Alex Kapranos | |
|---|---|
 Kapranos performing withFranz Ferdinand in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley[1] (1972-03-20)20 March 1972 (age 53) Almondsbury,Gloucestershire, England |
| Origin | Glasgow, Scotland[2] |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1992–present |
| Labels | Domino |
| Member of | Franz Ferdinand |
| Formerly of |
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Spouse | |
| Website | franzferdinand |
| Children | 1 |
Alexander Paul Kapranos (born 20 March 1972) is a Scottish[3] musician. He is the lead vocalist and lead guitarist of Scottish rock bandFranz Ferdinand.[4] He has also been a part of thesupergroupsFFS andBNQT.
Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley was born on 20 March 1972 inAlmondsbury, South Gloucestershire, the son of an English mother and Greek father.[5] As a two-month-old he moved toSunderland,[6] moving to Scotland when he was a child.[7] He attendedBearsden Academy,[8] then theUniversity of Aberdeen to study Theology. After dropping out, he continued studying at theUniversity of Strathclyde, gaining aBA. In 2005, he was awarded Strathclyde's Alumnus of the Year.[9]
Kapranos worked as a chef, barman, waiter and delivery driver prior to his success in music.[10] From the early 1990s, he was a fixture of the Glasgow music scene, running live nights atThe 13th Note Café, most notably The Kazoo Club.[citation needed]
While working at the Glasgow'sAnniesland College in late 1990s, Alex Kapranos played in some of his city's bands, including the Blisters (later known asthe Karelia), the Amphetameanies, andthe Yummy Fur. He also contributed to thenoise rock bandUrusei Yatsura and Lung Leg recordings.[4]
After dropping "Huntley" from his name, Kapranos formedFranz Ferdinand in 2001. The band was composed of Kapranos,Nick McCarthy (rhythm guitar, keyboards, vocals),Paul Thomson (drums, backing vocals) andBob Hardy (bass). The band saw chart success after their second single "Take Me Out" was released on 12 January 2004[11] and reached number 3 in the UK Charts;[12] it was followed by their debut albumFranz Ferdinand (released 9 February 2004),[13] which debuted on the UK album chart at Number 3.[14]
The band went on to win the 2004Mercury Music Prize[15] and twoBrit Awards in 2005[16] for Best British Group and Best British Rock Act.
In 2015, the Franz Ferdinand collaborated with American band Sparks to form a supergroup namedFFS.
Also in 2015, Kapranos joined the supergroupBNQT.
In 2019, British band All We Are released a single "Heart Attack" with Alex Kapranos.[17]
In 2020, Kapranos released an English-French cover of "Summer Wine" withClara Luciani.[18]
Kapranos producedMen's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever—the third album by Britishindie rock groupThe Cribs inVancouver, B.C., released on 14 May 2007. He also produced their single-only track "Don't You Wanna Be Relevant?", which was featured with "Our Bovine Public" (fromMen's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever) as adouble A-side.
Kapranos makes acameo appearance in the video for "Our Bovine Public".[19]
His remix of the single "New in Town" by British pop singerLittle Boots was featured on various formats of the singles release.
He produced the debut album by British indie rock bandCitizens!,Here We Are, which was released byKitsuné on 28 May 2012.[20]
He produced the second album of Scottish guitaristRM Hubbert,Thirteen Lost & Found.In 2019, he produced the single "Pista (Great Start)" by London-based band Los Bitchos, which he described thus: "Truly international with cumbia beats, Turkish psychedelia, a hint of Swedish pop and a touch of shoegaze shimmer. More than anything, they put you in a really good mood when you listen to them. Celebratory trills and whoops energise the vibrant Dick Dale-esque guitars and brass, making for a blistering escape to a rip-roaring desert session."[21]
In September 2005, Kapranos began "Soundbites",[22] a weekly food column for G2 inThe Guardian newspaper, which detailed his culinary adventures as Franz Ferdinand traversed the globe on their world tour.Sound Bites: Eating on Tour with Franz Ferdinand, a book of the column and unreleased material illustrated byAndy Knowles, was released in 2006.
Sound Bites: Eating on Tour with Franz Ferdinand was read by Kapranos onBBC Radio 4'sBook of the Week for 4–8 December 2006, described as "his account about what he ate while touring the world."[23]
Kapranos narrated the 2008BBC Scotland documentaryEdwyn Collins: Home Again on the recovery ofOrange Juice singerEdwyn Collins.
Also in 2008, Kapranos narrated the BBC Radio 1 documentaryThe Story of Kraftwerk.
In 2016, Kapranos took part in a documentary about Glasgow music, andChemikal Underground Records, calledLost in France. The film was directed by Niall McCann and brought Kapranos (along with members ofThe Delgados,Mogwai and others) toMauron, Brittany, to recreate a gig they played when Kapranos was in his earlier band,The Karelia. The film features Kapranos playing live withStuart Braithwaite of Mogwai, and other musicians such asEmma Pollock andRM Hubbert, andHoly Mountain, as well as interviews with Kapranos and his old label-mates.Lost in France premiered at theEdinburgh International Film Festival to wholly positive reviews and was called "Funny, vital and sobering"[24] by Scotland's arts publication,The Skinny.
Kapranos was interviewed forEdgar Wright's 2021 documentary filmThe Sparks Brothers, centered around the bandSparks, with whom Franz Ferdinand formedsupergroupFFS.[25]
From 7 August to 11 September 2022, Kapranos presented a six part Sunday night radio programme titled "The Alex Kapranos Show" onAbsolute Radio.[26]
In his spare time, Kapranos enjoys "crafting abstract furniture in his carpentry workshop".[27][28]
In June 2005, Kapranos was detained for around an hour by officials atDomodedovo Airport inMoscow after being mistakenly identified as belonging on a U.S. "no-fly" list. This occurred due to the surname on his passport, Huntley, also having been previously used as an alias by the formerMI6 agentRichard Tomlinson. Tomlinson had been fired, imprisoned, and labelled a security risk after circulating to publishers a draft of a book on MI6. Kapranos was released after officials determined that he did not fit Tomlinson's description.[29][30]
Growing up inSunderland, he supported the local football clubSunderland A.F.C.[31]
Kapranos hasasthma and has apeanut allergy.[32]
Kapranos dated singerEleanor Friedberger for a few years (he dedicated the song "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" to her).[33]
Since 2019, he has been in a relationship with French musicianClara Luciani. Luciani announced her pregnancy with the couple's first child in May 2023.[34]They married in Scotland at the end of May 2023.[35] Their son was born in September 2023.[36]
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | "Heart Attack" (All We Are & Alex Kapranos) | non-album single |
| 2020 | "Summer Wine" (Alex Kapranos &Clara Luciani) | non-album single |
