Craig David presents TS5
Who: Multi-talented British pop star from Southampton who rose to fame when he was still a teenager. His first album “Born to Do It,” released in 2000, was the fastest-selling debut album by a British male solo artist. His decline in popularity was equally swift — aided in part by becoming an object of ridicule on the TV show “Bo’ Selecta!” After a string of mediocre albums that sold increasingly poorly, it seemed like he was doomed to obscurity. However, now aged 40, David — a singer-songwriter, DJ, rapper and producer, has regained much of the credibility that he lost. TS5 is an alter-ego that David first revealed in 2012 when DJing at pre-parties he hosted in his Miami penthouse (TS5 is the apartment number). He has since developed into a project that combines several of his passions — DJing, rapping, singing and sometimes performing with a live band. He has a new album due out this year.
Genre: R&B, dance-pop.
Best known for: 1999’s “Re-Rewind,” a collaboration with the Artful Dodger which became one of the most recognized UK garage tracks and helped push garage music into the mainstream.
In his own words: “My songs are a time stamp for a lot of people’s lives.”
James Blunt
Who: English singer-songwriter beloved by people for whom Coldplay might be “a bit edgy.” The former soldier had a meteoric rise to fame with his debut album, 2004’s “Back to Bedlam,” which sold more than 11 million copies around the world. He became a divisive figure — ridiculed by many for what they saw as bland, wishy-washy music best suited for background noise at posh dinner parties, but championed by just as many for penning some easy-listening classics. He is now hugely popular on social media for his self-deprecating humor, which has forced many to re-evaluate their opinion of him. Expect to hear plenty of examples of his wit onstage in Diriyah.
Genre: Pop rock.
Best known for: 2005’s “You’re Beautiful,” which seemed to be in constant rotation at radio stations around the world for the following 10 years.
In his own words: “Proof that one song is all you need.”
Wycliffe Jean
Who: Haitian rapper, multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, actor and three-time Grammy winner who first gained attention as a member of the seminal US alt-hip-hop band Fugees (with his cousin Pras Michel and Lauryn Hill), whose second album, 1996’s “The Score” became one of the best-selling LPs of all time. When they split up, Jean went on to have a successful solo career, with 13 studio albums under his belt and some hugely popular collaborations with Mary J. Blige, Lil Wayne, Destiny’s Child and Shakira, among others. He also garnered headlines in 2010, when he announced his intention to run in the Haitian presidential elections. He was eventually ruled ineligible because he had not been a resident for the requisite amount of time.
Genre: Hip-hop, R&B, neo-soul.
Best known for: “Gone till November,” released in 1997, from his debut solo album “The Carnival.” This earworm had orchestral accompaniment provided by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
In his own words: “I’d say music resonates if you base your stories on real events.”
Two Door Cinema Club
Who: The most left-field selection from this year’s Diriyah E-Prix lineup, this Irish trio — frontman Alex Trimble, lead guitarist Sam Halliday, and bassist and keyboardist Kevin Baird — are UK festival alumni who formed while still at high school (as Life Without Rory) and recorded their debut, self-recorded EP, in 2008. “Four Words to Stand On” gained an online following (it wasn’t officially released until 2018) and the band began to generate buzz through their live shows. Their debut studio album, “Tourist History,” demonstrated Two Door Cinema Club’s knack for blending catchy, angular indie-pop music with literary lyricism and earned comparisons with Editors, Bloc Party and Futureheads. After an acrimonious not-quite-split around 2014, when Trimble was, he has said, “depressed and stressed,” the band overcame their differences and have continued to perform together.
Genre: Indie-rock, post-punk.
Best known for: “What You Know,” which was released in 2011 — the fifth single from “Tourist History.” It didn’t sell particularly well, but was picked up by Microsoft for online ads for Outlook.
In their own words: “There’s a lot of very safe music out there. We wanted to have some fun and do something that was truly interesting.”
The Script
Who: Another Irish trio (lead vocalist Danny O’Donoghue, lead guitarist Mark Sheehan, and drummer Glen Power), The Script formed in 2007 and were quickly signed to Sony imprint Photogenic. Their self-titled debut album, released in 2008, spawned three successful singles and hit number one in both Ireland and the UK (as did their next three LPs). Their radio-friendly lighter-waving anthems have been featured in numerous TV shows and The Script have sold more than 20 million albums to date. Initially met with skepticism by rock fans (thanks in no small part to the fact that O’Donoghue and Sheehan were formerly part of a boy band called Mytown), they have since earned respect (perhaps grudgingly at first) for their undeniably catchy songwriting ( they wrote for Britney Spears and Boyz II Men, among others, before becoming famous) and musicianship.
Genre: Pop rock.
Best known for: Their second single, 2008’s anthemic stadium singalong “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved.” Or maybe 2010’s anthemic stadium singalong “Breakeven,” their first US single, which sold more than 1 million copies in the States.
In their own words: “I think a lot of musicians would turn around and say, if you’re trying to (fit in), you’ve got it wrong. Personally, I think they’re idiots. If you’re not using the tools in order for you to make a great record that sits on radio, you’re not doing your job.”
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