Clean Bandit is an English

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

group formed in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

in 2008. They have achieved four number-one singles and six additional top-ten songs on the UK Official Singles Chart. Since 2016, the group has been a trio comprising founding members Grace Chatto and brothers Jack and Luke Patterson. Jack serves as the principal songwriter. The group is known for blending elements of

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

and contemporary

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

, and they routinely collaborate with guest vocalists. Clean Bandit's debut single, " A+E", was released in 2012; their second, " Mozart's House" (2013), peaked at number 17 on the UK singles chart. In 2014, they attained mainstream success with their single " Rather Be", a collaboration with

Jess Glynne Jessica Hannah Glynne (born 20 October 1989) is a British singer. She rose to prominence in 2014 as a featured artist on the singles " Rather Be" by Clean Bandit and " My Love" by Route 94, both of which reached number one on the UK Singles C ...

. It reached number one on the UK singles chart, topped the national singles charts of six other countries, and peaked at number ten on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song's accolades include a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Dance Recording and two

Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...

for Jack Patterson. These three singles were included on the group's debut album '' New Eyes'', released in June 2014, which received a gold certification from the BPI. Clean Bandit's 2016 single " Rockabye", which features

Sean Paul Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican dancehall musician. Paul's first album, ''Stage One'', was released in 2000. He gained international fame with his second album, ''Dutty Rock'', in 2002. Its single "Get Busy ...

and

Anne-Marie Anne-Marie Rose Nicholson (born 7 April 1991) is an English singer and songwriter. She has attained various charting singles on the UK Singles Chart, including Clean Bandit's " Rockabye", which peaked at number one, as well as "Alarm", " Ciao ...

, became their second number-one song in the UK and that year's UK Christmas number-one single. It peaked at number one in seven other markets and charted at number nine in the United States. In 2017, "

Symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...

", featuring

Zara Larsson Zara Maria Larsson (; born 16 December 1997) is a Swedish singer-songwriter and dancer. She first rose to prominence in 2008 after winning the Talang 2008, second season of ''Talang (Swedish TV show), Talang'', the Swedish version of the ''Got T ...

, became the group's third UK number-one song; this was followed by their fourth, "

Solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ''Star Wars Legends'' continuity * Kylo Ren (Ben Solo), a ''Star Wars'' character * Napoleon Solo, fr ...

", featuring

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...

, in 2018. Their second album, '' What Is Love?'', was released in November 2018 and contains all three singles. , Clean Bandit had sold over 13 million singles and 1.6 million albums worldwide.

History

2008–2012: Formation and career beginnings

Original band members Grace Chatto, Jack Patterson, Luke Patterson and Neil Amin-Smith met while studying as undergraduates at Jesus College,

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

. At the time, Amin-Smith, who attended

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

was leading a string quartet together with Chatto, who attended The Latymer School. The original vocalist, Ssegawa-Ssekintu Kiwanuka, left to undertake a PhD in laser analytics. In 2011, Chatto and Jack Patterson formed their own film production company, Cleanfilm, to make music videos for themselves and other artists. The band's name, Clean Bandit, comes from a translation of a Russian phrase; the meaning is similar to the English phrase "complete bastard", though Patterson later stated that it is actually a more affectionate term similar to "utter rascal".

2012–2015: ''New Eyes''

In December 2012, Clean Bandit released their debut single "A+E", which peaked at number 100 on the UK Singles Chart. In March 2013, they released their second single " Mozart's House". The song peaked at number 17 on the UK Singles Chart. Their third single " Dust Clears" charted at number 43 in the UK. The band's fourth single " Rather Be" featuring

was released in January 2014 and topped the UK Singles Chart. It was the fastest-selling song released in January since 1996 and ended 2014 as the year's second best-selling song in the UK (behind "

Happy Happiness is a complex and multifaceted emotion that encompasses a range of positive feelings, from contentment to intense joy. It is often associated with positive life experiences, such as achieving goals, spending time with loved ones, ...

" by

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...

