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Rowland Kelechukwu "Kele" Okereke (born 13 October 1981), also known mononymously as Kele, is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the
indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...
band
Bloc Party Bloc Party are an English Rock music, rock band that was formed in London, England, London in 1999 by co-founders Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, sampler) and Russell Lissack (lead guitar). Their first four albums all featur ...
. Additionally, he has released six studio albums as a solo artist.


Early life

Okereke was born in
Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
on 13 October 1981, the son of Nigerian immigrant parents. He is of Igbo descent and was raised
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
in Edinburgh and London. In his teenage years in London, he attended Trinity Catholic High School, Woodford Green. From 2001 to 2003, he studied English literature at
King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...
.


Music career


Bloc Party

Okereke knew fellow East London guitarist
Russell Lissack Russell Lissack is an English musician. He is the lead guitarist of London-based indie rock group Bloc Party, whom he founded with Kele Okereke in 1999. He released a self-titled album with side project Pin Me Down in 2010, and was a touring memb ...
through friends, and the pair established
Bloc Party Bloc Party are an English Rock music, rock band that was formed in London, England, London in 1999 by co-founders Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, piano, sampler) and Russell Lissack (lead guitar). Their first four albums all featur ...
in 1999 at the
Reading Festival The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading, Berkshire, Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend ...
. Bass player
Gordon Moakes Gordon Peter Moakes (born 22 June 1976) is an English musician, best known as the bassist of rock band Young Legionnaire and former member of indie rock band Bloc Party. Bloc Party Moakes became a member of Bloc Party after responding to an ...
answered an advertisement placed in the ''
New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a " rock inkie", the ''NME'' would become a maga ...
'' in 2000, and in 2003
Matt Tong Matthew Chee Hung Tong (born 29 April 1979) is a British musician from Bournemouth, England. He is best known as the drummer of Bloc Party from 2002 to 2013 and has been a member of Algiers since 2015. Early life Tong was born in Bournemouth, ...
became the band's drummer after eight others had held the role. Okereke did not reveal to his parents that he was a musician until Bloc Party were signed; he then quit university. Bloc Party's debut album, '' Silent Alarm'', charted at number 3 on the
UK Album Charts The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Offici ...
, and its fast pace was likened to
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of music that emerged in late 1977 in the wake of punk rock. Post-punk musicians departed from punk's fundamental elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a broader, more experiment ...
band
Gang of Four The Gang of Four () was a Maoist political faction composed of four Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. They came to prominence during the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976) and were later charged with a series of treasonous crimes due to th ...
, a band that Okereke said he had never heard of. Okereke reflected in 2007 that the album's lyrics were too abstract, and that he had been inspired by
the Smiths The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...
to write more direct lyrics. The band released their second album '' A Weekend in the City'' in February 2007, peaking at No. 12 on the ''Billboard'' 200 in the United States and No. 2 in the UK Albums Chart. For the album, Okereke chose more personal and political subjects for songs. A family friend, Christopher Alaneme, had been murdered in a racist attack, while London bartender David Morley was beaten to death in a possibly homophobic "
happy slapping Happy slapping was a fad originating in the United Kingdom around 2005, in which one or more people attack a victim for the purpose of recording the assault (commonly with a camera phone or a smartphone). Though the term usually refers to relativ ...
