Example (musician)
Elliot John Gleave (born 20 June 1982), better known by his stage name Example, is an English musician, singer, songwriter, rapper and record producer. He released his debut studio album, What We Made, in 2007, followed by the mixtape What We Almost Made in 2008. Example first found success in 2010 with the release of his second studio album, Won't Go Quietly, which peaked at number four on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the UK Dance Chart.[10] The album had two top 10 singles, "Won't Go Quietly" and "Kickstarts".[11]
Example
- Musician
- singer
- songwriter
- rapper
- record producer
2003–present
2
Example's third studio album, Playing in the Shadows, was released in September 2011 and topped the charts with two number one singles, "Changed the Way You Kiss Me" and "Stay Awake".[12] His fourth studio album, The Evolution of Man, was released in November 2012 and peaked at number 13 on the UK Albums Chart and number one on the UK Dance Chart.
In 2013, Example released the lead single from his next album, entitled "All the Wrong Places", which peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. The following year, he released the single "Kids Again", which also peaked at number 13 on the UK Singles Chart. His fifth studio album, Live Life Living, was released in July 2014.[13]
As of 2014, Example is the third most downloaded artist in the Dance Music category, after Cascada.
Early life[edit]
Example was born as Elliot John Gleave on 20 June 1982 at West London Hospital in Hammersmith to Elaine (Johnston) and Michael Gleave. In a 2012 interview with The Guardian, he was stated to have Asperger syndrome, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. He said "I was diagnosed with Asperger's when I was younger. I was amazing with numbers, I had a photographic memory, and I hated reading fiction, preferring books on nature and history. All symptoms of mild autism."[14] He referenced this in the opening track to his fourth album The Evolution of Man, "Come Taste the Rainbow". He has a younger sister, named Elise. He later went on to attend ADT College (now Ashcroft Technology Academy) in Putney. Example has claimed in interviews that the main reason he started rapping was due to his introduction to hip-hop through albums by Wu-Tang Clan and Snoop Dogg – the latter's album purchased primarily for "the cool cover art", and to the fact that he was not particularly good at any sports, so started rapping to fit in socially. His first experience of rapping was through a rap battle at a house party in Shepherd's Bush in 1994, when he was 12 years old. In that battle, he, in his own words, "completely destroyed a useless wanker and a fight broke out so (he) sprinted home".
Gleave went on to study BA Media Arts at Royal Holloway, University of London, graduating in 2004.[15] It was during this period that he met Joseph Gardner, AKA Rusher, the producer whom he would go on to work with during his time releasing tracks independently through his All The Chats imprint, and later on Mike Skinner's label The Beats. Gleave and Gardner made a concept album in the audio booth of the university film department; this concept album contained the track which would go on to be Example's first white-label vinyl release, "A Pointless Song".
He returned to the UK and became a voiceover artist and editor for the Paramount Comedy Channel (now Comedy Central),[16] also working as an editor at MTV Networks.[17]
Film making[edit]
While filming a promo video for his single "What We Made" in the abandoned city of Prypiat in northern Ukraine, Example also filmed an 18-minute documentary in the ghost towns that he visited, many of which still remain exactly as they were when they were abandoned after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. He commented "I don't think anyone who's been here can be for nuclear power...I've read stuff recently about how we're only ever going to survive if we make nuclear power available, but you just think: why would you want it to happen after seeing this?"[39]
Speaking in an interview for Australian television in 2013, Example expressed an interest in moving more into film-making, suggesting that he "might do music for another five years and then [he] would like to move into film directing; preferably horror/thrillers."
Example made his feature film acting debut in Between Two Worlds, which he filmed a number of scenes for in 2013. His second appearance was in White Island, the film adaptation of the book A Bus Could Run You Over. His short film acting debut came in February 2016 in the form of Instagram-exclusive Shield 5, directed by Anthony Wilcox and starring alongside Christian Cooke.[40]
Personal life[edit]
Example is the nephew of the late footballer Tony Grealish.[41]
Example was married to Australian model and actress Erin McNaught. They became engaged in November 2012 and married in Australia on 18 May 2013.[42] On 23 July 2014, McNaught announced the news that she and Example were expecting a child.[43] On 21 December 2014 their son, Evander Maxwell Gleave, was born.[44] On 12 September 2017, Example announced the birth of their second child, Ennio Stanley Gleave.[45] Example currently resides in Brisbane, Australia.[46] In December 2019, Example obtained his residency visa and became a permanent resident of Australia.[47] Example and McNaught announced they had split amicably in October 2022 after 11 years together. Example is currently in a relationship with English art advisor Daisy Cox.[48]
Example is involved with charity work and is an ambassador for the Teenage Cancer Trust.[49] In November 2013, he visited India with the Life Water charity on their "Drop4drop" campaign to introduce fresh water. Example and his then wife McNaught donated a water pump to a community in the Kadapa region.[50]
He has collaborated with his second cousin, Tony Gleave, on various projects.
Example is a supporter of Fulham F.C.[51]
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