Andrew Ivan Bell (born 25 April 1964) is an English singer-songwriter and lead singer of the

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...

duo

Erasure Erasure () is an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1985, consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter Andy Bell with songwriter, producer and keyboardist Vince Clarke, previously known as co-founder of the band Depeche Mode and a membe ...

. The band achieved mainstream success (receiving a

Brit Award The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

for Best British Group) and are popular within the

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

community, for whom the openly gay Bell has become an

icon An icon () is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, in the cultures of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Catholic churches. They are not simply artworks; "an icon is a sacred image used in religious devotion". The mos ...

. Erasure have penned over 200 songs and have sold over 25 million albums worldwide. They have achieved five consecutive number ones on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...

. Hit singles include "

A Little Respect A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

", " Sometimes" and " Always". Bell is known for his soulful voice and flamboyant stage persona, which contrast with bandmate

Vince Clarke Vincent John Martin (born 3 July 1960), known professionally as Vince Clarke, is an English synth-pop musician and songwriter. Clarke has been the main composer and musician of the band Erasure since its inception in 1985, and was previously ...

's low-key, deadpan demeanour. His solo career includes the studio albums '' Electric Blue'' (2005), '' Non-Stop'' (2010), and ''iPop'' (2014).

Early life

Bell grew up in the

Dogsthorpe Dogsthorpe is a residential area and electoral ward of the city of Peterborough, in the Peterborough district, in the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The population of the ward at the 2011 Census was 9,620. Cambridgeshire Fire and ...

area of

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire unti ...

. His family still reside in the city and surrounding areas such as Market Deeping. Bell was educated at the King's School in the city.

Career

In 1985, during a period in which he worked selling women's shoes and was performing in a band called the Void, he responded to a newspaper advertisement for a singer.

had been Bell's "hero"; Bell was successful in his audition and together they formed the group

. Bell sang the role of Montresor in the opera ''

The Fall of the House of Usher "The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839 in ''Burton's Gentleman's Magazine'', then included in the collection ''Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque'' in 1840. The short story ...

'' by

Peter Hammill Peter Joseph Andrew Hammill (born 5 November 1948) is an English musician and recording artist. He was a founder member of the progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Best known as a singer/songwriter, he also plays guitar and piano and ...

and

Judge Smith Christopher John Judge Smith (born 1 July 1948), is an English songwriter, author, composer and performer, and a founder member of progressive rock band Van der Graaf Generator. Initially working under the name Chris Judge Smith, he has been kn ...

, released in 1991 and reissued with a new recording in 1999. Bell's first solo studio album was announced in July 2005. He signed a worldwide solo

recording contract A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with

Sanctuary Records Sanctuary Records Group Limited was a record label based in the United Kingdom and is as of 2013 a subsidiary of BMG Rights Management solely for reissues. Until June 2007, it was the largest independent record label in the UK and the largest m ...

, and announced details of his debut album, released on 3 October 2005 and entitled '' Electric Blue''. The album featured fourteen tracks, including three

duets A duet is a musical composition or piece for two performers. Duets or The Duets may also refer to: Films and television * ''Duets'' (film), a 2000 film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Paul Giamatti and Huey Lewis * "Duets" (''Glee''), a 2010 episod ...

, with

Claudia Brücken Claudia Brücken (born 7 December 1963) is a German singer and songwriter. She is best known as the lead vocalist of the synth-pop band Propaganda. In 1996, Brücken started working with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark co-founder Paul Humphre ...

Propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

and Jake Shears of

Scissor Sisters Scissor Sisters were an American pop rock band formed in 2001. Its members include Jake Shears and Ana Matronic as vocalists, Babydaddy as multi-instrumentalist, Del Marquis as lead guitar/bassist, and Randy Real (who replaced Paddy Boom) ...

. The first single, "

Crazy Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to ...

", released on 26 September 2005, included club

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

es from his Erasure partner

, plus

Cicada The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into tw ...

, MHC and King Roc. ''Electric Blue'' was co-written and recorded throughout 2004 and 2005 with

Manhattan Clique Manhattan Clique is a group composed of producers, remixers and songwriters Philip Larsen and Chris Smith, also known as "MHC". Their successes have been reflected in the ''Music Week'' Club and Pop charts in the UK, plus the ''Billboard'' dance ...

(Philip Larsen and Chris Smith) who have worked with Erasure,

Moby Richard Melville Hall (born September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, singer, producer, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "among the ...

the B-52s The B-52's, also styled as The B-52s, are an American new wave band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1976. The original lineup consisted of Fred Schneider (vocals, percussion), Kate Pierson (vocals, keyboards, synth bass), Cindy Wilson (vocals, pe ...

, Stereophonics and

Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...

. Bell released his second solo studio album, '' Non-Stop'', on 7 June 2010. It was co-written and co-produced by Bell and Pascal Gabriel, who previously remixed "

It Doesn't Have to Be "It Doesn't Have to Be" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released on 16 February 1987. It was issued as a single six weeks before the release of the duo's second studio album, '' The Circus'' (1987). Following the number-two UK placing ...

" for Erasure. It also features a collaboration with

Perry Farrell Perry Farrell (born Peretz Bernstein; March 29, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter and musician, best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Jane's Addiction. Farrell created the touring festival Lollapalooza as part (one of th ...

Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1985. The band consists of vocalist Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro, drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery. Jane's Addiction was one of the first bands fr ...