" incident. Okereke said that these events, combined with the 7 July London bombings, "galvanised ismindset" and prompted him to make the lyrics "dark, bigger and quite abrasive". The song "SRXT" was named after the antidepressant seroxat and inspired by two of Okereke's university friends attempting suicide. The first single, " The Prayer", reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart, still the group's highest placing. The next single, " I Still Remember," was the album's first in the US. The album was produced by
Jacknife Lee Garret "Jacknife" Lee is an Irish music producer and mixer. He has worked with a variety of artists, including the Cars, U2, R.E.M., the Killers, Robbie Williams, Snow Patrol, Bloc Party, Two Door Cinema Club, AFI, the Hives, Weezer, One Direc ...
. Okereke responded critically to comments made by
Liam Liam is a short form of the Germanic name William, or its Irish variant Uilliam. Etymology The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: ''willa'' ("will" or "resolution"); and ''helma'' ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these ...
and
Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Gallagher is the primary songwriter, lead guitarist and a co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis. After leaving Oasis, he formed Noel ...
of
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentUniversity Challenge ''University Challenge'' is a British television quiz programme which first aired in 1962. ''University Challenge'' aired for 913 episodes on ITV from 21 September 1962 to 31 December 1987, presented by quizmaster Bamber Gascoigne. The BBC ...
''" while Noel dismissed them as "indie shit". Okereke replied by calling Oasis "the most overrated and pernicious band of all time" and that "They have made stupidity hip". He opined that despite Oasis' love of
the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
, they did not evolve like their heroes and were "repetitive
Luddites The Luddites were members of a 19th-century movement of English textile workers who opposed the use of certain types of automated machinery due to concerns relating to worker pay and output quality. They often destroyed the machines in organ ...
". When Oasis cancelled their headlining set at the
Rock en Seine Rock en Seine () is a multiple-day rock music festival, held at Domaine National de Saint-Cloud, the Château de Saint-Cloud's park, west of Paris, inside the garden designed by André Le Nôtre. Name The name is a pun, based on exactly the ...
festival in August 2009 and eventually broke up, Okereke broke the news to the crowd and referred to the Gallaghers as "those inbred twins". The third album released by the band ''
Intimacy An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves emotional or physical closeness between people and may include sexual intimacy and feelings of romance or love. Intimate relationships are interdependent, and the member ...
'', was initially only made available for purchase on their website as a download on 21 August 2008. The record was released in compact disc form on 24 October 2008, with
Wichita Recordings Wichita Recordings is an independent record label located in London, founded in 2000 by Mark Bowen and Dick Green. Its most notable signees include Bloc Party, The Cribs, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, Yeah Yeah Yea ...
as the primary label. It peaked at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart and entered the Billboard 200 in the United States at number 18. Okereke made a guest appearance on
Tiësto Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( , ), is a Dutch DJ and record producer. He was voted "The Greatest DJ of All Time" by ''Mix (magazine), Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, h ...
's song "It's Not the Things You Say" on his album ''
Kaleidoscope A kaleidoscope () is an optical instrument with two or more reflecting surfaces (or mirrors) tilted to each other at an angle, so that one or more (parts of) objects on one end of these mirrors are shown as a symmetrical pattern when viewed fro ...
'', released 6 October 2009 and also Martin Solveig's 'Ready 2 Go', after which Bloc Party went on hiatus. In 2011, Kele reunited with Bloc Party to record the band's fourth album, '' Four'', which was released in August 2012. The album peaked in the UK charts at number three. In 2013, the band released an EP called '' The Nextwave Sessions'' and went on an indefinite hiatus. Bloc Party reunited in 2015 with a new line-up. They released their fifth album ''
Hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
'' on 29 January 2016.


