| Ashley Hicklin | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ashley Hicklin |
| Born | 12 April 1985 |
| Origin | Scarborough, England |
| Genres | Pop, Acoustic, Folk, Classical |
| Occupations | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Clarinet |
| Years active | 1999–present |
| Labels | EMI (2008–) Ferryhouse Productions Warner Music (2010–) |
| Website | www.ashleyhicklin.com |
Ashley Hicklin (born 28 December 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, classical composer and producer. He is best known as an acoustic pop singer-songwriter with a distinctive voice. He has also written hit songs for various other artists across Europe.
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Ashley Hicklin was raised in his parent's pub on the North-East coast of England in Scarborough, North Yorkshire and completed his secondary education at Lady Lumley's School in Pickering, North Yorkshire and Caistor Grammar School in Lincolnshire.[1][2] He first began to perform at open mic nights in the pub, at the age of 13.[3][4]
As a musician Hicklin plays the guitar, piano, drums and clarinet.[5] He is also a classically trained composer specializing in orchestral arranging and has written compositions for world-renowned ensembles such as London Sinfonietta and the Goldberg Ensemble.[6] He studied at Leeds College of Music where he began performing on the live circuit, winning the Leeds "Bright Young Things" Award in 2006.[6][7]
In late 2008, the European CEO of EMI Publishing (Peter Ende) saw a live video of Hicklin performing for BBC Introducing.[4] Hicklin signed a deal with EMI Publishing and in less than six months had co-written several chart hits for other artists across Europe, including Idol (Sweden) Johan Palm's single Emma-lee which reached No. 1 in Sweden and four tracks on the debut album My Antidote which reached No. 3 in the Swedish charts.[8][9]
In 2010 he also co-wrote the Belgium entry for the Eurovision Song Contest "Me and My Guitar", sung by Tom Dice.[10] It was a No.1 hit in Belgium and also a top-ten chart hit in many countries across Europe.[11] Hicklin has collaborated with the teams behind Skunk Anansie, Leona Lewis, James Morrison, Marit Larsen, Amy Winehouse, Sugababes and various other international acts.[4]
Singing on the demo tracks written for other artists, Hicklin's distinctive voice attracted the attention of several record labels in 2009.[12] He signed with Ferryhouse Productions / Warner Music in 2010 and immediately began recording his debut album as a singer-songwriter in his own right.[13] ‘Parrysland’ was written as a concept album based upon a series of turbulent relationships.[14] The record’s title is taken from the writings of Emily Bronte, whose novel Wuthering Heights features a similarly turbulent relationship and is set on the Yorkshire Moors where Hicklin grew up.[14] The album was recorded in Hamburg and released in Germany during 2010.[4] He went on to play several support and headline shows across Germany in 2010, including an Open Air Tour supporting Ich + Ich and a tour with Sunrise Avenue.[4][15] In 2011 he began writing and recording a new album in Stockholm with Swedish producer Peter Kvint, famous for working with Natasha Bedingfield, Britney Spears, Andreas Johnson and many other successful recording artists.[16][17] The album is due for release in 2012.[18]
| Releases For Various Artists[19][19][19][19][19][19][19][19][19][19] | |||||||||||||||
| Year | Title | Album | NL | BE | BE | ZA | DN | EU | IR | UK | SW | CH | DE | FR | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Emma-Lee (single) | My Antidote | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | Johan Palm - Only Released in Sweden |
| 2009 | My Antidote (album) | My Antidote | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | Johan Palm - Only Released in Sweden |
| 2010 | Me and My Guitar (single) | Teardrops | 30 | 1 | 1 | - | 39 | 27 | 20 | 85 | 24 | 32 | 20 | 68 | Tom Dice |
| 2010 | Teardrops (album) | Teardrops | - | 1 | 57 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Tom Dice |
| 2011 | Flamingo (album) | Flamingo | - | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Kato Callebaut - Only Released in Belgium |
| 2011 | Disco Jo-Jo (single) | Junior Eurosong 2011 | - | 4 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Ciska - Only Released in Belgium |
| 2011 | Flamingo (single) | Flamingo | - | 12 | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Kato Callebaut - Only Released in Belgium |
| 2011 | Free The Animals (album) | Free The Animals | - | - | - | TBC | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Dave Van Vuuren - Only Released in South Africa |
| 2011 | Jupiter (single) | Jupiter | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | TBC | Célien Schneider - Only Released in France |
| 2011 | Killing Me (single) | Killing Me | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | TBC | - | - | - | Sofia "Effie" Olsson - Only Released in Sweden |
| 2011 | Bad Bad World (single) | Bad Bad World | - | Tip47 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Sioen - Only Released in Belgium |
| 2011 | John Travolta (single) | Anatomy | - | TBC | TBC | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | Born Crain - Only Released in Belgium |
| Releases As The Artist 'Ashley Hicklin' | |||||||||||||||
| Year | Title | Album | Artist | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Eskimos to Astronauts (Single) | Parrysland | Ashley Hicklin | ||||||||||||
| 2010 | All The Time In The World (Single) | Parrysland | Ashley Hicklin | ||||||||||||
| 2010 | Parrysland (Album) | Parrysland | Ashley Hicklin | ||||||||||||
| 2012 | Kissing The Queen (Album) | Kissing The Queen | Ashley Hicklin | ||||||||||||