Ainslie Henderson
Encyclopedia
Ainslie Thomas Henderson (born 28 January 1979, Edinburgh
, Scotland
) is a Scottish
singer-songwriter
. He is best known for his appearance on the BBC
's television program
me, Fame Academy
, and his subsequent Top 5 UK single, "Keep Me A Secret". In 2006, he independently released his debut album
.
, and was initially one of the favourites to win. During his time at the Academy, he became known for his energetic performances as well as being a prolific songwriter. He wrote "Keep Me a Secret" with Malachi Cush
and Sinéad Quinn
and "Take Out Time" with Mark Hunter and Saul Davies of James
, as well as co-writing "Lullaby" with Lemar Obika. All three tracks would later reach the Top 5 in the UK Singles Chart
, the latter two as B-sides
. He was voted off the show in the penultimate week, coming fourth.
After his departure from the show, he was signed to Mercury
and, in March 2003, released a solo single
of "Keep Me a Secret" with "Take Out Time" as the B-side, which entered the UK Singles Chart
at #5.
Henderson became increasingly unhappy with the direction his musical career was taking with Mercury. In late 2003, before releasing the album or a second single, Henderson was dropped. Although he was allowed to retain the rights of the songs he had already written and recorded, they have never been released. He did, however, reveal one track, "Coming Up For Air", on his MySpace
profile in 2006. This has since been released officially as a download only track.
band Surburbia, with guitarist Peter Deane, Alasdair Crooks (bass), Chris Plews (guitar) and Simon Usher (drums). Forming in 1998, they had just secured a recording contract
with the Los Angeles
record label
City of Angels when the label went bankrupt, and although the band continued to perform together, they split in 2002. One of their songs, "Always", appeared on the soundtrack of football simulation video game, FIFA 2004
.
In 2004, he visited the US
, collaborating with the American
singer-songwriter Jason Mraz
, and co-writing the song "Clockwatching" which appears on Mraz's album, Mr. A-Z
.
Later that year, he returned to his home city, joining the rock band The Last September as guitarist and backing vocalist, along with his friend Pete Deane from Suburbia. They performed in London and at several venues in Scotland. He left The Last September in 2005.
on several gigs around central Scotland in the following months. Henderson released his debut album, Growing Flowers By Candlelight
, on 15 July 2006, on his own independent label, Amphibian Husbandry.
In May 2007, Henderson supported Marillion
on two dates during their UK tour.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
) is a Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
. He is best known for his appearance on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
me, Fame Academy
Fame Academy
Fame Academy is a televised competition to search for and educate new musical talents. The winner received a chance to become a successful music artist. The prize consisted of a £1m recording contract with a major record company, plus the use of a luxury apartment in London and a sports car for one...
, and his subsequent Top 5 UK single, "Keep Me A Secret". In 2006, he independently released his debut album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
.
Fame Academy
In 2002, Henderson was chosen to appear in the first series of the BBC talent/reality show Fame AcademyFame Academy
Fame Academy is a televised competition to search for and educate new musical talents. The winner received a chance to become a successful music artist. The prize consisted of a £1m recording contract with a major record company, plus the use of a luxury apartment in London and a sports car for one...
, and was initially one of the favourites to win. During his time at the Academy, he became known for his energetic performances as well as being a prolific songwriter. He wrote "Keep Me a Secret" with Malachi Cush
Malachi Cush
Malachi Cush, also recording as Malachi, , is a singer/songwriter from Donaghmore, a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. Coming from a large musical family, he started singing and playing Irish traditional music at an early age. He appeared on the first series of Fame Academy and has...
and Sinéad Quinn
Sinéad Quinn
Sinéad Quinn and graduate of the University of Hull was a contestant in the first series of the UK BBC TV series Fame Academy in 2002. She later went on to sign a recording contract, released an album, and had a #2 UK single. She is married to Paul Stewart, drummer with The Feeling...
and "Take Out Time" with Mark Hunter and Saul Davies of James
James (band)
James are a British rock band from Manchester, England. They formed in 1982 and were active throughout the 1980s, but most successful during the 1990s. Their hit singles include "Come Home", "Sit Down", and "She's a Star" as well as their American College Radio hit "Laid"...
, as well as co-writing "Lullaby" with Lemar Obika. All three tracks would later reach the Top 5 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, the latter two as B-sides
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
. He was voted off the show in the penultimate week, coming fourth.
After his departure from the show, he was signed to Mercury
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
and, in March 2003, released a solo single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
of "Keep Me a Secret" with "Take Out Time" as the B-side, which entered the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at #5.
Henderson became increasingly unhappy with the direction his musical career was taking with Mercury. In late 2003, before releasing the album or a second single, Henderson was dropped. Although he was allowed to retain the rights of the songs he had already written and recorded, they have never been released. He did, however, reveal one track, "Coming Up For Air", on his MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
profile in 2006. This has since been released officially as a download only track.
Collaborations
Prior to Fame Academy, Henderson had been a member of the rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Surburbia, with guitarist Peter Deane, Alasdair Crooks (bass), Chris Plews (guitar) and Simon Usher (drums). Forming in 1998, they had just secured a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
City of Angels when the label went bankrupt, and although the band continued to perform together, they split in 2002. One of their songs, "Always", appeared on the soundtrack of football simulation video game, FIFA 2004
FIFA Series
FIFA, also known as FIFA Football or FIFA Soccer, is a series of association football video games, released annually by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label...
.
In 2004, he visited the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, collaborating with the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
, and co-writing the song "Clockwatching" which appears on Mraz's album, Mr. A-Z
Mr. A-Z
-Personnel:*Jason Mraz – vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitarAdditional personnel*Ian Sheridan – bass on tracks 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12, backing vocals on track 4...
.
Later that year, he returned to his home city, joining the rock band The Last September as guitarist and backing vocalist, along with his friend Pete Deane from Suburbia. They performed in London and at several venues in Scotland. He left The Last September in 2005.
Debut album
After a three year break from his solo career, Henderson revealed new material to the public for the first time with the creation of a Myspace profile in early 2006, featuring new tracks "Day Trip" and "While They Wait". He performed a number of new songs whilst supporting Unkle BobUnkle Bob
Unkle Bob is a band based in the UK, formed in and around Glasgow University. Led by singer/songwriter Rick Webster, Unkle Bob have variously been compared to acts as diverse as R.E.M., Prefab Sprout and Radiohead....
on several gigs around central Scotland in the following months. Henderson released his debut album, Growing Flowers By Candlelight
Growing flowers by candlelight
Growing Flowers By Candlelight is the debut album by Ainslie Henderson, released independently in July 2006. Written by Henderson and Hobotalk frontman Marc Pilley, it features original artwork by brothers Joseph and Tobias Feltus from design company FeltusFeltus, who also designed and created...
, on 15 July 2006, on his own independent label, Amphibian Husbandry.
In May 2007, Henderson supported Marillion
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
on two dates during their UK tour.
Singles
- "Keep Me A SecretKeep Me A SecretKeep Me A Secret is the debut single from Scottish singer Ainslie Henderson. The single charted at #5 in the UK....
" (Mercury, March 2003) #5 UKUK Singles ChartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... - "Coming Up For Air" " (Amphibian Husbandry, June 2007)