Dan Gillespie Sells

Daniel Giles Gillespie Sells (/ɡɨˈlɛspi/; born 20 September 1978 in London, UK) is a British singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known as being the lead vocalist and frontman for the pop/rock group The Feeling.

Biography

Sells and his brother were co-parented, being brought up dividing their time between their father's house and their mother's house after their parents split when he was three years old. His mother is the disability rights campaigner Katherine Gillespie Sells. He was also parented by his mother's former partner Dilis, whom he refers to as his other mother.^[1] Sells attended The Ashmole School in London along with fellow students Amy Winehouse and Rachel Stevens (S Club 7). He studied at the BRIT School which many new British groups originate from such as The Kooks in Croydon, and for a time was guitarist for Scottish pop rock band Speedway before he embarked on a B.A. in Commercial Music at the University of Westminster.^[2]

In early 2007, Sells was seen in an advertising campaign for the Autograph range at Marks and Spencer. He says he took part partly because his grandmother liked M&S, and would like to see him advertising it.^[3]

In addition to his work with The Feeling, he co-wrote several songs for Sophie Ellis-Bextor's third solo album, Trip the Light Fantastic. However, only two of the songs actually made it onto the tracklisting, "Only One" and "Love Is Here". Both tracks also feature his vocals, and "Love Is Here" includes his bandmate Richard Jones, Sophie Ellis-Bextor's husband, on bass guitar. Ellis-Bextor features on The Feeling's album, Together We Were Made, in song "Leave me Out Of It".

Dan is openly gay, and won the Stonewall Award for Entertainer of the Year in 2007. In a 20 April 2007 interview with the site Chart Rigger, Sells said he's had a boyfriend since New Year's Eve, and that he had not told any journalist before "because no one ever asked directly. This is really pathetic, but it's probably the first proper boyfriend I've really ever had, because I've just totally scuttered around the whole thing for so many years."^[4] Sells also revealed on a catch-up session on The Feeling's official website that he is to feature on the cover of an issue of Attitude magazine in 2008, being the first cover shoot Sells has done. He appeared on the front cover of Attitude in March 2008, and was later on the front cover again on the September 2008 issue, alongside Alan Carr and Sir Ian McKellen. He also revealed that he had given input into a future issue of Gay Times and that his middle name is Giles.^[5]

Sells co-wrote and co-performed (both with Ian Masterson) the theme tune to the 2008 BBC comedy drama series Beautiful People, an adaptation of the memoirs of Simon Doonan. In addition, Sells also contributed another original track, entitled "Beautiful People", as well as a 2006 cover version of Hall & Oates's "She's Gone" with his The Feeling bandmates. All three tracks appeared on the Beautiful People soundtrack album released in October 2008.

Dan started a helicopter Private Pilot License, at Panshanger Aerodrome, during April 2009. He talks about this in the July 2011 edition of Flaps Podcast and repeatedly on The Feeling's 'catch-up' sessions.

In 2012 Dan wrote about his coming out experience for http://www.rucomingout.com.^[6]

Influences

Sells has stated that Karen Carpenter was "one of the greatest vocal technicians ever". He also cites Freddie Mercury and Neil Young as influences.^[7]

References

External links

• Official website
• The Feeling on Myspace