), selling over 1.13 million copies. "Rather Be" also reached number one in Austria, Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, whilst charting at number ten on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In April 2014, the band made their TV debut on BBC's '' Later... with Jools Holland''. The following month, they announced a 14-date headline tour of the UK kicking off in Lancaster Library as part of the Get It Loud In Libraries campaign. Retrieved 26 May 2014. The band's debut studio album '' New Eyes'', was released in June 2014 by Atlantic Records UK. In September 2014, they performed with the

BBC Philharmonic Orchestra The BBC Philharmonic is a national British broadcasting symphony orchestra and is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The Philharmonic is a department of the BBC North Group division based at Media ...

MediaCityUK MediaCityUK is a mixed-use property development on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal in City of Salford, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. The project was developed by The Peel Group, Peel Media; its principal tenants are Mass media, ...

. In November, the band collaborated again with Jess Glynne, on their single " Real Love". It reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. The same month, the band performed as part of the charity group Band Aid 30 alongside other British and Irish pop acts, recording the latest version of the track "

Do They Know It's Christmas? "Do They Know It's Christmas?" is a charity song written in 1984 by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise money for the 1983–1985 famine in Ethiopia. It was first recorded by Band Aid, a supergroup assembled by Geldof and Ure consisting of pop ...

" to raise money for the 2014 Ebola crisis in

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

. In February 2015, "Rather Be" won the

Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording (formerly known as Best Dance Recording) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists f ...

at the

57th Annual Grammy Awards The 57th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2015, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The show was broadcast live by CBS at 5:00 p.m. PST ( UTC−8). Rapper LL Cool J hosted the show for the fourth consecutive ti ...

. The group recorded a 30-piece orchestral version of "Rather Be" at

Abbey Road Studios Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a music recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, London, Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of ...

for

Marks & Spencer Marks and Spencer plc (commonly abbreviated to M&S and colloquially known as Marks & Sparks or simply Marks) is a major British multinational retailer based in London, England, that specialises in selling clothing, beauty products, home produc ...

's Christmas 2015 advertising campaign. Clean Bandit 2

2016–2019: ''What Is Love?'' and Neil Amin-Smith's departure

In May 2016, the band released the single "

Tears Tears are a clear liquid secreted by the lacrimal glands (tear gland) found in the eyes of all land mammals. Tears are made up of water, electrolytes, proteins, lipids, and mucins that form layers on the surface of eyes. The different types of ...

" featuring ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for '' Pop Idol'' (2001–200 ...

'' 2015 winner Louisa Johnson, which later appeared in their second studio album. The song peaked at number five in the UK, following a performance on ''

Britain's Got Talent ''Britain's Got Talent'' (often abbreviated to ''BGT'') is a televised British talent show competition, and part of the global '' Got Talent'' franchise created by Simon Cowell. Presented by Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly (colloquial ...

''. In October 2016, it was announced that violinist and pianist Neil Amin-Smith had decided to leave Clean Bandit. Two days later, the group released their first song as a three-piece without Amin-Smith: " Rockabye", which features rapper

and singer

. "Rockabye" became their second number one hit in the UK, and remained at the top spot for nine weeks. It went on to become the Christmas number one single for 2016. The song also reached number one in Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland. It additionally charted at number nine on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In March 2017, the trio released "

", a collaboration with Swedish singer

. The song topped the UK Singles Chart, becoming the group's third number one single in the country. They gave their first live performance of the song on ''

The Voice UK ''The Voice UK'' is a British singing reality competition television series. Created by John de Mol and Roel van Velzen, it premiered on BBC One on 24 March 2012. Based on the original Dutch singing competition '' The Voice of Holland'', and ...

''. " Rockabye" was recorded at The Crypt Studio in London. In June, the band released the studio version of " Disconnect" with

Marina Diamandis Marina Lambrini Diamandis ( ; ; born 10 October 1985), known mononymously as Marina (often stylised in all caps) and previously by the stage name Marina and the Diamonds, is a Greek-Welsh singer, songwriter, poet and record producer. Born in B ...

. The track was previously performed at the 2015

Coachella Festival Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorad ...

