Barns Courtney Explained

Barns Courtney
Birth Name:Barnaby George Courtney
Birth Date:1990 11, df=yes
Birth Place:Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England
Years Active:2015–present
Module:
Embed:yes
Background:solo_singer
Past Member Of:SleeperCell

Barnaby George "Barns" Courtney[1] (born 17 November 1990)[2] [3] is an English singer, songwriter, and musician.

Early life

Courtney was born in England[4] then moved with his family to Seattle, Washington when he was 4.[5] He returned to the United Kingdom when 15.[6]

Career

2005-2015: Early career

Barnaby Courtney formed his first band SleeperCell at the age of 15, with whom he won various battle of the bands competitions and then participated in Channel 4's Orange Unsigned, a national televised battle of the bands event[7]

Courtney signed a record deal at the age of 19, as the frontman of indie band Dive Bella Dive with Island Records,[8] developing the band's debut album in Los Angeles. However, issues with the producer, Red One, stalled their project and, bound by contractual obligations, Courtney and his band were unable to re-record the material.[9] Despite touring and recording multiple albums, none could be released due to the band's contractual ties to Red One. It was only when Red One terminated their contract that Courtney could approach a new producer with his composition "Fire" which became his breakout single.[8] The track "Fire" gained unexpected traction after being used in the Bradley Cooper movie Burnt, which enabled Courtney to quit his retail job and sign a deal with Virgin Records.[8]

2015-2016: Beginnings as a solo artist

In 2015, Courtney released his first track as a solo artist, "Glitter & Gold", which received radio play on BBC Introducing Suffolk and by BBC Radio 1's Phil Taggert,[10] and led to an appearance at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Exeter the following year.[11] "Glitter & Gold" also reached #1 on the UK Spotify Viral Chart, and #2 on the iTunes Alternative Chart.[12]

Also in 2015, "Fire" was featured in the Bradley Cooper movie Burnt[13] and went on to receive airplay on American rock radio in 2016. To date, "Fire" has been streamed more than 68 million times on Spotify, while "Glitter & Gold" has been streamed more than 98 million times. Courtney played at the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas, in a showcase for NME magazine in March 2016[14] and performed "Fire" on Conan O'Brien's TBS talkshow Conan in June.[15] In 2017, Courtney was hailed as a "stomping, swaggering rock & roll balancing act teetering between blinding light and total darkness," In early 2017, the It's All Indie website selected Courtney as its #1 Sound of 2017.[16]

Courtney has opened for artists including The Who,[17] The Libertines, Ed Sheeran, The Lumineers, Tom Odell[18] and Fitz and the Tantrums,[19] and opened for Blur at the closing party for the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.[20] In 2016–2017, while working on his first full-length album,[21] he performed at the BottleRock Napa Valley festival in California,[22] the Governors Ball Music Festival in New York[23] and the LaureLive Music Festival in Cleveland, OH later in 2017.

In 2016, Barns Courtney played at the world famous Rock Werchter festival in Belgium on the KlubC stage.

2016-present: The Attractions of Youth and 404

In late January 2016, he also announced details of an extensive US headlining tour, in addition to the release of his debut EP, The Dull Drums.[24] His song, "Hellfire", was named as the official theme song for Extreme Rules in 2017.

On 29 September, he released his debut studio album The Attractions of Youth. It charted at number eight on US Heat, and at 95 on the UK Sales charts.

On 6 September 2019, his second album, 404, was released. It features the hit song "99".