Solo career

Okereke released his first solo album, titled ''
The Boxer "The Boxer" is a song written by Paul Simon and recorded by the American music duo Simon & Garfunkel from their fifth and final studio album, '' Bridge over Troubled Water'' (1970). Produced by the duo and Roy Halee, it was released as a stan ...
'', produced by XXXChange, on 21 June 2010, through Wichita / Polydor in the UK and Europe and
Glassnote Records Glassnote Records (also known as Glassnote Entertainment Group LLC) is a record label that was launched by American music executive Daniel Glass in 2007. The label primarily has a lineup of indie rock and alternative rock artists, most notably ...
for the rest of the world. The album was released under the name Kele, dropping his surname. Okereke explained the album title, saying "as a boxer, you have to rely on nobody else but yourself to achieve what it is you want to achieve. Even though you take hits, you have to keep focus on your priorities and keep going. I thought that was an inspiring image." The first single from the album, " Tenderoni", was released on 14 June 2010. On 13 September 2011, ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' and
Wichita Recordings Wichita Recordings is an independent record label located in London, founded in 2000 by Mark Bowen and Dick Green. Its most notable signees include Bloc Party, The Cribs, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Bright Eyes, My Morning Jacket, Yeah Yeah Yea ...
announced that Kele would be releasing a follow-up to ''The Boxer''; an EP titled '' The Hunter''. Kele released the single "Everything You Wanted". It was remixed by South African producers DJ Qness and DJ Mujava, who brought in a fusion of pop along with their traditional South African
Kwaito Kwaito is a music genre that emerged in Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa, between the late 1980s and 1990s. It is a sound that features the use of African sounds and samples. Kwaito songs occur at a slower tempo range than other styles of h ...
music. Kele features on
Sub Focus Nicolaas Douwma (born 13 April 1982), better known by his stage name Sub Focus, is an English DJ, music producer, songwriter and sound engineer. He has been releasing records since 2003. On 12 October 2009, he released his self-titled debut ...
' single " Turn It Around" from his second studio album ''
Torus In geometry, a torus (: tori or toruses) is a surface of revolution generated by revolving a circle in three-dimensional space one full revolution about an axis that is coplanarity, coplanar with the circle. The main types of toruses inclu ...
''. The song was released on 22 September 2013. On 23 July 2014, Kele announced his second solo album, entitled '' Trick'', to be released on his own label Lilac Records via Kobalt Label Services on 13 October 2014. Okereke released his third album ''
Fatherland A homeland is a place where a national or ethnic identity has formed. The definition can also mean simply one's country of birth. When used as a proper noun, the Homeland, as well as its equivalents in other languages, often has ethnic nation ...
'' on 6 October 2017 under his full name (whereas his first two albums were released under the mononym 'Kele'). Two tracks, "Yemaya" and "Streets Been Talkin'", have been released from the album as of July 2017. On 19 March 2018, the Bloc Party Facebook page put a picture up indicating they were doing a tour of six shows in Europe performing songs from their first album, Silent Alarm. In January 2019, "Leave to Remain", a new musical written by Okereke and Matt Jones debuted in London. Announced in September 2018, the musical about an interracial gay couple was preceded by the single "Not the Drugs Talking" which showed a move back towards beats following the more acoustic ''Fatherland''. Telling a love story through the Prism of
Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...
, the new show is accompanied by a tie-in album of new songs. Speaking about the subject matter and his feelings on the UK in 2019, Okereke claimed that "It's not a time that I've been proud to be British. It's an ugly time. The opportunity to tell a story about people from different cultures coming together and finding love in the shadow of that is an important thing to stand up for." In November 2019, saw the release of Kele's fourth album, '' 2042''. The title is a reference to the year that census data predicts ethnic minorities will become the majority in the United States. Much of the album tackles political themes such as the
Windrush scandal The Windrush scandal was a British political scandal that began in 2018 concerning people who were wrongly detained, denied legal rights, threatened with deportation, and in at least 83 cases wrongly deported from the UK by the Home Office. Many o ...
,
Grenfell Tower fire On 14 June 2017, a List of fires in high-rise buildings, high-rise fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of Public housing in the United Kingdom, flats in North Kensington, West London, England, at 00:54 British Summer Time, BST ...
and
Colin Kaepernick Colin Rand Kaepernick ( ; born November 3, 1987) is an American civil rights activist and former professional football quarterback. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he gained na ...
's national anthem protest. Musically, Kele fuses funk with experimental electro, glitchy guitars and West African beats, according to NME. The album was released under the name Kele, again dropping his surname. In May 2021, Okereke released his fifth studio album entitled '' The Waves Pt. 1''. In March 2023, Okereke released his sixth studio album following on from ''The Waves'' entitled '' The Flames Pt. 2''.


