Charlie Simpson
Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Charlie Simpson began his musical career in 2001, gaining critical acclaim and commercial success as the lead guitarist and vocalist for pop-punk band Busted and as the frontman of rock act Fightstar before going solo.
Busted had four UK number one singles, performed to sold-out arenas across the UK and went on to win two BRIT Awards for ‘Best Pop Act’ and ‘Best British Breakthrough’ in 2004. Over the course of their career, the group released four studio albums, two of which reached the UK Top 10, and have penned several mega hits including their debut single “What I Go To School For” (UK #2) and the follow up tracks “Year 3000” (UK #2), notably covered by the Jonas Brothers and 5 Seconds of Summer, “Air Hostess” (UK #2) and “Thunderbirds Are Go” (UK #1), amounting to over 5 million records sold in the UK alone.
Switching from pop to post-hardcore, Charlie formed Fightstar in 2003, incorporating metal, alternative rock and other genres into their sound. In 2005, the band achieved two Top 20 singles, “Paint Your Target” (UK #9) and “Grand Unification Part 1” (UK #20), from their debut LP ‘Grand Unification’. The following year, Fightstar received a nomination for ‘Best British Band’ at the Kerrang! Awards and in 2009, their record ‘Be Human’ entered the UK Albums Chart at number 20.
Busted’s latest record ‘Greatest Hits 2.0’, which features an array of high-profile collaborators such as Jonas Brothers, James Arthur, McFly, You Me At Six and The Vamps, stormed to the top of the UK Albums Chart on 22nd September 2023, securing the No. 1 position. Featured on the LP is a brand-new original song called “Good One”, which is co-written by Charlie Simpson and Phil Gornell and was added to BBC Radio 2’s B list. In addition, “Year 3000 2.0” with Jonas Brothers had Radio 2 A list support after the single was released on 28th July.
Out on 1st December 2023, the band’s single “One Of These Days” appeared on ‘Greatest Hits 2.0 Another Present For Everyone’, an expanded version of their hits album. The track also featured on BBC Radio 2’s B list and was the station’s Record Of The Week on the lead up to Christmas.
Socials:
Twitter: @CharlieSimpson
Instagram: @charliesimpson
Facebook: Charlie Simpson