Roland Orzabal
Roland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana (born 22 August 1961[1]) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and author. He is the guitarist, co-lead vocalist, main songwriter, co-founder, and the only constant member of Tears for Fears. He is also a producer of artists such as Oleta Adams. In 2014, Orzabal published his first novel, a romantic comedy.
Roland Orzabal
Roland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana
22 August 1961[1]
Portsmouth, England
Bath, Somerset, England
- Musician
- singer
- songwriter
- record producer
- author
- Vocals
- guitar
- keyboards
1979−present
Early life[edit]
Orzabal was born Roland Jaime Orzabal de la Quintana in Portsmouth, Hampshire on 22 August 1961.[1] He was initially raised in nearby Havant.[2] Orzabal's father, George Orzabal de la Quintana, was a Frenchman[3] of Argentinian and Spanish roots and was often so ill that he was rarely seen by his children.[4] Orzabal began writing songs when he was 7 years old.[5] The family later moved to Bath, where he attended Culverhay School (later Bath Community Academy) and became a member of the Zenith Youth Theatre Company.[6]
Career[edit]
Early career[edit]
Orzabal met Curt Smith while both were in their early teens in Bath, Somerset. In the late 1970s, they formed a mod music group, Graduate, along with three other members. Following the release of their debut album, Acting My Age, the group disbanded. Orzabal and Smith briefly joined Neon and then went on to form Tears for Fears, a new wave music/synthpop outfit directly inspired by the writings of the American psychologist Arthur Janov.[7] Orzabal sings and plays guitar for the band, while Smith sings and plays bass guitar.[8] Orzabal is also the band's main songwriter.[9]
The band's debut album, The Hurting (1983), reached number one on the UK Albums Chart. Their second album, Songs from the Big Chair (1985), reached number one on the US Billboard 200, achieving multi-platinum status in both the UK and the US.[10][11] Songs from the Big Chair included two Billboard Hot 100 number-one hits: "Shout" and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World".
Personal life[edit]
Relationships[edit]
In 1982, Orzabal married Caroline Johnston, whom he had been dating since his teenage years.[24] Caroline sang the child vocal on the Tears for Fears song "Suffer the Children" from the band's debut album The Hurting,[25] and also drew the hands cover artwork for the 1983 re-release of "Pale Shelter". Roland and Caroline Orzabal had two sons.[26][27] Orzabal's wife, Caroline Orzabal, died in July 2017 aged 54 after suffering from alcoholism-related dementia and cirrhosis, which came about after being diagnosed with depression. Her death led the band to cancel its remaining tour dates that year.[28]
In April 2022, Orzabal married Emily Rath, a photographer and writer.[28]
Politics[edit]
After the re-election of Margaret Thatcher in June 1987, Orzabal took interest in socialism in response to the Prime Minister's attitude towards the working class. His feelings on Thatcherism were reflected in the lyrics of "Sowing the Seeds of Love": "Politician granny with your high ideals / Have you no idea how the majority feels?".[29][30][31]
"Everybody Wants To Rule The World" was permitted as the title theme to Dennis Miller Live on HBO,[32][33] though the show espoused American centrist and libertarian viewpoints.[34]