. Using the pseudonym ''Mimó'', Bell released two Pascal Gabriel-produced singles on

Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Einstürzende Neubauten, Fad Gadget, Goldfrapp, Grin ...

: "Running Out" (2009) and "Will You Be There?" (2010) prior to his second solo album. The name, used as a "tribute to good friend Tomeau Mimó”, was not used on any subsequent solo releases, as a legal block was issued against Bell by another artist already using the Mimó name. Both songs appear on ''Non-Stop'' and have since been re-branded as Andy Bell. In June 2011, he appeared on the second season of ITV series '' Popstar to Operastar'' and finished in fifth place.

Charity

Bell has also donated time and made

recordings A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

for charities. These include

Ferry Aid Ferry Aid was a British-American charity supergroup, brought together to record the song " Let It Be" in 1987. The single was released following the Zeebrugge Disaster; on 6 March 1987 the ferry had capsized, killing 193 passengers and crew. ...

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

of " Let It Be" (1987); a cover of

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

's " Too Darn Hot", that was included in 1990s ''Red Hot + Blue'' album to raise funds for AIDS and HIV research; re-making

Lene Lovich Lene Lovich (; born Lili-Marlene Premilovich; March 30, 1949) is an English-American singer, songwriter and musician. She first gained attention in 1979 with the release of her hit single "Lucky Number", which peaked at number 3 on the UK Singl ...

's "Rage" alongside her to be included in ''

PETA Peta or PETA may refer to: Acronym * Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943 * People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization * People Eating Tasty Animals, a ...

s album (1991) in favour of a wildlife campaign; and performing twice on Big Spender's Red Hot and Dance events to support various AIDS projects (in both December 1994 and November 2004). Bell also performed on the True Colours Tour 2008.

Personal life

Bell is

openly gay Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBT people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. Framed and debated as a privacy issue, coming out of ...

, and has had long-time partners. The first, Paul M. Hickey, died on 11 April 2012 at the age of 62. In January 2013, Bell married his subsequent partner Stephen Moss. On 17 December 2004, Bell publicly announced that he has been

HIV-positive The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immun ...

since 1998. In a 2007 interview, he remarked that there is a complacency among gay men about HIV: Bell suffers from

avascular necrosis Avascular necrosis (AVN), also called osteonecrosis or bone infarction, is death of bone tissue due to interruption of the blood supply. Early on, there may be no symptoms. Gradually joint pain may develop which may limit the ability to move. ...

. He has had both hips replaced, which keeps him from " pogoing around" in more recent performances.

Solo discography

Albums

* 2005: '' Electric Blue'' (SANCD382) - UK No. 119, U.S. Electronic Albums No. 12 * 2010: '' Non-Stop'' - UK No. 134, UK Dance Albums No. 12

Shelter featuring Andy Bell albums

* 2014: ''iPop'' with Shelter (CD/digital) - iTunes UK Pop Album Chart No. 47 ** 2015: ''iPop Deluxe'' with Shelter (CD/vinyl/digital)

Torsten stage and music series and remixes

* 2014: '' Torsten the Bareback Saint'' (CD, hardback book) * 2015: '' Variance – The 'Torsten the Bareback Saint' Remixes'' (CD/digital) * 2016: '' Torsten the Beautiful Libertine'' (CD/digital) * 2016: '' Variance – 'The Torsten the Beautiful Libertine' Remixes'' (CD/digital) * 2019: '' Torsten in Queereteria'' (CD/digital)

Singles

* 2005: "

" - UK No. 35, U.S. Dance No. 3 * 2006: "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" - UK No. 96 * 2009: "Running Out" (as Mimó) * 2010: "Will You Be There?" (as Mimó) - U.S. Dance No. 27 * 2010: "Call on Me" * 2010: "Non-Stop" * 2013: "Breathing Love" (with Isaac Junkie) (CD Part 1/CD Part 2) * 2014: "Aftermath (Here We Go)" (with

Dave Aude Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...

) - U.S. Dance No. 1 * 2014: "Beautiful" (with Shelter) * 2014: "I Don't Like" * 2014: "Friend" (with Shelter) * 2014: "Fountain of Youth" * 2015: "Weston-Super-Mare" * 2016: "

True Original "True Original" is a song by Dave Audé featuring Andy Bell released on January 1, 2016. The song reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Dance Club Songs chart as of the issue dated March 12, 2016. It is the second song by the pair to reach ...

" (with Dave Aude) * 2016: "My Precious One" * 2016: "Queercore" (Matt Pop Remix) * 2016: "We Were Singing Along to Liza" (Shelter Remix) * 2017: "Runaway" (with Dave Aude)

Remixes

* 2008: Yazoo – "

Nobody's Diary "Nobody's Diary" is a song recorded by British synthpop band Yazoo. It was released in May 1983 as the first and only single from their second and last album, ''You and Me Both'' (1983). The song was written by Alison Moyet and produced by Yazoo ...

" (Andy Bell & JC Remix)

References

External links

Official Andy Bell site

Official Erasure site
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Andy 1964 births Living people British synth-pop new wave musicians Male new wave singers English pop singers English male singers 20th-century English singers 21st-century English singers Erasure members Remixers Popstar to Operastar contestants Sony Music Publishing artists English songwriters English gay musicians LGBT singers from the United Kingdom LGBT songwriters People with HIV/AIDS People educated at The King's School, Peterborough Musicians from Cambridgeshire People from Peterborough Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century LGBT people 21st-century LGBT people