John Grant

John William Grant (born July 25, 1968) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter who holds both American and Icelandic citizenship. He first became known as the co-founder, lead singer, pianist, and primary songwriter for the alternative rock band the Czars. After releasing six albums from 1994 to 2006, the band split up and Grant retired for four years before starting a solo career.

Grant's debut solo album Queen of Denmark (2010) was named the best album of the year by Mojo. His second album Pale Green Ghosts (2013) was named the best album of the year by Rough Trade. His third album Grey Tickles, Black Pressure (2015) received widespread critical acclaim and peaked at No. 5 on the UK albums chart, while his fourth album Love Is Magic (2018) entered the top 20 in the UK. His fifth and sixth albums Boy from Michigan (2021) and The Art of the Lie (2024) also received acclaim. His other work includes the live album John Grant and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra: Live in Concert (2014), on which he performed songs from his first two albums while accompanied by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra.

Grant is also known for his collaborations with varied musicians such as Budgie, CMAT, Elbow, Elton John, Goldfrapp, GusGus, Hercules and Love Affair, Kylie Minogue, Midlake, Robbie Williams, Sinéad O'Connor, Tracey Thorn, Linda Thompson, Big Special and Bi-2. Since 2018, he has been the lead vocalist of Creep Show, a side project he formed with the members of rock band Wrangler.

Early life

John William Grant was born in Buchanan, Michigan, on July 25, 1968, the son of a housewife mother (died 1995) and an engineer father. He has three siblings and grew up in a conservative Methodist household which was at odds with his realization that he was gay. When he was 12 years old, the family moved to Parker, Colorado. He was bullied both physically and emotionally in high school, and would later write snarky deadpan lyrics about these experiences.

Grant did not feel comfortable with his sexuality until his mid-20s, having been raised in an environment where he was taught that "those people were going to Hell". He moved to Germany in 1988 to continue his study of languages, and began listening to artists such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, Ministry, Scritti Politti, Skinny Puppy, and the Cocteau Twins. Although he was pained for a long time by the fact that his mother called him a "disappointment" on her deathbed and then died soon after, he later came to terms with the experience and said it reminded him of something he would see in his favorite British dark comedy shows.

Career

The Czars (1994–2006)

In 1994, Grant returned to the U.S. and co-founded the Denver-based alternative rock band The Czars. With Grant as its lead singer, pianist, keyboardist, and primary songwriter, the band enjoyed critical success and released six studio albums, but commercial recognition proved elusive. Grant met with English musician Simon Raymonde, a member of one of Grant's favorite bands, the Cocteau Twins; Raymonde had recently started the record label Bella Union and, although he was not particularly looking for new acts at that time, he saw potential in The Czars and agreed to produce two of their albums. After releasing Sorry I Made You Cry in 2004, the band split in 2006. Grant then took a four-year hiatus, which he spent working in New York City as a waiter at the Gramercy Tavern, a medical interpreter for Russian patients in a hospital, a record store clerk, and a flight attendant. The Czars' Best Of album was released in December 2014.

Solo career (2010–present)

During his hiatus in New York City, Grant had a chance encounter with members of the Texas-based folk rock group Midlake, who eventually persuaded him to return to music. They joined him to record and produce Queen of Denmark, his first solo album, which was released on the Bella Union label in April 2010. Described as a "deeply personal album", it explores Grant's struggles with alcohol and drug addiction as well as his personal struggle to reconcile his homosexuality. He described the members of Midlake as his "brothers" in an interview. Queen of Denmark received critical acclaim and was chosen as the best album of 2010 by British music magazine Mojo, which also awarded Grant its Best Live Act Award and nominated him for its Best Breakthrough Act Award. Filmmaker Andrew Haigh used several songs from Queen of Denmark in his 2011 film Weekend.

During a trip to Iceland to perform at the Airwaves Festival, Grant met Birgir Þórarinsson (aka Biggi Veira) of Icelandic electronic pop group GusGus. The electronic and synthesized dance sounds that he was looking for and experimented with in Veira's studio formed much of the backdrop to his second album, Pale Green Ghosts, which Veira produced. Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor was a guest vocalist on three tracks from the album. Having been quickly and deeply touched by the Icelandic people and landscape, Grant permanently settled in Reykjavík in 2013 and received Icelandic citizenship in 2022.