Personal life

In the early years of Bloc Party's fame, Okereke was often uncomfortable with media interviews that focused on his position as a black man in British rock music, and speculation about his sexuality when he was still
closeted ''Closeted'' and ''in the closet'' are metaphors for LGBTQ people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior. This metaphor is associated and sometime ...
. Okereke wrote in 2011 that he felt a subtext in interviews mentioning his race, namely that he was being told that British rock music was not for black people. In 2007, Okereke contrasted his introverted personality with the more stereotypical rock singer bravado of his contemporaries Tom Meighan of
Kasabian Kasabian ( ) are an English rock band formed in Leicester in 1997 by lead vocalist Tom Meighan, guitarist and second vocalist Sergio Pizzorno, guitarist Chris Karloff and bassist Chris Edwards. Drummer Ian Matthews joined in 2004. Karloff ...
and Johnny Borrell of
Razorlight Razorlight are an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in London by lead singer and guitarist Johnny Borrell. Along with Borrell, the current line-up of the band is composed of founding members Björn Ågren on guitar and bassist Carl Dalem ...
, saying "they're gonna be a footnote in history in 10 years' time. There's no battle in them. There's no conflict". In October 2008, Okereke moved to
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
to seize the city's music oriented spirit. He then moved to New York City until 2011, and said that the experience made him "radicalised as a black man" as he noted segregation in the United States; he said that the situation was better in the UK as his music was appreciated by largely white audiences. In March 2010, Okereke
came out Coming out of the closet, often shortened to coming out, is a metaphor used to describe LGBTQ people's self-disclosure of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or gender identity. This is often framed and debated as a privacy issue, ...
as gay in a '' BUTT'' magazine article. He then gave an interview and appeared on the June 2010 cover of ''
Attitude Attitude or Attitude may refer to: Philosophy and psychology * Attitude (psychology), a disposition or state of mind ** Attitude change * Propositional attitude, a mental state held towards a proposition Science and technology * Orientation ...
'' magazine. He had previously been reluctant to discuss his sexuality, though he had compared himself to
bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...
musicians
Brian Molko Brian Molko (born 10 December 1972) is a British-American musician who is the lead vocalist, guitarist, and lyricist of the band Placebo (band), Placebo. He is known for his nasal voice and high registered vocals, feminine/androgynous appearance ...
and
David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
. Additionally, he has discussed the
homoerotic Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, including both male–male and female–female attraction. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be tempor ...
story behind the Bloc Party song " I Still Remember" and its semi-autobiographical nature. In June 2010, he was named as the "Sexiest Out Gay Male Artist" by music website ''LP33'' in its annual survey. In 2010, Okereke launched his personal website at iamkele.com. In 2017, Okereke and his boyfriend of seven years became the father of a daughter via
surrogacy Surrogacy is an arrangement whereby a woman gets pregnant and gives birth on behalf of another person or couple who will become the child's legal parents after birth. People pursue surrogacy for a variety of reasons such as infertility, danger ...
in the United States. Around the same time, he left
Shoreditch Shoreditch is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Hackney alongside neighbouring parts of Tower Hamlets, which are also perceived as part of the area due to historic ecclesiastical links. Shoreditch lies just north ...
in East London for a new home south of the
Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...
, as "I was fed up with the grey and people vomiting in the streets. I wanted some green and some anonymity, to insulate myself from that world". Okereke endorsed Labour's
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 a 2017 webchat with ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
''. In 2022, Okereke gave his opinion that apart from some artists such as
Slowthai Tyron Kaymone Frampton (born 18 December 1994), better known by his stage name Slowthai (stylised in lowercase), is a British rapper. Raised in Northampton, he rose to popularity in 2019 for his gritty and rough instrumentals and raw, Music and ...
,
Idles Idles are an English post-punk band formed in Bristol in 2009. The band consists of Adam Devonshire (bass), Joe Talbot (singer), Joe Talbot (vocals), Mark Bowen (guitar), Lee Kiernan (guitar), and Jon Beavis (drums). After spending eight yea ...
and
Billy Bragg Stephen William Bragg (born 20 December 1957) is an English singer, songwriter, musician, author and political activist. His music blends elements of folk music, punk rock and protest songs, with lyrics that mostly span political or romantic th ...
, few were standing up to racism in the United Kingdom. When
Brandon Flowers Brandon Richard Flowers (born June 21, 1981) is an American musician. He serves as the co-founder, lead vocalist, primary songwriter, keyboardist, and occasional bassist of the Las Vegas-based rock band the Killers, which he formed with Dave Ke ...
of
the Killers The Killers are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (lead guitar, backing vocals). After the band went through a number of short-term bas ...
praised
Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 198 ...
's music after being asked about the latter singer's racially charged comments, Okereke responded by saying "It does matter. It absolutely matters what people say and the fact that no one is willing to challenge lowerson this to me is quite disgusting. Shame on lowersand shame on Morrissey".