In October 2017, the band announced the single " I Miss You", featuring songwriter

Julia Michaels Julia Carin Michaels (''Birth name, née'' Cavazos; born November 13, 1993) is an American singer and songwriter. She has received six Grammy Award nominations, including twice for Grammy Award for Song of the Year, Song of the Year and Grammy A ...

. It charted within the top five of the UK and has been certified platinum. In May 2018, the band released the second album's fifth single, "

", featuring vocals from

. It topped the charts in the UK the following month and has received a platinum certification in the country. In November 2018, sixth single "

Baby In common terminology, a baby is the very young offspring of adult human beings, while infant (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'baby' or 'child') is a formal or specialised synonym. The terms may also be used to refer to Juvenile (orga ...

" was released, featuring

Marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : "related to the sea") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or cargo ...

and

Luis Fonsi Luis Alfonso Rodríguez López-Cepero (born April 15, 1978), known by his stage name Luis Fonsi (), is a Puerto Rican singer. He is known for his soulful and dance oriented songs, most notably 2017's "Despacito". Fonsi received his first Latin ...

. Clean Bandit released their second album '' What Is Love?'' in November 2018. The album features collaborations with Rita Ora, Ellie Goulding, Craig David, Anne-Marie, and Charli XCX.

2020–present: Leaving Atlantic Records, forthcoming third studio album and new projects

Against the backdrop of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the band produced a "House Party" event fortnightly in place of the live shows which they would've performed if the pandemic had not happened. Clean Bandit produced six of these house parties in total, from April to July, many featuring vocals from their singer Yasmin Green. In early August 2020, as their live home music performances gained credit, the band agreed with Global Citizen to host a 12-hour long "Houseparty Against Hunger" on 8 August, to raise money for the charity to help fight poverty-related hunger. The event consisted of one hour-long sets from DJs around the world. Clean Bandit hosted the event and played at the start and end of proceedings, with their set-up the same as that used in their original house parties. Kirsten Joy, one of the band's singers, performed along with

Becky Hill Rebecca Claire Hill (born 14 February 1994) is an English singer and songwriter. She rose to fame after appearing on the first series of '' The Voice UK'', auditioning with John Legend's " Ordinary People". She joined Jessie J's team and rea ...

Joel Corry Joel Corry (born 10 June 1989) is an English DJ, producer and television personality. He came to prominence in 2019 with the release of his single " Sorry", featuring vocals from Hayley May, which reached number six in the UK Singles Chart. In ...

MNEK Uzoechi Osisioma "Uzo" Emenike (; born 9 November 1994), professionally known by his stage name MNEK ( ; a gramogram of Emenike), is a British singer, songwriter and record producer. He has been nominated for a Grammy and a Brit Award, and ha ...

and a guest appearance from

. On 17 August, Clean Bandit announced they would be releasing a new single, titled " Tick Tock" with singer Mabel and rapper

24kGoldn Golden Landis Von Jones (born November 13, 2000), known professionally as 24kGoldn, is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He initially saw recognition for his 2019 single " Valentino", which marked his first entry on the ''Billboard'' Ho ...

. It was released on 21 August 2020. On 26 January 2021, Clean Bandit announced their new single "Higher" featuring American rapper Iann Dior. The song was released on 29 January 2021. On 30 July 2021, Clean Bandit released their new single " Drive" with German DJ Topic featuring Wes Nelson. On 24 September 2021, Clean Bandit released a remix of the famous 1980s hit song

How Will I Know "How Will I Know" is a song recorded by American singer Whitney Houston for her self-titled debut studio album. It was released on November 22, 1985, by Arista Records as the album's third single. Written and composed by George Merrill and ...

in collaboration with

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

. On 18 February 2022, Clean Bandit released a new dance/electronic song featuring A7S called "Everything but You". On 9 September 2022, Clean Bandit released a new single "Sad Girls" with rapper French the Kid featuring Rema. On 21 October 2022, Clean Bandit released another single, "Don't Leave Me Lonely" in collaboration with the songwriter Elley Duhé. Clean Bandit February 2025 feedback form

Clean Bandit February 2025 feedback form

Between 2022 and 2024, Clean Bandit parted ways with their label

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. On 23 July 2024, Clean Bandit announced their song with English singer-songwriter Anne-Marie and French DJ

