Lucy Spraggan
| Lucy Spraggan | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Lucy Spraggan |
| Born | 21 July 1991 |
| Origin | Sheffield, Yorkshire, England |
| Genres | Folk, acoustic, hip hop pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels | CTRL Records, Columbia |
| Website |
lucyspraggan |
Lucy Spraggan (born 21 July 1991) is an English musician, currently signed to CTRL Records.
She auditioned for The X Factor in 2012, performing her own composition, "Last Night".[1] On 3 November 2012, it was announced she would be quitting her run on The X Factor due to illness, so she subsequently finished in ninth place, and second in her category. Following the show Spraggan was signed to Columbia Records. She was the first contestant in the show's history to score a Top 40 single and album before the live shows even aired with her independently released album Top Room At The Zoo. Her debut major label album, Join The Club, was released on 7 October 2013, reaching number 7 in the UK charts.[2]
Her third album, We Are, was released on 4 May 2015. It was preceded by lead single "Unsinkable", released 13 April 2015.
In July 2016 Spraggan released "Dear You", the first single from her fourth album I Hope You Don't Mind Me Writing. The video starred This Is England actor Thomas Turgoose.[3]
Music career
2011–12: Live and Unsigned, Open Mic UK and Top Room at the Zoo
In July 2011, Spraggan was announced as the runner up of the Urban, Pop & Acoustic Category of Live and Unsigned, placing third place overall in the competition.[4] Spraggan's prizes awarded by Live and Unsigned for her progress in the competition consisted of a festival slot at Osfest,[5] and a slot at Australia's 'Go Connect' Festival.[4] When the festival was later cancelled, Live and Unsigned provided Spraggan with a series of replacement prizes, including: a string of guest act spots at Live and Unsigned and Open Mic UK shows across the country,[6][7] a new website,[8] and a music video shoot for her single Last Night, which received over 455,000 views.[8][9]
On 20 October 2011 Spraggan independently released her album Top Room at the Zoo.[10] In an interview she said that the majority of her album's lyrics were inspired by a short-lived romance with an older woman of 27 that occurred when Spraggan visited America at the age of 18.[11]
Spraggan performed as a guest act at a large volume of Live and Unsigned and Open Mic UK shows across the country during this time,[6][7] on Open Mic UK, Spraggan said in an interview: "Open Mic UK is a great way to build your fan base to thousands of new fans whether you are a guest act or a competitor in the show."[6] As a result of performing at these shows, Spraggan was scouted by several festival organisers to perform at their festivals,[6] amongst which included London Summer Jam,[12] Osfest,[13] Strawberry Fields Festival[14] Whaley Bridge Water Weekend and Cockermouth Rock Festival.[15][16]
2012: The X Factor
On 13 July 2012, she released the single "Tea and Toast". Spraggan auditioned for the ninth series of The X Factor, which was shown on 25 August 2012, singing her own song "Last Night" from Top Room at the Zoo. She won herself a place at bootcamp after performing the song, which left the audience at the Manchester auditions chanting for more. Her second song, which was a rendition of "Halo" by Beyoncé, was shown on The Xtra Factor. Shortly after the audition was screened, the song climbed to Number 70 in the Official UK Singles Chart,[17] and reached Number 2 on iTunes. However, it was soon removed from iTunes by request of The X Factor producers.[18] On 29 August 2012, Greg James announced that "Last Night" was at number 5 on the Official Chart Update despite the song being removed from iTunes, her album Top Room at the Zoo was at number 7 on the Official Chart Update as well.[19][20] On 2 September 2012 "Last Night" entered the UK Singles Chart at number 11 and Top Room at the Zoo entered the UK Albums Chart at number 22.[21]
Spraggan sang "Moves like Jagger" by Maroon 5 at bootcamp but the performance was described as "awkward" and "messy". She returned to the stage with a mix-up of songs that she really liked and meant a lot to her. Tulisa Contostavlos then said that she wanted to hear one of her tracks so Spraggan decided to sing "Tea and Toast", stating that the song was about a real couple. After she performed the song she burst into tears when she received a standing ovation from the audience and the judging panel.[22][23]
She made it through to the live shows as one of the three female singers selected by mentor Contostavlos. In week 4, Spraggan was ill so she automatically got through to week 5. On 3 November, Spraggan decided to leave the competition because she felt that it wouldn't be fair to get another free pass to the next round, as she was still too ill to compete.[24]
Performances on The X Factor
| Episode | Theme | Song | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audition | Free choice | "Last Night" (original song) | Advanced |
| Bootcamp 1 | Group performance | "Moves like Jagger" | Advanced |
| Bootcamp 2 | Solo performance | "Tea and Toast" (original song) | Advanced |
| Judges' houses | No theme | "I Will Always Love You" | Advanced |
| Week 1 | Heroes night | "Mountains" (original song) | Safe (5th) |
| Week 2 | Love and heartbreak | "Gold Digger" | Safe (5th) |
| Week 3 | Club classics | "Titanium" (version with original lyrics) | Safe (7th) |
2012–13: Join the Club
Lucy Spraggan announced her signing to Record Label Columbia Records in March 2013. Her debut studio album Join the Club was released on 7 October.
