Liam Bailey is an English singer-songwriter from Nottingham.[1] He is noted for his soul, reggae, and blues-influenced vocal style.
Liam Bailey | |
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![]() Bailey performing in 2024 | |
Background information | |
Born | Nottingham, England |
Genres | |
Instruments |
|
Labels | |
Website | liambaileymusic |
Career
editIn 2010, he released two solo EPs on Amy Winehouse's Lioness Records.[2] Recorded entirely by Bailey and his guitar, the debut EP 2am Rough Tracks was released on 23 September, following its recording some weeks before. The EP consisted of "Your Heart's Not Safe", "I'd Rather Go Blind" and "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want". This was followed by a second three track EP So Down, Cold, released on 29 November, featuring the tracks; "Fool Boy", "Breaking Out" and "So Down, Cold".[3] Bailey signed to Polydor Records earlier the same year.[4]
Bailey has been performing around the world with Chase & Status since 2010. Bailey co-wrote and performed on their single "Blind Faith", released on 21 January 2011 in the UK, where it debuted at number five in the UK Singles Chart; it also featured on their second album No More Idols. They then collaborated on the single "Big Man", released 16 October 2012, which reached No. 13 on the UK Dance Chart and appears on some editions of follow-up album Brand New Machine.
Bailey's prospective debut album Out of the Shadows[5] was recorded, produced by Salaam Remi, and scheduled for issue in September 2011 but Bailey unexpectedly pulled the release.
Following the break with Polydor, 2013 saw the re-release of "When Will They Learn" on Speakerbox, MistaJam's Ministry of Sound imprint,[6][7] complete with remixes by Shadow Child and others. The video was shot with Bailey's friends in Nottingham for the relatively small sum of £1,750.[8] Manager Sarah Stennett told HitQuarters that its homegrown, low-key nature was a perfect fit saying: "The video with Liam is amazing because his friends capture him so well. He was signed to a major label previously and they never quite captured it."[8]
Bailey's collaboration with Shy FX, "Soon Come" reached No. 6 on the UK Indie Chart in August 2013 and received praise from David Rodigan, Zane Lowe, and Annie Mac.[citation needed] They also collaborated on an EP as "Project Maldonado",[9] which was released for download on SoundCloud.
His debut album Definitely Now was released in the US in August 2014 on Flying Buddha/Sony,[10][11][12][13] with download single "On My Mind" available with pre-order. In an interview with Wondering Sound, Bailey explains how "it's been torture trying to figure out which way to go" in terms of musical direction.[14] Definitely Now shows that he has now found his sound, and is described by Wondering Sound as "sweet Daptone soul infused with blues moods, Oasis riffage, Sam Cooke grooves and light Jamaican accents".[14]
Nine years after first working together on The Dynamic Set's "When Will They Learn" single, Liam Bailey and Big Crown boss Leon Michels recorded an album together.[15] Ekundayo builds on the Nottingham singer-songwriter's penchant for recording lo-fi soul. Nevertheless, AllMusic describe the 13 track collection as 'reggae'.[16]
Bailey's fourth studio album, Zero Grace, was released in February 2024, produced by Leon Michels and the El Michels Affair collective.[17][18]
Discography
editStudio albums
editTitle | Details |
---|---|
Definitely Now |
|
Ekundayo |
|
Enfant Terrible (with St Francis Hotel) |
|
Zero Grace |
|
EPs
editTitle | Details |
---|---|
2am Rough Tracks |
|
So Down, Cold |
|
It's Not the Same |
|
Brand New |
|
Broken Home (with Dogger & Mindstate) |
|
Singles
editAs lead artist
editYear | Single | Album |
---|---|---|
2010 | "I Belong" [A] | Non-album single |
2011 | "You Better Leave Me" | |
"It's Not the Same" | It's Not the Same | |
2013 | "When Will They Learn" | Non-album single |
2014 | "On My Mind" | Definitely Now |
"Villain" (featuring A$AP Ferg) | ||
"Please Love Me" | Non-album single | |
2016 | "Love My Neighbours" | |
2018 | "Brother, Why You Gotta Love Her" (featuring Maverick Sabre) |
Brand New |
"You Saw the Devil in Me" | ||
"Tonight I'll Be Staying Here with You" | Non-album single | |
2019 | "Broken Home" (with Dogger & Mindstate) |
Broken Home |
"Champion" | Ekundayo | |
2020 | "Fight" | |
"Don't Blame NY" | ||
"You Saw the Devil in Me (Remix)" (with Dogger, Mindstate & DRS) |
The Time is Yours | |
"White Light" | Ekundayo | |
"Angel Dust" | ||
2021 | "Give Me Time" | Big Crown Records presents Dear Sunny... |
"Awkward (Take 2)" (with El Michels Affair) |
Ekundayo Inversions | |
"Walk With Me" (with El Michels Affair) | ||
"I Love NY" (with El Michels Affair) | ||
2022 | "Come Around Slowly" (with Shy FX) |
Non-album single |
2023 | "Divine Light" (with St Francis Hotel) |
Enfant Terrible |
"Recovery Time" (with St Francis Hotel) | ||
"Heavysoul" (with IZCO and FELIXCW) |
Non-album single | |
"Bliss" (with Fybe:One) |
This Is Ours | |
"Rain" (with Zefer) |
Before It Gets Too Late | |
"Good People" (with St Francis Hotel) |
Enfant Terrible | |
"Water Your Time (Bag Uh Reasons)" (with Summer-Pearl) |
TBA | |
"We're Not Clear" (with NARX) |
TBA |
Notes
- A – The track was released as a free download from his website.
