Liam Bailey is an English singer-songwriter from

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

. He is noted for his

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

, and

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

-influenced vocal style.

Career

In 2010, he released two solo EPs on

Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...

's Lioness Records. Recorded entirely by Bailey and his guitar, the debut EP ''2am Rough Tracks'' was released on 23 September, following its recording some weeks before. The EP consisted of "Your Heart's Not Safe", "

I'd Rather Go Blind "I'd Rather Go Blind" is a blues song written by Ellington Jordan with co-writing credits to Billy Foster and Etta James. It was first recorded by Etta James in 1967, released the same year, and has subsequently become regarded as a blues and so ...

" and " Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want". This was followed by a second three track EP ''So Down, Cold'', released on 29 November, featuring the tracks; "Fool Boy", "Breaking Out" and "So Down, Cold". Bailey signed to Polydor Records earlier the same year. Bailey has been performing around the world with

Chase & Status Chase & Status are an English electronic music duo composed of Saul Milton (Chase) and Will Kennard (Status). In addition, Andy Gangadeen is the drummer when the band performs live. MC Rage formerly performed as MC with the group, but left in ...

since 2010. Bailey co-wrote and performed on their single "Blind Faith", released on 21 January 2011 in the UK, where it debuted at number five in the UK Singles Chart; it also featured on their second album '' No More Idols''. They then collaborated on the single " Big Man", released 16 October 2012, which reached No. 13 on the

UK Dance Chart The Dance Singles Chart and the Dance Albums Chart are music charts compiled in the United Kingdom by the Official Charts Company from sales of songs in the electronic dance music, dance music genre (e.g. house music, house, trance music, trance, ...

and appears on some editions of follow-up album '' Brand New Machine''. Bailey's prospective debut album ''Out of the Shadows'' was recorded, produced by

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, and scheduled for issue in September 2011 but Bailey unexpectedly pulled the release. Following the break with Polydor, 2013 saw the re-release of "When Will They Learn" on Speakerbox,

MistaJam Peter Dalton (born 19 January 1983), known professionally as MistaJam, is a British DJ and radio presenter. He is known for presenting radio shows on BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra from 2005 to 2020; since 2020 he has presented on Capital Danc ...

's Ministry of Sound imprint, complete with remixes by Shadow Child and others. The video was shot with Bailey's friends in Nottingham for the relatively small sum of £1,750. Manager Sarah Stennett told

HitQuarters HitQuarters was an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It was noted for its in-depth interviews with industry figures, as well as its A&R and manager contact directory, free artist promo pages and song ...

that its homegrown, low-key nature was a perfect fit saying: "The video with Liam is amazing because his friends capture him so well. He was signed to a major label previously and they never quite captured it." Bailey's collaboration with Shy FX, " Soon Come" reached No. 6 on the

UK Indie Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the ...

in August 2013 and received praise from

David Rodigan David Michael "Ram Jam" Rodigan MBE OD (born 24 June 1951) is a British radio DJ who also performs as a disc jockey. Known for his selections of reggae and dancehall music, he has played on stations including Radio London, Capital 95.8, K ...

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, and

Annie Mac Annie Macmanus (born 18 July 1978), known professionally as Annie Mac, is an Irish DJ, broadcaster and writer. She hosted a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1, including BBC Switch and ''Future Sounds''. She also DJed in various locations, includ ...

. They also collaborated on an EP as "Project Maldonado", which was released for download on

SoundCloud SoundCloud is a German audio streaming service owned and operated by SoundCloud Global Limited & Co. KG. The service enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is ...

. His debut album '' Definitely Now'' was released in the US in August 2014 on Flying Buddha/

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

, with download single "On My Mind" available with pre-order. In an interview with Wondering Sound, Bailey explains how "it's been torture trying to figure out which way to go" in terms of musical direction. ''Definitely Now'' shows that he has now found his sound, and is described by Wondering Sound as "sweet Daptone soul infused with blues moods, Oasis riffage, Sam Cooke grooves and light Jamaican accents". Nine years after first working together on The Dynamic Set's "When Will They Learn" single, Liam Bailey and Big Crown boss Leon Michels recorded an album together. ''Ekundayo'' builds on the Nottingham singer-songwriter's penchant for recording lo-fi soul. Nevertheless,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

describe the 13 track collection as 'reggae'. Bailey's fourth studio album, ''Zero Grace'', was released in February 2024, produced by Leon Michels and the El Michels Affair collective.

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

As lead artist

Notes * – The track was released as a free download from his website.

As featured artist

Other appearances

References

External links

Liam Bailey
on YouTube
Liam Bailey video interview in the Virgin Red Room

The Line of Best Fit interview, March 2011

LeftLion interview, May 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Liam 1983 births English male singers English soul singers British reggae singers Living people 21st-century English singers 21st-century English male singers