Biography
Alan Pownall, often categorized with his former flatmates Mumford & Sons, draws primary inspiration from the melodic guitar pop of early solo Paul McCartney and the Kinks instead of the nu-folk movement. Born in 1985 in South West London to a barrister father and housewife mother, he focused chiefly on fashion during his upbringing. His initial role involved serving as tea boy at a fashion PR firm; he then spent two years with French designer Roland Mouret before enrolling at a prestigious art college in Milan. After recognizing music as his true path, he left the program, returned to London, began composing original material, and formed the short-lived band Sex Face with Ted Dwane from Mumford & Sons. Despite completing just three solo performances, he secured an invitation to support Adele on her debut headline tour following contact through MySpace. He signed with Mercury Records in 2009, then issued his first single, "Chasing Time," the following year after it featured in a Nokia advertisement. Support tours across the U.K. for Paloma Faith, Lissie, and Mr. Hudson led to the June 2010 release of his debut album, True Love Stories, produced by Eliot James of Noah and the Whale.