Mark Wilkinson (singer)

Mark Wilkinson
Mark Wilkinson recording a music video in south Sydney, Australia, 2013.
Background information
Birth name	Mark Edward Wilkinson
Born	Buckinghamshire, England
Origin	Sydney, Australia
Genres	Acoustic, folk, alternative rock, pop
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, vocals
Years active	2005–present
Website	Official website

Mark Wilkinson (born Buckinghamshire, England) is an Australian singer-songwriter.

Wilkinson's latest EP, Come With Me Tonight, debuted in the Top 10 iTunes singer-songwriter charts in Australia in February 2016. Wilkinson kicked off a world tour to support the album in May 2016 with dates across Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the UK, and the U.S. Rolling Stone premiered the first official video for 'Another Necklace' from the "Come With Me Tonight EP".

Wilkinson's 2015 acoustic release, Hand Picked Vol. 2, debuted at #2 on iTunes singer-songwriter charts in Australia on December 18, 2015. SiriusXM radio premiered the new music in the U.S. and Canada on January 9, 2016 and it is currently in heavy rotation on their Coffee House singer-songwriter station.

Wilkinson's second studio album, Let The River Run (August 2013) hit #2 on the Australian iTunes singer-songwriter charts within 24 hours of release, surpassing artists like Grammy nominee Ed Sheeran, The Lumineers, and Jake Bugg. As of November 2013, the album had reached #1 on iTunes singer-songwriter charts. The album also debuted at #2 on the AIR Charts and at #61 on the ARIA charts, while the single 'Middle Ground' which was featured in a Nescafé ad campaign in June 2013 went on to reach #2 on the Aussie iTunes singer-songwriter charts and #12 on the ARIA charts (singles). 'Middle Ground' was also featured on Wilkinson's 2012 acoustic album Hand Picked, the first in the fan-favorite acoustic series, which is still holding in the iTunes charts Top 10.

Let The River Run marked Wilkinson's North American radio debut, adding to rotation at satellite radio giant Sirius XM Radio in October 2013. Wilkinson was named "Discovery of the Year" on SiriusXM's singer-songwriter station Coffee House after just two months of airplay, placing him on a "Best of 2013" list that included other breakout international acts like Chvrches and Bastille. October 2013 also marked Wilkinson's U.S. tour debut; his premiere performance at CMJ Music Marathon in New York packed Rockwood Music Hall to rave reviews, as previewed in a Huffington Post article. in 2015, Wilkinson returned to the U.S. to perform another sold-out CMJ showcase in New York and dates in San Francisco, Portland, Boston, Atlanta, and Nashville.

An indication of his captivating live performance, Wilkinson was discovered in the Netherlands by television host Humberto Tan while busking to a large crowd that had assembled in Dam Square during his 2014 European tour. Tan invited him to be a guest on his talk show, RTL Late Night, where Wilkinson invited to perform a televised set, and as a result his name started trending on social media and his music started charting in the Netherlands.

With buzz around his live performances continuing to grow, Mark regularly sells out shows across Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the U.S. He has opened arena and major theatre tours nationally for some of the world's biggest names, including Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, Brian Wilson, Chicago, America, and Seal, among others. He has performed for VIPs at Kings of Leon and Santana concerts, represented Australia at the World Expo in China, and entertained deployed troops in the Solomon Islands. Mark has also headlined European tours, performing to capacity crowds in London, Paris, and Berlin. It was on one such trip that brought Mark to the attention of David Gray (musician)'s producer, Iestyn Polson, and he was invited to record in David's famous Church Studio with his band backing Mark up.

In a review of Mark's set during his 2013 world tour, The Music wrote, "His voice is supreme and crisp...Wilkinson is one of the rare artists whose vocals embody a kind of charisma that pulls you in and forces you to do the rarest thing in the world...feel." The connection Mark creates with his fans is undeniable and genuine – he has been described by Australian music blog Timber and Steel as "a man who has avoided the limelight but still manages to sell out venues all over the country" thanks to his loyal following.

Early life

Wilkinson was born in England, but his family soon emigrated to Singapore and then Australia when he was 4 years old. Wilkinson was educated at Sydney Grammar School and went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts/Commerce at the University of Sydney. It was during his time at university that Wilkinson learned to play the acoustic guitar.^[1]

Career

In 2006 Wilkinson independently released his debut EP, Cellophane Life. This unpolished 6 track collection provided an introduction to Wilkinson's lyrical hand and emotive sound. The title track along with Baptism By Fire elevated Mark as a finalist in Commercial Radio Australia's coveted New Artist To Radio competition.^[2]

Following on in 2007, Wilkinson hit the road with then current Australian Idol winner Damien Leith, performing to thousands across the country. Shortly after, he came to the attention of Peer Music, the world's largest independent music publisher, and subsequently signed a global deal.^[3]

Kicking off 2008, Wilkinson set out on the road again, headlining shows along the east coast of Australia. He then set off to Europe for 2 months, performing across Ireland, England, France, and Germany; teaming up with acclaimed songwriter Adam Argyle (Mel C, Newton Faulkner, Wes Carr); and working with David Gray's team in his London studio. The success of the European tour saw Wilkinson invited to return as part of the Popkomm conference in Berlin, where he showcased to industry members from around the globe.^[3]

