Louis Mark Dunford (born 20 January 1992) is an English singer songwriter. The son of actress
Linda Robson
Linda Patricia Mary Dunford ( Robson; born 13 March 1958) is an English actress and television presenter. She is best known for playing Tracey Stubbs in the sitcom ''Birds of a Feather'' (1989–1998, 2014–2020) and her appearances as a weekly ...
, he is known for writing the song ''
The Angel - North London Forever'' which in 2022 became an anthem for
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club, commonly referred to as Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, London, England. Arsenal plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The club has won 13 league titles (inc ...
and
Arsenal F.C. supporters
London based Arsenal Football Club has developed a very strong following since its founding in 1886. Since the 1980s, Arsenal's fans have often been referred to as ''Gooners'', a derivation from the team's nickname, the "Gunners".
Many fanzi ...
.
Early life
Louis Mark Dunford was born on 20 January 1992 in
Camden
Camden may refer to:
People
* Camden (surname), a surname of English origin
* Camden Joy (born 1964), American writer
* Camden Toy (born 1957), American actor
Places Australia
* Camden, New South Wales
* Camden, Rosehill, a heritage res ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. He is the son of English actress and television personality
Linda Robson
Linda Patricia Mary Dunford ( Robson; born 13 March 1958) is an English actress and television presenter. She is best known for playing Tracey Stubbs in the sitcom ''Birds of a Feather'' (1989–1998, 2014–2020) and her appearances as a weekly ...
, best known for her role in the sitcom ''
Birds of a Feather
''Birds of a Feather'' is a British sitcom originally broadcast on BBC One from 16 October 1989 to 24 December 1998, then revived on ITV from 2 January 2014 to 24 December 2020. The series stars Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson, with Lesley Jos ...
'' and being a panellist on ''
Loose Women
''Loose Women'' (previously known as ''Live Talk'' from 2000 to 2001) is a British talk show that broadcasts on ITV1 weekdays from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. The show focuses on a panel of four female presenters who interview celebrities, talk about ...
'', and her husband Mark Dunford.
Dunford was a school friend of
Ben Kinsella
Ben Michael Kinsella (27 October 1991 – 29 June 2008) was a 16-year-old student at Holloway School who was stabbed to death in an attack by three men in June 2008 in Islington. The significant media attention around his murder (the 17th sta ...
, and was present at the scene when he was fatally stabbed to death in
Islington
Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ...
in June 2008.
Career
Dunford is from
Islington
Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ...
in North London where he began playing the piano aged 15 after his family moved into a house which happened to have a piano already in it which he then had to persuade his parents to keep. He started playing
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
songs and then began to mix music with his own poetry. He learnt to play guitar because the piano was too loud to play late at night in the house. He played his first gig at a pub called ''The Library'' and afterwards he said to his father he would eventually sell out ''
The Union Chapel'' venue opposite it, which he did in 2022. In 2012, Dunford and
Charlie Quirke alternated playing the role of Travis Stubbs in the stage version of their mothers' comedy television series ''
Birds of a Feather
''Birds of a Feather'' is a British sitcom originally broadcast on BBC One from 16 October 1989 to 24 December 1998, then revived on ITV from 2 January 2014 to 24 December 2020. The series stars Pauline Quirke and Linda Robson, with Lesley Jos ...
''. Dunford's music was discovered by
Jamal Edwards
Jamal Edwards (24 August 1990 – 20 February 2022) was a British music entrepreneur, DJ and founder of the online R&B/Hip-Hop platform SB.TV.
Edwards was an ambassador for the Prince's Trust, a youth charity which helps young people set up ...
in 2014 through hearing his song ''When We Were Hooligans'' on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second most ...
. Dunford has said he writes songs about the area around him, his experiences and his friends. His first EP ''The Morland'' chronicled life on the Morland Estate in Islington as he saw it. The first single from that EP ''London's Requiem'' was a version of the first song he ever wrote. In 2021 Dunford signed with
Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainmen ...
and released a cover of
East 17
East 17 are an English pop boy band started by Tony Mortimer, Brian Harvey, John Hendy, and Terry Coldwell in 1991. As of 2020, the group consists of Coldwell, Robbie Craig, and Joe Livermore. East 17 have undergone multiple lineup changes, w ...
's hit single ''
Stay Another Day
"Stay Another Day" is a song recorded by British boy band East 17, released on 21 November 1994, as the third single from their second album, ''Steam'' (1994). It is their only number-one song on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the Christmas num ...
'', the video for which featured Dunford wearing the white fur trimmed
parka jacket visible in the 1994
Christmas number one
In the United Kingdom, Christmas number ones are Single (music), singles that top the UK Singles Chart in the week in which Christmas, Christmas Day falls. The singles have often been novelty songs, charity record, charity songs or Christmas mus ...
song video. In 2022 Dunford supported
Jake Bugg
Jake Bugg (born Jake Edwin Charles Kennedy on 28 February 1994) is an English singer-songwriter. His self-titled debut album, '' Jake Bugg'', some of which was co-written with songwriter Iain Archer, was released in October 2012 and reached num ...
on tour.
Dunford's second EP ''Popham EP'' contained the song ''
The Angel - North London Forever'' which has since become an anthem for the fans of
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club, commonly referred to as Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, London, England. Arsenal plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The club has won 13 league titles (inc ...
and has begun to be played in the pre-match of every home game Arsenal play at the
Emirates Stadium
The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. It has a current seated capacit ...
. Dunford himself is an Arsenal fan and wrote the song as a paean to the culture and sense of community in North London. Dunford and the song were featured in the
Amazon Original
In 2013, Amazon.com began distributing original television shows through its Amazon Prime Video service, some of which are developed in-house by Amazon Studios.
Original programming Drama
Comedy
Animation Adult animation
Anime
Kids & fa ...
documentary series
All or Nothing: Arsenal about the
2021–22 Arsenal F.C. season
The 2021–22 season was the 136th in the history of Arsenal Football Club. It began on 1 July 2021 and concluded on 30 June 2022, with competitive matches played between August and May. This was Arsenal's 30th season in the Premier League, th ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunford, Louis
1992 births
Living people
English male singer-songwriters
English singer-songwriters
21st-century English singers
21st-century British male singers
Singers from the London Borough of Camden
Singers from the London Borough of Islington
Arsenal F.C. mass media