As featured artist
editYear | Single | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
UK [25] |
UK Dance [26] |
DEN [27] | |||
2011 | "Blind Faith" (Chase & Status featuring Liam Bailey) |
5 | 1 | 24 | No More Idols |
2012 | "Breathe" (Delilah featuring Liam Bailey) |
87 | — | — | |
"Big Man" (Chase & Status featuring Liam Bailey) |
68 | — | — | Brand New Machine | |
"Don't Tell Me" (DJ Fresh featuring Liam Bailey) |
— | — | — | Nextlevelism | |
2013 | "Soon Come" (Shy FX featuring Liam Bailey) |
55 | 18 | — | Cornerstone |
2015 | "Revelation" (Breakage featuring Liam Bailey) |
— | — | — | When the Night Comes |
2016 | "4am Where Are You" (Kumarachi featuring Liam Bailey) |
— | — | — | Flashback |
2020 | "Yesterday" (Friction featuring Liam Bailey) |
— | — | — | Non-album singles |
"Make No Sound" (Brookes Brothers featuring Liam Bailey) |
— | — | — | ||
"Lost & Proud" (Alix Perez featuring Liam Bailey) |
— | — | — | Without End | |
2022 | "Look 4" (Brighter Days Family featuring Liam Bailey) |
— | — | — | Non-album single |
2023 | "Gunshot Love" (Break featuring Liam Bailey) |
— | — | — | Digital World |
"Rivers" (Think Tonk vs. DJ Fresh featuring Jamie McCool and Liam Bailey) |
— | — | — | Non-album singles | |
"Satisfy My Soul" (Halogenix featuring Liam Bailey) |
— | — | — | TBA | |
"Enough" (Manudigital featuring Liam Bailey) |
— | — | — | TBA | |
"No Fear" (V V Brown featuring Liam Bailey) |
— | — | — | Am I British Yet? | |
"No Sunset For Soul" (Monty featuring Liam Bailey) |
— | — | — | So Sunset For Soul |
Other appearances
editYear | Song | Artist | Album |
---|---|---|---|
2018 | "I Belong" | Salaam Remi | One: In the Chamber |
"Dancing with the Devil" | Roxanne Tataei | Full Moon in Aries | |
2019 | "Lay You Down" | Foreign Beggars | Matriarchy |
"Actualize" | Louis Cypher | Cypher Sore Eyes | |
"For This" | Friction | 15 Years of Shogun Audio | |
2020 | "Been Away" | Juga-Naut | Bem |
"The Time is Yours" | Dogger & Mindstate | The Time is Yours | |
"Holding Back" | Dogger, Mindstate & DRS | ||
"Moving On" | Alix Perez | Without End | |
2021 | "Lord's Prayer" | Dimension | Organ |
2022 | "Living Hard" | Juga-Naut | Time & Place |
"Don't Even Try It" | DJ Yoda | Prom Nite | |
"Not Today" | Matata | Super Morio | |
2023 | "Gotta Believe" | Break | Digital World |
"Don't Let Go" | Fybe:One | This Is Ours | |
"What Have I Done" |
References
edit- ^ Oakes, M. Gosho (10 June 2010). "The New Soul of Nottingham: Introducing Liam Bailey". SoulCulture.com. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
- ^ Lester, Paul (11 June 2010). "New Band of the Day –Liam Bailey (No 806)". The Guardian. London: Guardian News. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
- ^ "Liam Bailey: Soul pride". Bluesandsoul.com. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "BBC Nottingham artist Liam Bailey signs to Hendrix label". BBC News. 11 March 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ Andy Kellman. "Out of the Shadows [Unreleased] – Liam Bailey | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "Liam Bailey – When Will They Learn | Ministry of Sound Australia". Ministryofsound.com.au. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "Liam Bailey". Turn First Artists. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Interview with Sarah Stennett (part 2)". HitQuarters. 4 March 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
- ^ "Project Maldonado". Project Maldonado. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "Definitely Now – Liam Bailey | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "Liam Bailey 'Definitely NOW' – Album Review". Blogs.dickinson.edu. 17 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "LIAM BAILEY Drops New Single 'On My Mind;' Album 'Definitely Now' Out 8/19 – BWWMusicWorld". Broadwayworld.com. 19 August 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "Listen To What's on Liam Bailey's 'Mind'". SoulBounce. 5 June 2014. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Liam Bailey Interview". Wondering Sound. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
- ^ "Ekundayo - Liam Bailey | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
- ^ "Liam Bailey - Ekundayo Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
- ^ Lesuer, Mike (11 December 2023). "Liam Bailey Reflects on a Turbulent Childhood on Soulful New Single "Disorder Starts at Home"". Flood. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ Dillon, Ryan (21 February 2024). "Liam Bailey Deploys Subtle Soul On 'Zero Grace'". Glide. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
- ^ "Definitely Now by Liam Bailey". Music.aple.com. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
- ^ "Ekundayo by Liam Bailey". Bandcamp.com. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "Enfant Terrible by Liam Bailey + St Francis Hotel". Bandcamp.com. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ^ "2am Rough Tracks: Liam Bailey: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "So Down, Cold: Liam Bailey: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "Music News – LIAM BAILEY – IT'S NOT THE SAME EP / Fred Perry Subculture". Fredperrysubculture.com. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "2011-02-05 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive". Official Charts Company. 5 February 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ "2011-02-05 Top 40 Dance Singles Archive". Official Charts Company. 5 February 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Chase & Status feat. Liam Bailey – Blind Faith". Danishcharts.dk. Retrieved 25 August 2014.