Wilkinson returned to Australia to finish his follow-up EP, Counting Down The Hours, which delivered a more polished, fully produced side to his music. The title track along with Keep Fighting once again placed him as a finalist in the New Artist To Radio competition,^[4] with Wilkinson going on to receive airplay on various commercial and community stations across the country.^[3]

In early 2009 Wilkinson was invited to perform for deployed Australian troops in the Solomon Islands.^[5] In an effort to make more of his music publicly available Wilkinson launched a campaign called A Year of YouTube beginning in April.^[6][7] The premise of the campaign being to release an original song each week over the course of a year. With Wilkinson's live reputation continuing to grow he signed on with the Harbour Agency, Australia's largest booking agency, joining the ranks of many of the nation's finest performers. This relationship was solidified with Sydney residencies, where Wilkinson performed week after week, and followed on with a national tour supporting multi-ARIA award winner Diesel.^[3]

The following year, 2010, launched in similar fashion with Wilkinson touring Australia supporting multi-Grammy winner Michael Bolton.^[8] This quickly followed up with more tours alongside Australian stalwarts Ian Moss (Cold Chisel), Jon Stevens (Noiseworks), and Shannon Noll, before heading to China to represent Australia and perform to tens of thousands each day at World Expo.^[9] Wilkinson then finished the year performing at arenas around the country alongside musical royalty Brian Wilson, Chicago, America, and Peter Frampton.^[10]

Meanwhile, with sales of his EPs, available only at shows, exceeding 20,000 copies, Wilkinson returned to the studio to record his debut album Truth Came Running with producer Sean Carey, acclaimed guitarist for multi-platinum band Thirsty Merc. With its release in March 2011, Wilkinson returned to the road, while lead single All I Ever Wanted has been receiving radio and television play on stations across the country.^[3] The film clip for All I Ever Wanted was shot on the streets of Cape Town, South Africa by award-winning photographer Adrian Steirn and his 21 Icons Global Project team.^[6]

October 2011 marked the release of Wilkinson's third EP, 'Sweet White Lies'. Lead single 'My Friend' received radio play across the nation, and he hit the road again for his 'A Friend On The Road' tour. During 2011, Wilkinson also supported Boyce Avenue on their Australian tour, and performed for VIPs at Kings Of Leon's show at Allphones Arena, Sydney.

In early 2012, Wilkinson released "Live At The Basement", a live album recorded at The Basement (Sydney) during the 'A Friend On The Road' Tour. He returned to the road in March 2012 for his 'Caught In A Moment' national tour, which saw him sell out venues across Australia. Shortly after this tour, Wilkinson released a solo acoustic album named Hand Picked and performed a handful of sold out shows in churches in Sydney and Melbourne.

Coinciding with the release of his single, Benny's On The Rooftop from his then-forthcoming album Let The River Run, in October 2012, Wilkinson set off on his 'Benny's On The Rooftop' Tour, hitting up venues across the country. Wilkinson began pre-production for his second studio album in November 2012, working with producer Ollie McGill (The Cat Empire).^[11] The album, entitled Let The River Run was released in August 2013, and shot to #2 on the Australian iTunes singer-songwriter album chart and #20 overall on the Australian iTunes album chart. The album hit #1 on iTunes charts in November 2013. The album was mastered at world-famous Abby Lane Studios in London and distributed by MGM in Australia and New Zealand, with worldwide digital distribution.

Wilkinson previewed "Let The River Run" in April 2013 at five sold-out shows in Sydney, two sold-out shows in London, and packed houses in Berlin and Dublin. He kicked off a world tour in August 2013 to support the release, with sold-out shows across Australia and debut tour dates in the U.S.

In 2014, Wilkinson completed his largest tour across Australia, with a follow-up theatre tour in capital cities due to demand. During the European leg of the tour, Wilkinson was discovered in the Netherlands by Humberto Tan while busking in Dam Square on afternoon to a large audience that had assembled. Tan invited him to be a guest in his talk show, RTL Late Night, where Wilkinson was given very positive remarks by Dutch artists. He was allowed to perform for a couple of minutes at the end of the show and as a result his name started trending on social media and his music began charting in the Netherlands.

In October 2015, Wilkinson returned to the U.S. for tour dates in San Francisco; Portland, Oregon; Boston; Atlanta; Nashville, Tennessee; and New York City for another sold-out showcase at CMJ. The following December, Wilkinson released Hand Picked vol. 2, the second in his fan-favorite acoustic series, which debuted at #2 on iTunes singer-songwriter charts and will support the album on a world tour in 2016. Shortly after, in February 2016, Wilkinson released his Come With Me Tonight EP, a preview of his forthcoming third studio album. Rolling Stone premiered the first official video off the EP, 'Another Necklace.'

Wilkinson returned to the U.S. in September 2016 for his third tour, with dates in New York, Atlanta, Boston, and Nashville, including shows at legendary venues like the Bluebird Café. Wilkinson will return to Australia for his annual end-of-year shows in Sydney.

Visit MarkWilkinsonMusic.com for tour dates and more information.

Discography

Albums

Extended plays

Singles

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mark Wilkinson.

• Official website
• Official Facebook page
• Official Myspace profile
• Official YouTube channel