Gregory Darling

Los Angeles-born Gregory Darling possesses a mysterious aura as a singer and songwriter, marked by his uniquely soulful vocal style and a past filled with unusual turns. His earliest paid performance came as a youngster, singing in a children’s choir led by Ennio Morricone for the 1977 film Exorcist II: The Heretic. During the 1980s he immersed himself in the city’s hard-rock and glam-metal circles, first fronting Antix before guiding Darling Cruel. That group issued its self-titled album through Polygram in 1988, a record whose sound blended elements of Queen, David Bowie, Guns N’ Roses, and Prince. The release moved briskly and generated two successful MTV clips, yet an approaching wave of grunge, alternative rock, and rap, together with internal friction at Polygram, kept the planned sequel from emerging. Seeking escape from studio artifice, Darling pursued an independent path until Julian Lennon drew him back into major-label circles; the pair began writing together in the mid-1990s. Rejecting a substantial Sony contract, he instead signed with the more accommodating FOD Records and unveiled his first solo effort, Shell, in 2006 under the guidance of producer Bob Rose. The album climbed into the Top Ten in both Italy and Germany, a feat repeated by its 2008 successor, Stew Americano, which prompted comparisons to Elton John, Elvis Costello, and Billy Joel. Reuniting with Bob Rose, Darling delivered his third studio album, Coloured Life, in 2012 and followed it in 2016 with Songs from Under the Hat.