Fraser T. Smith
Encyclopedia
Fraser T. Smith is an English
record producer
, songwriter
, mix engineer and guitarist
.
He is responsible for such hit songs as James Morrison
's "Broken Strings
", Taio Cruz
's "Break Your Heart
", and Tinchy Stryder
's "Number 1", "Take Me Back" and "Never Leave You
".
He has recently produced Clare Maguire
's debut album, Keane, Adele
, Kylie Minogue
, four tracks on Cee-Lo Green's album The Lady Killer
, and several singles and album tracks for Tinchy Stryder
. Other recent projects include co writing, producing and mixing the track "Your Biggest Mistake" on Ellie Goulding
's #1 debut album, Lights
as well as Cruz's single "Dirty Picture
" featuring Kesha
, and the Chipmunk
single "Until You Were Gone
" featuring Esmee Denters
, which has been remixed by Drumsound & Bassline Smith as well as "Maaad" for Kano
.
Fraser was awarded the 2008 Urban Music Award
for 'Best Producer' and has been nominated for the award again in 2010.
, Buckinghamshire
. He developed a very early interest in music, picking up a guitar at the age of five years old. Fraser attended Spinfield Primary School in Marlow and went on to Reading Blue Coat School
where he spent time jamming with Tom Rowlands and future television presenter Matt Allwright. After finishing his sixth form at Sir. William Borlase, Smith dropped out of a business studies course in Woolwich to pursue his passion at the Guitar Institute
in London and at the age of 20 went on to be a finalist of 'Guitarist of the Year'.
with whom he toured and recorded, e.g. 1999's White Rock II. Smith then went on to work with Tony Hadley
. He also worked extensively with Adam Wakeman
, and Wakeman has gone on to play on sessions for Smith including "Never Leave You". In the mid-1990s, they formed Jeronimo Road; an album, Live at the Orange, was released after the band broke up on the Explore Multimedia label. He then had the opportunity to become involved in studio sessions performing on hits such as Rui Da Silva
's #1 "Touch Me" and Tim Deluxe's "Just Won’t Do" as well as tracks for Lemar
, Darren Hayes
and Jamiroquai
.
In 1999, Smith was introduced to the then-unknown Craig David
and spent the next five years working closely as his right hand man, friend and guitarist performing major acoustic gigs including the John Lennon
Tribute Concert at Radio City Hall in New York
, The Tsunami Relief Concert, Live 8
as well as playing concert
s at Madison Square Gardens and Wembley Arena
.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, mix engineer and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
.
He is responsible for such hit songs as James Morrison
James Morrison (singer)
James Morrison is a BRIT Award-winning English singer-songwriter and guitarist from Rugby, Warwickshire. In 2006, his debut single "You Give Me Something" became a hit in Europe, Australia, and Japan, peaking in the top five in the UK and New Zealand. His debut album, Undiscovered, debuted at the...
's "Broken Strings
Broken Strings
"Broken Strings" is the third single by James Morrison from his second studio album Songs for You, Truths for Me. It was released in November 2008. The song is a duet with Canadian pop/R&B singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado...
", Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz is a British singer-songwriter, record producer, occasional rapper, and entrepreneur. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which Cruz wrote, arranged and produced himself. It achieved initial success in the UK and earned him a MOBO Award nomination...
's "Break Your Heart
Break Your Heart
"Break Your Heart" is a song by English singer-songwriter Taio Cruz. The song serves as the lead single from his second studio album Rokstarr. It was written by Cruz and Fraser T. Smith and produced by Smith. It was first released in the UK on 20 September 2009, followed by a release in the United...
", and Tinchy Stryder
Tinchy Stryder
Kwasi Danquah III , better known by his pseudonyms Tinchy Stryder and Star In The Hood, is a Ghanaian British recording artist, music executive, A&R executive, and businessman...
's "Number 1", "Take Me Back" and "Never Leave You
Never Leave You
-Charts:The song immediately rushed to the top of the charts, charting at #1 in the UK and #2 in Ireland, the song knocked The Black Eyed Peas's song "I Gotta Feeling" of the top spot on 2 August 2010, but failed to knock I Gotta Feeling of the Irish top spot, and charted behind it.-End-of-year...
".
He has recently produced Clare Maguire
Clare Maguire
Clare Rita Mary Maguire is a British singer-songwriter. She was signed to Universal Music Group Polydor Records in 2008. She was rated in fifth place in the BBC Sound of 2011 list of the top 15 most promising new artists. Maguire was also singled out as one of MTV's Brand New: For 2011 Acts...
's debut album, Keane, Adele
Adele (singer)
Adele Laurie Blue Adkins , known professionally as Adele, is an English singer-songwriter. She was the first recipient of the Brit Awards Critics' Choice and was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2008 in an annual BBC poll of music critics, Sound of 2008...
, Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
, four tracks on Cee-Lo Green's album The Lady Killer
The Lady Killer (album)
The Lady Killer is the third studio album by American recording artist Cee Lo Green, released November 5, 2010, on Elektra Records. Production for the album was handled by Salaam Remi, Element, The Smeezingtons, Fraser T...
, and several singles and album tracks for Tinchy Stryder
Tinchy Stryder
Kwasi Danquah III , better known by his pseudonyms Tinchy Stryder and Star In The Hood, is a Ghanaian British recording artist, music executive, A&R executive, and businessman...
. Other recent projects include co writing, producing and mixing the track "Your Biggest Mistake" on Ellie Goulding
Ellie Goulding
Elena Jane "Ellie" Goulding is an English singer-songwriter. In 2010 she became only the second artist to both top the BBC's annual Sound of... poll, and win the Critics' Choice Award at the BRIT Awards in the same year, following Adele's win of both in 2008...
