| Bo Bruce | |
| Birth Name: | Catherine Anna Brudenell-Bruce |
| Birth Date: | 25 November 1984 |
| Birth Place: | Swindon, Wiltshire, England |
| Genre: | Pop, rock, indie |
| Occupation: | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument: | Vocals |
| Years Active: | 2008–present |
| Label: | Mercury (2012–2013) |
Lady Catherine Anna Brudenell-Bruce (born 25 November 1984), known as Bo Bruce, is an English singer-songwriter. She released an EP, Search the Night (2010), and an album, Before I Sleep (2013), both of which received a degree of chart success. She is also known for her appearance on The Voice UK. In 2015, Bruce and her future husband, Henry Binns, formed Equador.
Bo Bruce was born Lady Catherine Anna Brudenell-Bruce, the daughter of David Brudenell-Bruce, 9th Marquess of Ailesbury, and his first wife, Rosamond Winkley. Bruce is also a granddaughter of Michael Brudenell-Bruce, 8th Marquess of Ailesbury.[1] She has an older brother, Thomas Brudenell-Bruce, Viscount Savernake. Her family's seat is Tottenham House, set on a 4,500-acre estate in Wiltshire near Savernake Forest. Bruce and her brother grew up at Savernake Lodge on the estate. Bruce was close to her mother, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2012. Bruce is also a distant cousin of lingerie model Florence Brudenell-Bruce. She was educated at Marlborough College in Wiltshire and Port Regis, in Dorset.
Bruce digitally released an EP entitled Search The Night on 12 December 2010.[2] It featured the songs "Behind The Gates", "Waking", "Fighting Arizona", "Crossfire", and "Black Ice"; the latter was submitted upon applying for the Channel 4 competition while "Fighting Arizona" was performed during the broadcast.[3] Music videos were made for both "Fighting Arizona" (August 2010) and "Black Ice" (September 2011). Sales of the EP began to increase after Bruce became featured on The Voice UK and peaked at number two on the iTunes album charts on 4 June 2012.
On 15 August 2011, Bruce released a collaboration with DJ's/Producers Simon Patterson and Greg Downey entitled "Come to Me".[4]
Bruce auditioned for The Voice UK in 2012. In her blind audition, Bruce sang the David Guetta/Usher hit "Without You". Coaches will.i.am and Danny O'Donoghue turned around in a bid to add her to their teams, and she opted to join Team Danny.[5] In the battle round, Bruce performed with Vince Freeman, duetting on the U2 classic "With or Without You". O'Donoghue put her through to the live rounds.[6] During the live show of 5 May 2012, Bruce sang "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush, received praise from all four coaches, and was voted through to the next round of the competition with the viewers' vote.
| Performed | Song | Original artist | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blind Audition | "Without You" | David Guetta feat. Usher | Joined Team Danny |
| Battle Rounds | "With or Without You" (against Vince Freeman) | U2 | Winner |
| Week 1 | "You Get What You Give/Please Don't Stop The Music" (as part of Team Danny & Team Jessie group performance) | New Radicals/Rihanna | |
| Week 2 | "Running Up That Hill" | Kate Bush | Safe |
| Week 3 | "Starlight" (as part of Team Danny) | Muse | |
| Week 4 | "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)" | Rihanna | Safe |
| "Somebody That I Used To Know" (as part of Team Danny) | Gotye | ||
| Semi-final | "Charlie Brown" | Coldplay | Safe |
| "You're the Voice" (as part of The Voice UK Semi-finalists) | John Farnham | ||
| Final | "Nothing Compares 2 U" | Sinéad O'Connor | Runner-up |
| "Read All About It" (with Danny O'Donoghue) | Professor Green feat. Emeli Sande | ||
| "Charlie Brown" | Coldplay |
During the broadcast of The Voice UK, Bruce's collaboration with Mike Shiver called 'Still Here' was released.[7]
In the week following the final of The Voice UK, Bruce's 2010 EP Search the Night charted at No. 19.[8] Soon after this, Bruce announced that she had been signed to Mercury Records.[9] She performed her debut show at The Garage on 16 August 2012,[10] and later performed at the V Festival and at T in the Park.[11] Bruce featured on the track "Damaged" by DJ/Producer Kryder, released as a download-only single in October 2012.[12] Shortly after the end of The Voice UK, sessions for her debut album began.[13]
The music video for Bruce's song entitled "The Fall" was released on 27 November 2012,[14] while it was confirmed that the track would be also appearing on her debut album.[15] In March 2013, Bruce signed a publishing deal with Polar Patrol Publishing, which was set up by members of Snow Patrol and currently publishes a number of artists and songwriters, including Johnny McDaid of Snow Patrol and Here We Go Magic.[16] Her first single, "Save Me", and her debut album, Before I Sleep were released on 29 April 2013.[17] Upon release, the album reached no. 10 in the UK Albums Chart.[18]
On 24 April 2013, it was announced that Bruce had collaborated on a track with Gary Lightbody of Snow Patrol, entitled "The Rage That's in Us All", for the motion picture Star Trek Into Darkness released in cinemas on 9 May 2013.[19] [20]
Bruce's relationship with her label Mercury ended after the release of second single "Alive", which Bruce believed had been under-promoted. A third single had been planned but the singer "put a stop to it going out [and] pulled the video".[21]
In January 2014, "U" by Gareth Emery, featuring vocals from Bo Bruce, was released and was voted by the listeners of Armin van Buuren radio show 'A State of Trance' as Tune of the Year 2014.[22]
In 2015, Bruce teamed up with electronic musician Henry Binns (from Zero 7) to form Equador.[23] Equador released the album Bones of Man in 2016[24] and released two singles off that album, "Blood"[25] [26] and "Bones of Man".[27] In 2019, Equador released the Tribal War EP; the EP featured three new tracks, including "Treble Oh".[28]
In September 2013, it was confirmed that Bruce had entered a rehabilitation facility citing exhaustion.[29]
Bruce married Henry Binns, her collaborator in Equador, in June 2016.[30]
Bruce won a High Court action in February 2022, when her brother was removed as administrator of their mother's estate.[31]
See main article: Bo Bruce discography.