David Guetta Pierre David Guetta (; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and record producer. He has sold over 10 million albums and 65 million singles globally, with more than 30 billion streams on Spotify. Guetta was voted the number one DJ in the DJ Mag ...

called " Cry Baby". It was released on 9 August 2024 with B1 Records/Ministry of Sound. In April 2025, Clean Bandit released a new single, Tell Me Where U Go, a trance inspired anthem with Tiesto and featuring German Vocalist Leony. Tell Me Where U Go is also the first track since Tears to feature violin by Neil Amin Smith.

Musical style

Clean Bandit are an electronic, electropop and dance-pop band. The band mixes electronic music with classical pieces by composers such as

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 1756 – 5 December 1791) was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition and proficiency from an early age ...

and

Shostakovich Dmitri Dmitriyevich Shostakovich, group=n (9 August 1975) was a Soviet-era Russian composer and pianist who became internationally known after the premiere of his Symphony No. 1 (Shostakovich), First Symphony in 1926 and thereafter was regarded ...

Political views

In May 2017, Clean Bandit endorsed the Labour Party and

Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who has been Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Islington North (UK Parliament constituency), Islington North since 1983. Now an Independent ...

in the 2017 UK general election. In June, the band supported a Labour Party rally in Birmingham. In June 2018, they headlined the Labour Live festival in London. In November 2019, they endorsed the Labour Party in the 2019 UK general election. In December 2019, along with 42 other leading cultural figures, they signed a letter stating that "Labour's election manifesto under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership offers a transformative plan that prioritises the needs of people and the planet over private profit and the vested interests of a few. " They endorsed Rebecca Long-Bailey in the 2020 Labour Party leadership election. After leaving the band, Neil Amin-Smith joined the

Institute for Fiscal Studies The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is an independent economic research institute based in London, United Kingdom, which specialises in UK taxation and public policy. It produces both academic and policy-related findings. The institute's ...

and in July 2024 was appointed by Labour chancellor

Rachel Reeves Rachel Jane Reeves (born 13 February 1979) is a British politician who has served as Chancellor of the Exchequer since July 2024. A member of the Labour Party, she has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Leeds West and Pudsey, formerly Leed ...

to a government council of economic advisors.

Members

Current members * Grace Chatto – cello, keyboards, percussion, vocals * Jack Patterson – keyboards, vocals, piano, bass, guitar, violin, producer, DJ, saxophone * Luke Patterson – drums, percussion Current touring musicians * Stephanie Benedetti – violin * Yasmin Green – vocals * Kirsten Joy – vocals * Sam Skirrow – bass * Tess Burrstone - vocals, rapping,

hype man A hype man, typically in hip hop music, is a backing vocalist who supports the primary performer with exclamations, interjections, or ad-libs in an attempt to increase an audience's excitement or engagement. Origins Early hype men included Keef C ...

Former members * Neil Amin-Smith – violin, piano * Ssegawa-Ssekintu Kiwanuka – vocals Former touring musicians * Braimah Kanneh-Mason – violin * Nikki Cislyn – vocals * Makeda Moore – vocals * Eliza Shaddad – vocals * Florence Rawlings – vocals *

Elisabeth Troy Elisabeth Troy Antwi is a British singer and songwriter. She appeared on several top 40 hit singles in the UK, including MJ Cole's " Crazy Love" and "Hold On to Me" in 2000 and B.Traits' "Fever" in 2012.David Jhonson Roberts ''British Hit Singl ...

– vocals * Christina Hizon - vocals, piano * Ezinma – violin * David Gane – drums, percussion * Molly Fletcher – violin

Timeline

Discography

* '' New Eyes'' (2014) * '' What Is Love?'' (2018)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
Cleanfilm.co
{{Authority control 21st-century English musicians 2008 establishments in England Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Atlantic Records artists Black Butter Records artists Grammy Award winners for dance and electronic music English electronic music groups English pop music groups Musical groups established in 2008 Musical groups from Cambridge Labour Party (UK) people