Aqualung
Matt Hales
Background information
Birth name	Matt Hales
Born	January 17, 1972
Origin	England
Genre(s)	Piano rock Pop
Occupation(s)	Singer/songwriter
Years active	2002–present
Label(s)	Sony BMG B-Unique Columbia
Website	Official website

Matt Hales (born January 17, 1972), better known as Aqualung, is an English singer and songwriter best known in the UK for his song "Strange and Beautiful", which was featured on a television advertisement for the new Volkswagen Beetle during the summer of 2002 and went on to become a Top 10 hit in the UK singles chart later that year. In the United States, Aqualung is also known for the song "Brighter Than Sunshine", which had considerable airplay and was used in the film A Lot Like Love and various television spots. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem specific to England — the United Kingdom anthem is God Save the Queen. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Piano rock, sometimes referred to as piano pop, is a term for a style of music that is based around the piano, and sometimes around piano-related instruments, such as the Fender Rhodes, the Wurlitzer electric piano, and keyboard-based synthesizers. ... For popular forms of music in general, see Popular music. ... A singer is a musician who uses their voice to produce music. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Bertelsmann is a transnational media corporation founded in 1835, based in G tersloh, Germany. ... B-Unique Records is a record label based in London. ... is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem specific to England — the United Kingdom anthem is God Save the Queen. ... A singer is a musician who uses their voice to produce music. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Generally speaking, advertising is the paid promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas by an identified sponsor. ... This article is about the original Volkswagen Beetle. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The UK Singles Chart is currently compiled by The Official UK Charts Company (OCC) on behalf of the British record industry. ... A Lot Like Love is a 2005 drama/romantic comedy film, directed by Nigel Cole. ...

Biography

Early life

Hales grew up in Southampton, a city on the south coast of England, where his parents ran an independent record shop. He wanted to be - and indeed was - a musician from an early age, although he said in a BBC interview that there were a couple of years when he was about 12 that he wanted to be a stuntman. At the age of 16, he was awarded a scholarship to study music composition at Winchester College. By the age of 17, he had written his first symphony entitled Life Cycle. Southampton is the largest city[1] on the south coast of England. ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem specific to England — the United Kingdom anthem is God Save the Queen. ... Stunt man and stunt woman redirect here. ... Winchester College is a well-known boys independent school, and an example of an English public school, in the city of Winchester in Hampshire, England. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Also while he was a teenager, he formed his first band, which was known by several names during its lifespan: Da Fook Mo a Dib, White Noise, and Mecano Pig. In 1990, they produced an album, Mecano Pig, but broke up soon after that. In music, a band is a group of musicians, or musical ensemble, usually popular or folk, playing parts of a musical arrangement. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ...

In the autumn of 1990, Hales moved to London to study music at City University. While he was there, he and his brother Ben formed a new band, Gravel Monsters, although they later changed their name to RUTH (and their fan club became ALAN). They released several singles and an album, Harrison, but had very little success. They changed their name again to the 45s, and in 2001 were signed to Mercury Records. However, they only released two further singles, and in March 2002 they were dropped and the band split up. Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... City University, London, is a British university based at Northampton Square in Clerkenwell, London. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Mercury Records was a record label founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1945 by Irving Green, Berle Adams and Arthur Talmadge. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

Career as Aqualung

His debut single, "Strange and Beautiful (I'll Put a Spell on You)", was released in the UK on the B-Unique label on September 16, 2002, after gaining popularity as the soundtrack on an advert for the new Volkswagen Beetle, and reached number 7 in the UK Top 40. It was also featured in the film Wicker Park. This was followed shortly after by his eponymous debut album, Aqualung. A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... B-Unique Records is a record label based in London. ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The Volkswagen New Beetle is a compact car introduced by Volkswagen in 1998, drawing heavily on the design cues of the original Beetle. ... The UK Singles Chart is compiled by the Official UK Charts Company on behalf of the music industry. ... This article is about Wicker Park, the neighborhood. ... Aqualungs debut album, also called Aqualung, was released on September 30, 2002 on the B-Unique label. ...

He released his second album, Still Life, in 2003 to critical acclaim albeit limited commercial success. As part of the promotion for this album, Aqualung embarked on two contrasting tours of the U.K. in early 2004 - the first as a duo comprising Hales and his brother Ben on guitar playing at unusual venues such as churches, and the second with the pair and a full backing band playing at more conventional rock venues. Two of the gigs in London were recorded and released as a Live DVD through the band's website along with two compilation CDs of B-Sides and Remixes. Still Life is the second album by Aqualung, released on October 27, 2003 to critical acclaim. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... “UK” redirects here. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Matt Hales appeared on the 2004 Tiësto album Just Be on the track "Ur".^[1] Tiësto (born Tijs Verwest on January 17, 1969 in Breda, The Netherlands) is one of the worlds most famous trance DJs. ... Parade of the Athletes is the official mix performed by trance artist DJ Tiesto, released on 15 May 2004 (see 2004 in music). ...