Discography

Studio albums

TitleDetailsPeak chart positions
UK
Sales

[25]
SCO
[26]
US
Heat

[27]
US
Sales
[28]
The Attractions of Youth 95 82 8
404
  • Released: 6 September 2019[30]
  • Label: Virgin EMI, Universal
51 55 3 69
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

EPs

TitleYear
The Dull Drums2017
It's Hard To Be Alone2020

Singles

TitleYearPeak chart positionsCertificationsAlbum
UK
Sales

[31]
BEL
(FL)
Tip

[32]
CAN
Rock

[33]
FRA
[34]
SCO
[35]
US AAA
[36]
US Alt.
[37]
US Rock
[38]
"Fire"[39] 201620 3 18 46
  • MC: Gold
The Attractions of Youth
"Glitter & Gold"[40] 59 60 49 38

Gold[42]

"Hands"[43]
"Golden Dandelions"[44] 201719
"Never Let You Down"[45]
"Kicks"[46]
"Champion"[47]
"Sinners"[48] 2018
"99"[49] 3 12 7 19
  • MC: Gold
404
"You and I"[50] 201940 47 27
"Hollow"[51]
"Hard to Be Alone"[52] 2020
"Supernatural"[53] 202211 28 27 Supernatural
"Golden"[54] 202330
"Young in America"[55] 21
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Notes

Filmography

Year Title Role Episode
2016 Conan Himself – Musical guest Season 6, Episode 95
2017 The Late Late Show with James Corden Himself – Musical guest Season 4, Episode 16
2017 Sunday Brunch Himself – Guest Series 6, Episode 44
2018 Last Call with Carson Daly Himself – Musical guest Season 17, Episode 26
2018 Last Call with Carson Daly Himself – Musical guest Season 17, Episode 39
2019 Sunday Brunch Himself – Guest Series 8, Episode 26

