ANTHONEY WRIGHT
ARTIST / WRITER
Anthoney Wright grew
up in Nottingham with his radio DJ grandfather “there was always music
in the house - old Jamaican soul, calypso, ska and lovers rock” and his
Grandmother “she is a very strong and inspiring woman. I remember accompanying
her to the Baptist church every Sunday, but reluctantly - Sunday morning was
for cartoons and sleeping not for getting dressed up!”.
Having always sung “not publicly, just for the family” Anthoney
started writing songs in his teens inspired by an eclectic range of music from
Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Prince and Aretha Franklin to Aerosmith, 10cc and Bon
Jovi.
When his Aunt moved to London to escape an abusive relationship Anthoney, at
the request of his Grandmother, followed her south “Gran wanted someone
to be around her youngest child” and subsequently established a successful
career in publishing. His love of music continued and he lent his voice to various
dance-orientated projects (A Man Called Adam, Krush, Grahame Parks,
Alista ir Whitehead, Public Demand) and later sang on Right Here's The Spot
and Supersonic on the 2003 Basement Jaxx album Kish Kash.
Anthoney was making the most of the glitz and glamour that London can offer
but in 2004, following a particularly heavy weekend, he realised his lifestyle
was becoming increasingly shallow and had a “there must be more to life”
moment. Coincidentally a friend telephoned and told him about The Monastery,
a TV show that was looking for five people to spend six weeks in Worth Abbey.
Less than a week later, Anthoney walked into The Monastery and had a life changing
experience.
Now a Buddhist, Anthoney still lives in London but by a different set of rules
– those of discipline, self awareness, reflection, accountability and
life appreciation. A keen sportsman, enjoying running, boxing and the gym, Anthoney
supports the Tibetan charity Rokpa.
Shortly after his time in The Monastery, Anthoney met Ian Wright, the founder
of Reverb Music and industry maestro. On hearing Anthoney singing at a gig Ian
immediately signed him to the publishing company and a friendship and bond developed,
one that went far deeper than the normal business relationships and was rooted
in their joint love of music. Prior to his death to cancer in July ’07,
Ian set out clear instructions to his family as to how to help Anthoney succeed.
Working with Pete and Steve Lewinson (Simply Red, Eurythmics, Kylie, Corinne
Bailey Rae) and the Brit nominated production team Absolute (Spice Girls, Will
Young, Tina Turner) Anthoney has recorded his debut solo album. Managed by John
Campbell, Anthoney is released through Palawan Productions & De Angelis
Records,a joint venture between Anthoney, John and De Angelis – De Angelis
Records is the label founded by Anne Barrett, Natalie Imbruglia’s former
manager, whose artists include Jack Savoretti.
The first release from the record will be the soul smash Reset To Zero.
The song was inspired by both his Aunt “when she came to London she had
nothing, but she has built a new life from scratch and gives so much more back
to life than she takes from it” and a conversation with a friend who,
like Anthoney, had recently come out of a long relationship, “I remember
saying that we just needed to reset to zero and start again.”
Speaking about his musical aims Anthoney said “I’d love my music
to have a positive effect on people, to know that someone had been touched in
a constructive way. Closer to home there is a massive billboard on Tottenham
Court Road, it would be amazing to have my album cover on it and take my Gran,
who is blind in one eye, to see it.”
And is there one prize that would mean the world to him? “Oh yes. A Grammy”