A compilation of tracks from his first two albums was released in the United States, entitled Strange and Beautiful following a new contract being signed with Columbia Records for future worldwide releases. The track "Brighter Than Sunshine" became a big hit and enjoyed Top 40 airplay for several months, after being featured in the film A Lot Like Love. The band have also enjoyed increased notoriety through appearances on various talk shows and the use of the band's songs in shows such as One Tree Hill, The O.C., Grey's anatomy, Scrubs and recently CSI: Miami and CSI: Las Vegas. Strange and Beautiful is Aqualungs first US album release: a compilation of tracks from Aqualungs first two albums: Aqualung and Still Life. ... Columbia Records is the oldest brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888, and was the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders. ... A Lot Like Love is a 2005 drama/romantic comedy film, directed by Nigel Cole. ... One Tree Hill is an American teen television drama. ... The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on FOX in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 22, 2007, running a total of four seasons. ... Greys Anatomy is an Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning American primetime television medical drama. ... Scrubs is an Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning American situation comedy/dramedy that premiered on October 2, 2001 on NBC. It was created by Bill Lawrence, who also co-created Spin City. ... CSI: Miami is a spinoff of the popular CBS network series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. ...

Easier To Lie the single featured in Scrubs and Brothers and Sisters (EP03) Scrubs is an Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning American situation comedy/dramedy that premiered on October 2, 2001 on NBC. It was created by Bill Lawrence, who also co-created Spin City. ...

In 2006, they were special guests on Tom McRae's Hotel Cafe Tour. Tom McRae For the television writer, see Tom MacRae. ...

In mid 2007, the Aqualung track "Left Behind" off of the earlier release Strange and Beautiful was featured in a series of Chrysler car commercials in the U.S. giving Aqualung even more notoriety, despite the financial troubles of the struggling automaker.

After recently completing their US tour, Aqualung announced the release of his next album, Memory Man, which includes eleven new songs. It was released on March 13, 2007 in the USA, with other parts of the world to follow. The first single in the US is "Pressure Suit", with "Cinderella" as the first single in the UK, released on June 11th. ^[2] Tom Morton is recognized for reciting the mathmatical expression for pi from memory to 15,223 decimal places at the De Vere Hotel, Blackpool, on March 8, 1998 only stopping due to a technical error. ... is the 72nd day of the year (73rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Gordon Cooper in a helmet and pressure suit, A pressure suit is a pressurized suit worn by high-altitude pilots who may fly so high that even breathing pure oxygen at surrounding pressure would not provide enough oxygen for them to function: see hypoxia. ...

Discography

Albums

This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Aqualungs debut album, also called Aqualung, was released on September 30, 2002 on the B-Unique label. ... is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Still Life is the second album by Aqualung, released on October 27, 2003 to critical acclaim. ... is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Strange and Beautiful is Aqualungs first US album release: a compilation of tracks from Aqualungs first two albums: Aqualung and Still Life. ... is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tom Morton is recognized for reciting the mathmatical expression for pi from memory to 15,223 decimal places at the De Vere Hotel, Blackpool, on March 8, 1998 only stopping due to a technical error. ... is the 72nd day of the year (73rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

EPs

This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Exclusive iTunes EP is a digital EP exclusive to the iTunes music store that contains two b-sides available on CD singles. ... is the 228th day of the year (229th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Still Life 1 is a digital EP exclusive to the iTunes music store released to fans North America access to some of his songs from his two albums not available in North America, 3 from his 2002 self-titled album Aqualung and one from his 2003 album Still Life. ... is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Exclusive iTunes EP 2 is a digital EP exclusive to the iTunes music store that contains two b-sides available on CD singles. ... is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Singles

This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... // 1400 - Owain Glyndŵr declared Prince of Wales by his followers. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 72nd day of the year (73rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Gordon Cooper in a helmet and pressure suit, A pressure suit is a pressurized suit worn by high-altitude pilots who may fly so high that even breathing pure oxygen at surrounding pressure would not provide enough oxygen for them to function: see hypoxia. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 162nd day of the year (163rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

References

The British Broadcasting Corporation, which is usually known as the BBC, is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays full 2006 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 346th day of the year (347th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Aqualung.net

• Aqualung interview at Auralgasms.com

• Team Aqualung - the official Aqualung online street team

• Aqualung performing "Breaking My Heart" at SXSW 2007
• Aqualung at Rolling Stone