London-based singer/songwriter Alexander George "Alex" Clare absorbed jazz from his father’s collection during childhood before gravitating toward blues and soul artists such as Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder, later embracing drum’n’bass and U.K. garage. Although he first played trumpet and drums, Clare shifted focus to guitar and original songwriting, performing the material at open-mike nights. A subsequent demo secured a contract with the Island label in the U.K., where he was paired with producers Diplo and Switch for his debut album, The Lateness of the Hour, which appeared in July 2011. Even though those producers were known for dense, bass-driven club tracks, the record highlighted Clare’s introspective songwriting and resonant voice. The dubstep-inflected lead single “Too Close” became a major success, reaching the Top 10 in five countries, earning double-platinum certification in the United States, and bringing Clare an ASCAP award for 2014 Songwriter of the Year shared with Jim Duguid.
Clare’s 2014 follow-up Three Hearts failed to match the debut’s commercial impact, yet he maintained an active touring schedule while beginning a family. His third album, Tail of Lions, reached U.K. stores at the close of 2016 and arrived in the United States several months afterward in 2017.