About the album Spraggan said "I wanted to put my own take on events that happen to everyone by telling these stories. I have been writing this album for as long as I can remember and I hope people will be able to relate."[25] The lead single "Lighthouse" was released 14 July. About the single Spraggan explains 'Whenever I'd run out of money or get on the wrong bus, I'd see a lighthouse and things would start to getting better'.[26] Spraggan confirmed the second single lifted from the album would be "Last Night (Beer Fear)" was released on 30 September.[27]
Spraggan announced a headline UK and Ireland tour in support of the album which starts at Margate Winter Gardens on 21 October and concludes at The Academy in Dublin on 16 November.[28]
2014–present: We Are, Home EP and I Hope You Don't Mind Me Writing
November 2014 Spraggan showcased new music she'd been working on since The X Factor. On 17 January on Facebook she announced the title of her sophomore album entitled We Are, to be released on 4 May 2015, and the first single "Unsinkable" being released on 12 March 2015. Following the album's release Spraggan will embark on "The Unsinkable Tour". As of 2015, Spraggan wrote and sang the "catchy" lyrics for the TV advert for online fashion store Simplybeyou. In 2015 Spraggan was signed to CTRL Records. On 3 February 2016 Lucy Spraggan announced, via social media, that her new EP will be called Home and will be released on February 9. It will contain 3 new songs called Home,Yes, This One's For You and Skylights. It will also include a new version of Tea and Toast, and will explain the story behind the song. On 9 November 2016, Spraggan announced her fourth album 'I Hope You Don't Mind Me Writing', which is due to be released on 27 January 2017.
Personal life
Spraggan attended Buxton Community School and the University of Derby,[29] and currently resides in Cheshire. She is married to Georgina Gordon.[30][31] Her mother, Anstey, is a freelance journalist.[32]
Discography
Albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [33] |
IRE [34] |
SCO [35] | ||||||||||||||||
| Top Room at the Zoo |
|
22 | 72 | 19 | ||||||||||||||
| Join the Club |
|
7 | 14 | 6 | ||||||||||||||
| We Are |
|
17 | — | — | ||||||||||||||
| I Hope You Don't Mind Me Writing |
|
- | — | — | "—" denotes an album that did not chart or was not released. | |||||||||||||
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Home |
|
Singles
As lead artist
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [33] |
IRE [34] |
SCO [36] | |||||||||||
| 2012 | "Tea and Toast" | 50 | — | — | Join the Club | ||||||||
| 2013 | "Lighthouse" | 26 | 21 | 14 | |||||||||
| "Last Night (Beer Fear)"[A] | 11 | 16 | 11 | ||||||||||
| 2015 | "Unsinkable" | 78 | — | — | We Are | ||||||||
| 2016 | "Dear You" | — | — | — | I Hope You Don't Mind Me Writing | ||||||||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released. | |||||||||||||
As featured artist
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "Give Me Sunshine" (Santa Maradona F.C. featuring Lucy Spraggan) |
N/A |
Other charted songs
| Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [33] |
IRE [34] | ||||||||||||
| 2012 | "Someone" | 137 | — | Top Room at the Zoo and Join the Club | |||||||||
| 2013 | "Butterflies" | — | 61 | ||||||||||
| "'91" | — | 67 | |||||||||||
| "—" denotes a single that did not chart or was not released. | |||||||||||||
- A ^ Originally charted in 2012, after Spraggan's The X Factor audition, it peaked at number 2 on the chart update, but was subsequently removed from sale. It, however, had accumilated enough sales to debut at number 11 in the UK. The same was true in Ireland, where it charted at number 16. It was re-released in September 2013, by her new record label, Columbia and reached number 18. It was included first on debut album Top Room at the Zoo, and later on her major label debut Join the Club. Top Room at the Zoo reached #7 on the UK chart update before being removed from sale, as well.
Music videos
| Year | Title | Director[37] | Funded by[8] |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Dreamer" (featuring J-Mac) | Ollie Green & Daniel Entwistle | Live and Unsigned |
| 2012 | "Last Night" | Damien Reeves | |
| 2013 | "Lighthouse" | N/A | Sony Music Entertainment |
| 2013 | "Last Night (Beer Fear)" | Damien Reeves | |
| 2013 | "Mountains" | Michael Baldwin | |
| 2013 | "Tea And Toast" | N/A | |
| 2015 | "Unsinkable" | Damien Reeves | CTRL Records |
| 2016 | "Dear You" | Damien Reeves | CTRL Records |
References
- ↑ "X-clusive! Lucy Spraggan - the first interview!". Maximum Pop!. 27 August 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- ↑ Lane, Daniel. "Lucy Spraggan chats about new single Lighthouse". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ↑ "Lucy Spraggan - 'Dear You'". Clash Magazine. 2016-07-20. Retrieved 2016-11-21.