's #1 debut album, Lights
Lights (Ellie Goulding album)
Lights is the debut studio album by English recording artist Ellie Goulding. It was released in the United Kingdom on 1 March 2010 by Polydor Records. Produced by Starsmith, Frankmusik, Fraser T. Smith and Richard Stannard, the album received mostly positive reviews from music critics...
as well as Cruz's single "Dirty Picture
Dirty Picture
"Dirty Picture" is a song by the British R&B singer Taio Cruz. The song was written and produced by Cruz alongside Fraser T. Smith for Cruz's second studio album, Rokstarr. Originally, Cruz wanted the female vocals to be done by Lady Gaga but opted to switch to Kesha due to heavy influence by Dr....
" featuring Kesha
Kesha
Kesha village is a small village nestled in the mountains of Yongshun County, northwestern Hunan province, China, located at latitude 29 05' 50", longitude 109 57' 9". The name is pronounced in Standard Chinese. The official language is Manderin Chinese....
, and the Chipmunk
Chipmunk (rapper)
Jahmaal Noel Fyffe known by his stage name Chipmunk, is a British hip hop rapper and songwriter from Tottenham, London....
single "Until You Were Gone
Until You Were Gone
"Until You Were Gone" is Chipmunk's sixth single and features Dutch singer Esmée Denters. The track is the first single from the platinum edition of I Am Chipmunk. The single was recorded in January 2010 with producer, Fraser T Smith, and songwriter Ayak Thiik...
" featuring Esmee Denters
Esmée Denters
Esmée Denters is a Dutch singer-songwriter. She was a regular cover-artist on video-sharing website YouTube on which she covered songs by contemporary musicians like Justin Timberlake and Natasha Bedingfield....
, which has been remixed by Drumsound & Bassline Smith as well as "Maaad" for Kano
Kano (rapper)
Kane Brett Robinson , better known as Kano and also known as Kane O, is an English rapper and actor. His grandparents came to England as immigrants from Jamaica. He was formerly a key member of east London’s N.A.S.T.Y...
.
Fraser was awarded the 2008 Urban Music Award
Urban Music Awards
The Urban Music Awards is a HipHop, R&B, Dance and soul music awards ceremony launched in 2003 and now held in six countries annually.The awards ceremony is held annually by Invincible Media Group. The UMA's is now held in 6 countries annually...
for 'Best Producer' and has been nominated for the award again in 2010.
Early life
Born in Taplow, Smith then lived in MarlowMarlow, Buckinghamshire
Marlow is a town and civil parish within Wycombe district in south Buckinghamshire, England...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. He developed a very early interest in music, picking up a guitar at the age of five years old. Fraser attended Spinfield Primary School in Marlow and went on to Reading Blue Coat School
Reading Blue Coat School
Reading Blue Coat School is a boys' independent school in Holme Park in the village of Sonning, in the English county of Berkshire, to the east of the town of Reading...
where he spent time jamming with Tom Rowlands and future television presenter Matt Allwright. After finishing his sixth form at Sir. William Borlase, Smith dropped out of a business studies course in Woolwich to pursue his passion at the Guitar Institute
The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance
The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance , is an independent, specialist music education provider located in London, UK. They offer courses in guitar, bass, drums, vocals, music business and songwriting...
in London and at the age of 20 went on to be a finalist of 'Guitarist of the Year'.
Early career
Smith was playing in pubs and clubs both as a solo musician and, in 1992, with a five piece band called Bustin' Loose. Smith met Rick WakemanRick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
with whom he toured and recorded, e.g. 1999's White Rock II. Smith then went on to work with Tony Hadley
Tony Hadley
Tony Hadley is an English pop singer-songwriter, occasional stage actor and radio presenter who gained celebrity as the lead vocalist for the 1980s band Spandau Ballet.-Early life:...
. He also worked extensively with Adam Wakeman
Adam Wakeman
Adam Wakeman is the current keyboardist for Ozzy Osbourne's band and also keyboardist for Black Sabbath...
, and Wakeman has gone on to play on sessions for Smith including "Never Leave You". In the mid-1990s, they formed Jeronimo Road; an album, Live at the Orange, was released after the band broke up on the Explore Multimedia label. He then had the opportunity to become involved in studio sessions performing on hits such as Rui Da Silva
Rui da Silva
Rui da Silva is a Portuguese producer and DJ, whose single "Touch Me" topped the UK Singles Chart in 2001.At the time, he was the only Portuguese musician to have a UK hit, and hence was the first to score a UK number one.-Career:...
's #1 "Touch Me" and Tim Deluxe's "Just Won’t Do" as well as tracks for Lemar
Lemar
Lemar Obika , professionally known simply as Lemar, is an English recording artist. Obika has had a run of chart success in the UK, Europe and Australia...
, Darren Hayes
Darren Hayes
Darren Stanley Hayes is a UK-based Australian singer-songwriter. Hayes was the front man and singer of the pop duo Savage Garden, whose 1997 album Savage Garden peaked at No. 1 in Australia, No. 2 in United Kingdom and No. 3 in United States...
and Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
.
In 1999, Smith was introduced to the then-unknown Craig David
Craig David
Craig Ashley David is an English singer and songwriter. He has released five studio albums: Born to Do It, Slicker Than Your Average, The Story Goes..., Trust Me, Signed Sealed Delivered and a Greatest Hits album...
and spent the next five years working closely as his right hand man, friend and guitarist performing major acoustic gigs including the John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
Tribute Concert at Radio City Hall in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, The Tsunami Relief Concert, Live 8
Live 8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6–8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid...
as well as playing concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s at Madison Square Gardens and Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena
Wembley Arena is an indoor arena, at Wembley, in the London Borough of Brent. The building is opposite Wembley Stadium.-History:...
.