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Biography
BLP sources|date=October 2010Infobox musical artist | name = Roland Orzabal| image = R_orzabal.jpg| image_size = 250px| caption = 2007 Roland Orzabal| background = solo_singer| birth_name = Raoul Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana| alias =| birth_date = birth date and age|1961|08|22|df=y| death_date =| origin = Portsmouth , England , United Kingdom|UK | instrument = Singing|Vocals , guitar s, Keyboard instrument|keyboards , timpani | genre = New wave music|New wave , classic rock , hard rock | occupation = Musician , Record producer|producer | years_active = 1979–present| label = Mercury Records , Eagle Records , Epic Records | associated_acts = Graduate (band)|Graduate , Tears for Fears , Oleta Adams , Emiliana Torrini | website =| notable_instruments = Raoul (later Roland) Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana (born August 22, 1961) is an English people|English musician , songwriter and record producer . He is known mainly as a co-founding member of Tears for Fears , of which he is the main songwriter and joint vocalist, but he has also achieved success as a producer of other artists.
Early career
main|Tears for FearsOrzabal met Curt Smith while both were in their early teens in Bath, Somerset|Bath , England . In the late-1970s, they formed a Mod (subculture)|mod music group, Graduate (band)|Graduate , along with three other members. Following the release of their debut album, Acting My Age , the group disbanded and Orzabal and Smith went on to form Tears for Fears , a synth pop / new wave music outfit directly inspired by the writings of American psychologist Arthur Janov .
Solo work
After a decade of major international success, Orzabal and Smith had an acrimonious split in the early 1990s. Although Orzabal continued to work as Tears for Fears after he and Smith parted ways, the subsequent TFF albums Elemental (Tears for Fears album)|Elemental (1993) http://news.google.com/newspapers? id=Vsg_AAAAIBAJ& sjid=HlgMAAAAIBAJ& pg=5598,754335& dq=roland-orzabal& hl=en and Raoul and the Kings of Spain (1995) are effectively solo works by him in all but name. Elemental was a success being certified as Gold status in the US and Silver in the UK, while Raoul took a more artistic direction but garnered less chart success. In April 2001 he released his first proper solo album, Tomcats Screaming Outside , under his own name. Orzabal and Smith had reconciled by that point and were working on a new Tears for Fears album together (2004's Everybody Loves a Happy Ending ).
Work as a producer/songwriter
In addition to co-producing most of Tears for Fears ' records, Orzabal also co-produced Oleta Adams ' successful album Circle of One (1990) along with David Bascombe|Dave Bascombe , following on from Adams' collaboration on the 1989 Tears for Fears album The Seeds of Love . The album reached #1 in the UK and #20 in the US, and featured her transatlantic top ten hit " Get Here ". Orzabal also co-wrote the lead track "Rhythm of Life" for the album, which was initially intended for The Seeds of Love . He also appeared in the song's accompanying music video, as well as playing guitar and singing backing vocals on the track.
In 1999, Orzabal co-produced the Iceland ic singer-songwriter Emiliana Torrini 's acclaimed album Love In The Time Of Science , along with Tears for Fears associate Apartment (Bristol band)|Alan Griffiths . The pair also wrote two tracks for the album.
Although he did not produce it, Orzabal's talents as a songwriter were recognised again in recent years after Michael Andrews (musician)|Michael Andrews and Gary Jules recorded the song " Mad World " for the film soundtrack Donnie Darko in 2001. Their version was released as a single in 2003 and became the Christmas number one single in the UK that year. The song was originally composed by Orzabal and was Tears for Fears' first hit single in 1982.
Personal life
Born in Portsmouth , England , Orzabal's mother is English and his father (George Orzabal de la Quintana) is from Paris , France , but of Spanish migration to the United Kingdom|Spanish - Basque diaspora|Basque descent. Roland's grandfather was Arturito Orzabal de la Quintana, from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Orzabal was originally named "Raoul" at birth for two weeks, but this was subsequently changed to Roland to anglicise the name as the family were living in England. When Orzabal was three years old his father had a nervous breakdown, leaving him semi-bedridden for a large portion of Orzabal's childhood. His father decided to run an entertainment business with his mother, a dancer, meaning there were often different entertainers around Orzabal's home. He describes his childhood as 'unorthodox' and it inspired various Tears For Fears songs, particularly on The Hurting .
At the height of Tears for Fears ' popularity in 1985, Orzabal gained considerable press attention for his strained relationship with his father and a humorous cartoon was printed in the UK tabloid The Sun (newspaper)|The Sun pertaining to this. The cartoon was later reprinted within the cover artwork for the Tears for Fears single " I Believe (A Soulful Re-Recording)|I Believe ".
He was brought up in Bath, Somerset|Bath , attending Culverhay School and becoming a member of the Zenith Youth Theatre Company .
Orzabal has been married to his wife Caroline since 1982. They have two children, Raoul and Pascal.
Other than music and psychology, Orzabal has cited interests in photography, politics, sociology and astrology.
Discography
see also|Tears for Fears discography
Tomcats Screaming Outside (2001 Eagle)
References
reflist Tears for Fears Persondata | NAME =Orzabal, Roland | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | SHORT DESCRIPTION = | DATE OF BIRTH =August 22, 1961 | PLACE OF BIRTH = | DATE OF DEATH = | PLACE OF DEATH = DEFAULTSORT:Orzabal, Roland Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:British people of Spanish descent Category:British people of Basque descent Category:English male singers Category:English rock singers Category:Tears for Fears members Category:People from Portsmouth Category:Ivor Novello Award winners Category:English songwriters
