ballroom, the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles, 930 Club in Washington, D.C., and the Buckhead Theatre in Atlanta.

Other artists he has performed and toured with include Stevie Wonder, Gorillaz, Miguel, Jessie J, Emeli Sande, Maxwell, Jill Scott, Maverick Sabre, Kelly Rowland, Earth, Wind & Fire and Quincy Jones.

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 European Tour (15 dates)
  • 2016 tour (2016) Headline USA (18 dates)
  • Daley, The Spectrum Tour (2017) Headline US & Europe Tour (25 dates)
  • The Spectrum Unplugged Tour (2018) Headline US Tour (18 dates)
  • Daley x JMSN (2019) Co-Headline US Tour (18 dates)

Support tours

References edit

  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. ^ a b Music, Bio. "Daley Until The Pain Is Gone". Okayplayer. Archived from the original on 15 May 2018. Retrieved 14 May 2018.
  4. ^ "BBC – Sound of 2011 – Daley". BBC. Archived from the original on 9 December 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  5. ^ Music, Bio. "Until The Pain Is Gone Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 29 July 2017.
  6. ^ "Daley – Chart history: Billboard 200". Billboard.
  7. ^ a b "Daley – Chart history: Heatseekers Albums". Billboard.
  8. ^ "Daley – Chart history: R&B Albums". Billboard.
  9. ^ "Daley Announces Upcoming Album "The Spectrum"". YouKnowIGotSoul.com. 2 June 2017. Retrieved 4 June 2017.
  10. ^ "Daley > UK Charts". Officialcharts.com/. Official Charts Company.
  11. ^ "Daley – Chart history: Adult R&B Songs". Billboard.
  12. ^ "Daley – Chart history: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard.
  13. ^ "Daley – Chart history: R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay". Billboard.
  14. ^ "Until the Pain Is Gone". iTunes (RU). 24 March 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.

External links edit