Discography


Solo albums


Soundtrack albums


EPs


Singles


As lead artist


As featured artist


Featured singles

* " Believe" with
The Chemical Brothers The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo formed by Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands in Manchester in 1992. They were pioneers in bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture. Originally known as The Dust Brothers, th ...
(2005) * " It's Not The Things You Say" with
Tiësto Tijs Michiel Verwest (; born 17 January 1969), known professionally as Tiësto ( , ), is a Dutch DJ and record producer. He was voted "The Greatest DJ of All Time" by ''Mix (magazine), Mix'' magazine in a 2010/2011 poll amongst fans. In 2013, h ...
(2009) * " Ready 2 Go" with Martin Solveig (2011) * "Step Up" with
Hercules & Love Affair Hercules and Love Affair is a dance music project created by American DJ, singer, composer, musician and producer Andy Butler in 2004. Consisting of a rotating cast of performers and musicians, the band work within the genres of house music, di ...
(2011) * "What Did I Do?" with
Sander van Doorn Sander Ketelaars (; born 28 February 1979), better known by his stage name Sander van Doorn () or the initials SvD, is a Dutch electro house DJ and record producer from Eindhoven. Background Sander van Doorn began his recording career in 20 ...
featuring Lucy Taylor (2011) * " Turn It Around" with
Sub Focus Nicolaas Douwma (born 13 April 1982), better known by his stage name Sub Focus, is an English DJ, music producer, songwriter and sound engineer. He has been releasing records since 2003. On 12 October 2009, he released his self-titled debut ...
(2013) * "Let Go" with RAC (2013) * "Faith" with
V V Brown Vanessa Brown (born 24 October 1983), known professionally as VV Brown, is a British indie pop singer-songwriter, model and record producer. Early life Vanessa Brown was born in Northampton, England. She is the eldest of six siblings; her mot ...
(2014) * "The One" with Sable (2014) * "So They Say" with
Claptone Claptone(born 30 September 1982) is a German DJ and producer who specializes in House music, house and tech house genres. He is recognizable by the Plague doctor costume, plague doctor-style golden masks, which serve to intrigue the public as w ...
(2018) * "Won't Give Up" with Ejeca (2020)


with Bloc Party

* '' Silent Alarm'' (2005) * '' A Weekend in the City'' (2007) * ''
Intimacy An intimate relationship is an interpersonal relationship that involves emotional or physical closeness between people and may include sexual intimacy and feelings of romance or love. Intimate relationships are interdependent, and the member ...
'' (2008) * '' Four'' (2012) * ''
Hymns A hymn is a type of song, and partially synonymous with devotional song, specifically written for the purpose of adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification. The word ''hymn'' ...
'' (2016) * ''
Alpha Games ''Alpha Games'' is the sixth studio album by English indie rock band Bloc Party, released on 29 April 2022. It is the first studio album by the band since 2016's ''Hymns''. It is notably the first album with drummer Louise Bartle, who joined th ...
'' (2022)


Notes


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Okereke, Kele 1981 births 20th-century English LGBTQ people 21st-century Black British male singers 21st-century British male singers Atomic Bomb! Band members Black British LGBTQ people Black British rock musicians Bloc Party members British indie rock musicians British rhythm guitarists English gay musicians English LGBTQ singers English LGBTQ songwriters English male guitarists English male singer-songwriters English people of Igbo descent English rock guitarists English rock singers English singer-songwriters Gay singers Gay songwriters LGBTQ people from London Living people Musicians from Edinburgh Musicians from Liverpool Musicians from London Singers from Liverpool Singers from London Wichita Recordings artists