Ren Harvieu

Ren Harvieu
Harvieu performing at Manchester Pride, 25 August 2013
Harvieu performing at Manchester Pride, 25 August 2013
Background information
Birth nameLauren Maria Harvieu
Born (1990-09-03) 3 September 1990 (age 34)
Broughton, Salford, England
GenresPop rock, soul, indie pop
OccupationSinger-songwriter
Years active2011–present
LabelsUniversal Music Group

Lauren Maria "Ren" Harvieu (born 3 September 1990) is an English singer and songwriter from Broughton, Salford, Greater Manchester.

Early life and education

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Harvieu was introduced to music by her mother. While in sixth form college, she performed in musical theatre and entered several talent competitions before uploading some of her own recordings to MySpace.[1]

Career

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Harvieu was discovered on MySpace by a local music manager[who?] after uploading demo tracks. After being introduced to record producer Jimmy Hogarth (Amy Winehouse, Duffy) she began working on demos and was signed to Universal Music aged 18.

Harvieu started recording an album in May 2011, but before it could be released, she broke her back in what she describes as a 'freak accident', "I heard it snap. I couldn't feel my feet," the singer recalled. After a 14-hour operation, Harvieu spent months recovering at the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital.[2]

On 5 December 2011, the BBC announced that Harvieu had been nominated for their BBC Sound of 2012 poll.[3] After releasing the singles "Through the Night" and "Open Up Your Arms",[4] her first album Through the Night was released on Island Records on 14 May 2012, entering the UK Albums Chart at No 5.

In 2014, Harvieu was featured on "Sweet Malaise", the B-side to "In My Time of Dust", from Ed Harcourt's mini-album Time of Dust.[5] "Love is a Melody", a song written by Ed Harcourt and Jimmy Hogarth for Harvieu's debut album, was also covered on Time of Dust.[6]

Harvieu began working on her second album in 2013.[7] The album, titled Revel in the Drama, was released in April 2020.[8]

Discography

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Albums

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Title Details Peak chart positions
UK
[9]
Through the Night 5
Revel in the Drama
  • Released: 3 April 2020
  • Label: Bella Union
  • Formats: Vinyl, CD, digital download

Singles

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Title Year Peak chart positions Album
UK
[10]
"Through the Night" 2011 178 Through the Night
"Open Up Your Arms" 2012 108
"Tonight"
"Do Right By Me"
"Teenage Mascara" 2019 Revel in the Drama
"Yes Please"

Guest appearances

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Year Artist Track Album
2013 Mark Owen "S.A.D." The Art of Doing Nothing
2024 Linda Thompson "I Used To Be So Pretty" Proxy Music

Awards and nominations

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Year Organisation Award Result
2012 BBC Sound of 2012 Nominated [3]

References

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  1. ^ Collar, Matt (2014). "Ren Harvieu – Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  2. ^ Doyle, Tom. Q, March 2012, #308. Q Now. The Singer Who Cheated Death. p. 35
  3. ^ a b "BBC Sound of 2012: Ren Harvieu". bbc.co.uk. 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  4. ^ "Ren Harvieu". iTunes. 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  5. ^ "Listen to ed Harcourt's Sweet Malaise featuring Ren Harvieu - Q MagazineQ Magazine". Archived from the original on 4 February 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2017.
  6. ^ "Time of Dust - Ed Harcourt | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  7. ^ Bourne, Dianne (19 September 2013). "Singer Ren's new sound feels so right". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  8. ^ Horowitz, Hal (2 April 2020). "Ren Harvieu Invites You To 'Revel In The Drama' With Her Sumptuous, Opulent Opus". American Songwriter. Retrieved 3 April 2020.
  9. ^ "Ren Harvieu | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  10. ^ Peaks on the UK Singles Chart:
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