- 1 2 "Live and Unsigned winners, scores and results". Live and Unsigned. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ↑ "Osfest Find Live and Unsigned Beauties". Osfest. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 27 August 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 "Lucy Spraggan Open Mic UK Guest Act Provides Unsigned Music Advice". Open Mic UK. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- 1 2 "Lucy Spraggan's Twitter". Lucy Spraggan. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- 1 2 3 "Advertising Standards Authority ASA Investigation of Live and Unsigned". Live and Unsigned. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ↑ Lucy Spraggan Last Night (Beer Fear) Official Music Video HD. Melmo Films. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ↑ "An Interview with Lucy Spraggan". LoveMusicNews. Retrieved 3 August 2012.
- ↑ "X Factor finalist Lucy Spraggan: Most of my songs are about the older woman I fell for in America". Now Magazine. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
- ↑ "Free studio time free amps and festival slots for Live and Unsigned acts that competed in Camden London Results". Live and Unsigned. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ↑ "Osfest 2012 Review". LoveMusicNews. LoveMusicNews. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ↑ "The Summer Festival Season Has Been Taken By Storm By Live and Unsigned Alumni". Live and Unsigned. Live and Unsigned. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ↑ "Cockermouth - Bar Stage". Cockermouth Rock Festival. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ↑ "Live and Unsigned Alumni Play Summer Festivals". Music Radar. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- ↑ "X Factor star Lucy Spraggan scores second biggest selling track this week so far". The Official Charts Company (OCC). 28 August 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
- ↑ "'X Factor' Lucy Spraggan's song taken off iTunes due to 'rule change' - X Factor News - Reality TV". Digital Spy. 29 August 2012. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
- ↑ Little Mix, Rita Ora lead midweek chart. Digital Spy
- ↑ Little Mix’s Wings soaring towards Number 1. Official Charts Company
- ↑ X Factor’s Lucy Spraggan bags Top 20 hit despite track being pulled. Official Charts Company. officialcharts.com/
- ↑ 'X Factor': Tulisa requests Lucy Spraggan original song at Boot Camp - X Factor News - Reality TV - Digital Spy. digitalspy.co.uk/
- ↑ Lucy's Bootcamp performance - Tea and Toast - The X Factor UK 2012. YouTube
- ↑ "Lucy Spraggan leaves 'The X Factor'". Digital Spy. 3 November 2012. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- ↑ Smith, Carl. "Lucy Spraggan Announces debut Album 'Join the club' and single 'last night'". Sugarscape. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ↑ Lane, Daniel. "Lucy Spraggan chats about new single lighthouse". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- ↑ Mensah, Jenny. "Lucy Spraggan Announces Album Title Join The Club". Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- ↑ Corner, Lewis. "Lucy Spraggan announces debut album 'Join The club'". Retrieved 29 August 2013.
- ↑ "X Factor hopeful Lucy Spraggan too 'niche' for Tulisa at Judges Houses?". X-Factor UK. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- ↑ "X Factor's Lucy Spraggan proposes to girlfriend Georgina on day her single comes out", Mirror Online, 13 April 2015
- ↑ "The X Factor's Lucy Spraggan opens up about her near-death experience". The Metro. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- ↑ Anstey Spraggan (22 May 2010). "How to survive a stepfamily". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- 1 2 3 Peak positions in the United Kingdom:
- For all except where noted: "Lucy Spraggan > UK Charts". Official Charts Company.
- For "Someone": "New Chart Entries > October 6, 2012". Zobbel.de. 6 October 2012.
- 1 2 3 Hung, Steffen. "Discography Lucy Spraggan". Irish Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung).
- ↑ Peak positions for albums in Scotland:
- For Top Room at the Zoo: "Chart Archive > 02 September 2012 - 08 September 2012". Official Charts Company.
- For Join the Club: "Chart Archive > 13 October 2013 - 19 October 2013". Official Charts Company.
- ↑ Peak positions for singles in Scotland:
- For "Last Night": "Chart Archive > 02 September 2012 - 08 September 2012". Official Charts Company.
- For "Lighthouse": "Chart Archive > 21 July 2013 - 27 July 2013". Official Charts Company.
- For "Last Night (Beer Fear)": "Chart Archive > 06 October 2013 - 12 October 2013". Official Charts Company.
- ↑ "Lucy Spraggan Last Night Music Video 2012". Melmo Films. Retrieved 4 September 2012.
- "Manchester Pride Meets: Lucy Spraggan". Manchester Pride. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2012.