Each of these artists has made seriously successfully musical careers from singing in bands that have become internationally famous. To encourage you to go that extra mile when practising your singing we have compiled a list of how these superstars rose to fame. Enjoy.
Jarvis Cocker became a figurehead of the Britpop movement of the mid-1990s as a led singer of the Sheffield band Pulp. Aged on 14 Cocker was determined to become a singer and established several bands that later developed in Pulp, in the early 90 the band began to make a name for themselves. Especially notable was Cocker's on-stage performance, where he surprisingly managed to keep his trademark glasses on despite his wild onstage antics. Pulp's albums His 'n' Hers (1994) and Different Class (1995) helped to establish the band as a household name and thanks to Cocker's expressive vocals they are able to capture the Britpop movement as one of the lead bands. Cocker post-Pulp has released two solo albums both with moderate commercial success, yet his brand of fiery vocal lines and intriguing lyrical use has kept Jarvis Cocker at the forefront of the British music scene.
Alex Turner was a rather reluctant lead singer of the band Arctic Monkeys who rose to international fame in the mid 2000s with their sensational debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not which became the fastest selling debut album in UK chart history, selling 363,735 copies in the first week. In the early days of Arctic Monkeys Turner struggled to find the voice he wanted to sing with, emulating American bands as can be heard on this early recording of Arctic Monkeys. Nonetheless, despite Turner's shyness, he possesses an incredible ability with words to tell a story through a song - as can be heard on When The Sun Goes Down, or Riot Van. More recently Turner's singing style has changed using the lower register to sing the vocal lines on Humbug and Suck it and See - Turner remains one of Sheffield's most famous rock frontmen.
The Human League has sold more than 20 million records during their three-decade career that have seen multiple member changes. The only constant member, Philip Oakey successfully led the band to become one of the leaders of electronic and new wave music movements during the 80s, utilising the immense vocals of long-serving female vocalists Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley. Having started out in Sheffield the band became one of the biggest international acts during the 80s and have remained in people's memories ever since, a testament to their great vocals.
Richard Hawley is another Sheffield great, having found success in the 90s with the Longpigs before joining Pulp led by Jarvis Cocker. Both bands encouraged Hawley to release his own material, something he did to critical acclaim in the early 2000s. He gathered large audiences due to his incredible live shows (for which he was nominated as Best British Male Performer in 2008) his 2012 album Standing at the Sky's Edge reached number 3 in the UK album charts. Hawley's vocal melody and tonal sound have been something that Alex Turner of the Arctic Monkeys has mirrored in his more recent work, the two becoming close friends and performing single songs during each other shows. A true rock singer Richard Hawley is one of Sheffield best musical exports.