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ASCAP Ace Search. Courtney. Barnaby George. American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). 18 June 2016. 6 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170106040548/https://mobile.ascap.com/aceclient/AceWeb/#ace/writer/681171840/COURTNEY%20BARNABY%20GEORGE. dead.
  2. Web site: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix opener Barns Courtney can celebrate success after the tough times. The National. 19 October 2016.
  3. Web site: Barns Courtney on Twitter. Barns Courtney. Twitter. 19 October 2016.
  4. Web site: Barns Courtney. First Avenue. 19 September 2017.
  5. Web site: Barns Courtney is taking his career to new heights and trying to soak it all in . 107.7 The End . 24 March 2016 . 28 November 2017.
  6. Web site: Paradigm Talent Agency. 28 May 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151213035922/http://www.paradigmagency.com/divisions/artist/index/2858. 13 December 2015. dead.
  7. Web site: SleeperCell's future's bright – but not Orange. 14 January 2017.
  8. Web site: Artist Profile: Barns Courtney. . 23 December 2017 . 30 June 2023.
  9. Web site: Barns Courtney: The Best of What's Next. Pastemagazine.com. 6 June 2016 . 14 January 2017.
  10. Web site: Track of the Day: Barns Courtney – Glitter and Gold. Xsnoize.com . 24 September 2015 . 28 November 2017.
  11. Web site: Barns Courtney: BBC Introducing Stage. BBC. 14 January 2017.
  12. Web site: Slate The Disco – Barns Courtney in Conversation. Slatethedisco.com. 14 January 2017.
  13. Web site: How Bradley Cooper, Harvey Weinstein Helped Ignite Singer Barns Courtney's Rising Star on the Burnt Soundtrack. People. 14 January 2017.
  14. Web site: SXSW Schedule 2016: Barns Courtney. Schedule.sxsw.com. 14 January 2017.
  15. Web site: Barns Courtney "Fire" on Conan. 1039rxp.com. 14 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170116171903/http://1039rxp.com/2016/06/16/barns-courtney-fire-on-conan-june-15-2016/. 16 January 2017. dead.
  16. Web site: It's All Indie – Sounds of 2017: #1 – Barns Courtney. Itsallindie.com. 5 January 2017 . 14 January 2017.
  17. Web site: The Who Concert Guide. Thewholive.net. 17 January 2017.
  18. Web site: Barns Courtney – North America Tour Dates. Barnscourtney.com. 25 October 2016.
  19. Web site: The Latest from the Band: Barns Courtney Will Be Joining Us On The Come Get Your Love Tour!. Fitzandthetantryms.com. 19 July 2016 . 14 January 2017.
  20. Web site: Abu Dhabi Grand Prix opener Barns Courtney can celebrate success after the tough times. The National. 14 January 2017.
  21. Web site: Barns Courtney – Biography. AllMusic. 30 May 2016.
  22. Web site: BottleRock Festival: 2017 Artists. 14 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170116162600/http://www.bottlerocknapavalley.com/lineup-schedule/2017-artists/. 16 January 2017. dead.
  23. Web site: Governors Ball Music Festival: 2017 Artists. 14 January 2017.
  24. News: Barns Courtney announces tour in support of debut release. AXS. 6 February 2017.
  25. Peaks on the UK albums sales chart:The Attractions of Youth:Web site: Official Album Sales Chart Top 100 . Official Charts Company . 30 August 2023 . 404:Web site: Official Album Sales Chart Top 100 . Official Charts Company . 26 June 2023 .
  26. Peaks on Scotland albums chart:
  27. Barns Courtney – Chart History: Heatseekers Albums . . 26 June 2023.
  28. Barns Courtney – Chart History: Album Sales . . 26 June 2023.
  29. Web site: Barns Courtney Reveals Debut Album, The Attractions Of Youth, Set To Release September 29 . Umusic.ca . 18 August 2017 . 25 August 2017.
  30. Web site: 404 - Album by Barns Courtney - Apple Music. Apple Music. 9 November 2023.
  31. Web site: Discografie Barns Courtney. Ultratop. 15 June 2019.
  32. Barns Courtney Chart History – Canada Rock. Billboard. 8 July 2019.
  33. Web site: Glitter & Gold by Barns Courtney – Music Charts . ACharts . 12 May 2023.
  34. Peaks in Scotland:
  35. Barns Courtney Chart History – Triple A. Billboard. 20 November 2018.
  36. Barns Courtney Chart History – Alternative Songs. Billboard. 18 September 2018.
  37. Barns Courtney Chart History – Rock Songs. Billboard. 19 September 2018.
  38. Web site: Barns Courtney – Fire Album Reviews, Songs & More . AllMusic. 12 May 2023.
  39. Web site: Barns Courtney Talks Inspiration For 'Glitter and Gold' Recap – Barns Courtney News. antiMusic.com. 12 May 2023.
  40. United Kingdom. Barns Courtney . 12 May 2023.
  41. Web site: Gold/Platinum – Barns Courtney. Music Canada. July 23, 2019.
  42. Web site: Barns Courtney – Hands Album Reviews, Songs & More . AllMusic. 12 May 2023.
  43. Web site: Barns Courtney Unveils Video For New Single "Golden Dandelions". Umusic. 12 May 2023.
  44. Web site: Barns Courtney – Never Let You Down Album Reviews, Songs & More . AllMusic. 12 May 2023.
  45. Web site: Barns Courtney – Kicks Album Reviews, Songs & More . AllMusic. 12 May 2023.
  46. Web site: Barns Courtney – Champion Album Reviews, Songs & More . AllMusic. 12 May 2023.
  47. Web site: Barns Courtney – Sinners Album Reviews, Songs & More . AllMusic. 12 May 2023.
  48. Web site: Barns Courtney – 99 Album Reviews, Songs & More . AllMusic. 12 May 2023.
  49. Web site: Barns Courtney – You and I Album Reviews, Songs & More . AllMusic. 12 May 2023.
  50. Web site: Barns Courtney – Hollow Album Reviews, Songs & More . AllMusic. 12 May 2023.
  51. Web site: Barns Courtney – Hard to Be Alone Album Reviews, Songs & More . AllMusic. 12 May 2023.
  52. Web site: Barns Courtney – Supernatural Album Reviews, Songs & More . AllMusic. 12 May 2023.
  53. Web site: Barns Courtney – Golden Album Reviews, Songs & More . AllMusic. 12 May 2023.
  54. Web site: The Drop: Barns Courtney "Young In America" . WAQX-FM. 9 November 2023.