Rea Garvey
Rea Garvey during Radio Regenbogen Award 2019 at Europapark
Background information
Born	Raymond Michael Garvey (1973-05-03)3 May 1973 (age 52) Tralee,Kerry,Ireland[1]
Genres	Pop rock,alternative rock
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter, musician
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1999–present
Labels	Universal,Island,Virgin
Formerly of	Reamonn
Website	reagarvey.com

Raymond "Rea"Michael Garvey (born 3 May 1973)^[1] is an Irish singer, songwriter and guitarist based in Germany. In 1998, he formed the bandReamonn. Over the 11 years that Garvey was their frontman, they saw chart-topping success in Europe, with a number of gold and platinum selling albums,Tuesday,Dream No. 7,Beautiful Sky,Wish andEleven and several sold out European tours.^[1] In 2010, after the release of the band's best-of album/DVDEleven, and a best-of tour, the band parted ways. Garvey took this time to pursue a solo career, which gave birth to his first solo albumCan't Stand the Silence in 2011.^[1] This album saw Garvey's transition from anthem rock with Reamonn, to alternative electro-pop.

Garvey was born on 3 May 1973 in Tralee, Ireland. He is the third of eight children and the only boy. His father works as a police chief, both parents are Catholic and very strict in their upbringing. By his own admission, Rea often went over the top in his youth – taking drugs, occasionally getting into fights, and getting arrested a few times – until he found a more moderate path with music.^[1]

Garvey gained his first musical experience as frontman of the Dublin bandThe Reckless Pedestrians. In 1998, he immigrated toGermany without being able to speak German. InUpper Swabia, Garvey initially stayed with friends. He earned his living as a T-shirt salesman and roadie at music festivals.^[1]

At the same time, he placed an ad in the newspaper looking for people to join him in a band. Together with drummer Mike Gommeringer, keyboardist and saxophonist Sebastian Padotzke, guitarist Uwe Bossert and bassist Philipp Rauenbusch, he founded the bandReamonn in November of the same year. The band's name is derived from the Irish version of Garvey's first name, Réamonn. In June 1999, the band signed its first record deal.^[1]

In March 2000, the band Reamonn released their first single: "Supergirl" reached number four in the charts in Germany andAustria. In Switzerland, the song also made it into the top ten. The debut album Tuesday followed two months later. It reached number five on the German album charts. This is followed by over 200 sold-out concerts and two further albums (Dream No. 7, 2001 andBeautiful Sky, 2003), which achieved gold and platinum status.^[1]

Garvey began working as a solo artist during his time withReamonn^[1] and since then has written songs for a variety of acts, includingPaul van Dyk,Jam and Spoon,Roger Cicero andThe BossHoss. Rea has also collaborated withApocalyptica,In Extremo,Nelly Furtado,Mary J Blige,Jam & Spoon,The BossHoss andATB. In 2005, Rea collaborated withNelly Furtado on the track "All Good Things (Come to an End)", for her 2006 album,Loose. The two also toured together in France and the Netherlands during 2007.

Garvey first showed his fascination withelectronic music in 2001, on the title track "Be Angeled" for the movieLoveparade. This was the first of many collaborations with the DJ teamJam and Spoon. The song was performed for the first time in memory ofMark Spoon at the start of theLove Parade in July 2006. In 2007, Rea appeared on a track titled "Let Go" for Paul van Dyk's albumIn Between. Rea has also worked on a solo collaboration withXavier Naidoo, with whom he recordedFalco's song "Jeanny" in 2002 and "My Child" for his solo debut albumCan't Stand the Silence in 2011.^[1] The latter was a multi-platinum success, following the break-up with his former band Reamonn in early 2011.

Garvey has also been featured as one of the four coaches on the German version ofThe Voice,The Voice of Germany for seasons 1–2, 4–5, 9–10, 12, and 15. The winner of the second season was British singer-songwriterNick Howard, who was on Garvey's team.

In 2005, Garvey together withXavier Naidoo,Sasha and comedianMichael Mittermeier, paid tribute to theRat Pack in a live performance calledAlive & Swingin', in aid of Garvey's charity organisation, Saving an Angel. Due to its success, the four took to the stage again, in early 2011, to a sold-out tour. As the demand for the German Rat Pack grew, the four continued to tour in 2012 and, with their big band, were set to take another encore in 2014.

Garvey won the 2021 edition of theFree European Song Contest, a spin-off of theEurovision Song Contest created by the German TV channelProSieben to have a version of the original contest when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the world. He represented Ireland with his song "The One" placing first with 116 points out of 16 songs.

Garvey has been married to the German-Romanian Josephine (née Falticska) since 2002. The couple have a daughter, Aamor (born 2005), and a son, whose birth year is unknown. The family lives both inBerlin and the Hessian village ofHadamar.^[1]

• 2010:Echo: In the categoryHonour Echo for Social Engagement
• 2012:Diva: In the categoryMusic Artist of the Year^[7]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toRea Garvey.

• Official website
• Rea Garvey discography atDiscogs
• Rea Garvey channel onYouTube
• Saving An Angel – Garvey's charity organisation
• Giveclearwater – organisation Garvey is a founder and ambassador of

• 1973 births
• Living people
• Irish rock singers
• Irish rock guitarists
• Irish male guitarists
• Musicians from County Kerry
• People from Tralee
• Irish emigrants to Germany
• 21st-century Irish male singers
• 21st-century Irish guitarists
• 20th-century Irish male singers
• 20th-century Irish guitarists

• CS1 German-language sources (de)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use British English from August 2014
• All Wikipedia articles written in British English
• Use dmy dates from May 2022
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• Commons category link from Wikidata