Johnny Borrell

Johnny Borrell

Jonathan Edward Borrell (born 4 April 1980, in Muswell Hill, London, England) is an English singer and guitarist, and the frontman of Razorlight.

Life and career

He grew up in and around the city of London, in Muswell Hill, and attended first St. Anthony's School, Hampstead, and then Highgate School, an expensive public school, with John Hassall, former bassist of The Libertines and frontman of Yeti. He currently resides in the Hampstead Heath area. He went on to form Razorlight with Carl Dalemo, Christian Smith Pancorvo (Later replaced by Andy Burrows) and Björn Ågren. After a string of top twenty hits including "Golden Touch", their debut album Up All Night charted at number 3 in the UK, and stop-gap single "Somewhere Else" just missed out on the number 1 spot. Their self-titled follow-up album was released July 17, 2006, and debuted at number 1 in the UK album chart, giving the band their first release to top the chart. Johnny and Razorlight scored their first UK number 1 single with "America" on the 8th of October '06.

Reputation and controversy

Borrell is notorious for his arrogant attitude towards the press and is famous for his proclamations of his own abilities. However, like many other artists who come across negatively in NME interviews, Borrell and supporters have accused the magazine of misrepresentation and emphasising quotes out of context. Interviewers have recently alluded to tension between Borrell and the two Swedish members of the band, one of whom claims Borrell spends little time with them.

Borrell and The Libertines

Borrell is one of "The Dalston Set", a clique of indie notables connected to the early days of the London scene of the early 2000s, along with Dominic Masters of The Others, Pete Doherty, Carl Barât, John Hassall, and the Queens of Noize. It has been reported that he was briefly a stand-in bassist for The Libertines before they were signed, but in recent interviews he has claimed that this is not true. In Pete Welsh's Kids in the Riot, it is alleged that Borrell was sacked as The Libertines' bassist for unreliable behaviour and not turning up to gigs, but in general there is little animosity between the two bands, and Borrell remains friends with Carl Barât. The Libertines' song "The Boy Looked At Johnny" is reputedly about Borrell, and Razorlight album track "Don't Go Back To Dalston" is reputedly directed at Pete Doherty, telling him to curtail his drug habit. Another Razorlight song talking about curtailing a drug habit is "Up All Night" which is largely misinterpreted as being a love song. However, Borrell's former friend Pete Doherty headbutted him backstage at the Leeds Festival in 2005.

Borrell and The Kooks

In the May 17, 2006 issue of the NME, Borrell became embroiled in a spat with fellow NME favourites The Kooks, as a result of his remarks that their music is 'shit' and the lead singer 'boring'. In an interview with the popular music magazine NME Borrell is quoted as saying "He models his style on me. And that record is the most horrible thing I've ever heard. It sounds like the band are literally rolling over, sticking their arse in the air and begging Radio 1 to fuck them. I heard their single on the radio the other day and it sounds like fucking Avril Lavigne! If he can live with himself after that production, and if he feels like he has to slag people off to keep up, then I'm sure his nights are long and those moments of doubt are really painful. So fuck The Kooks. Fuck 'em!" [3]" implying that The Kooks had "sold out" to the commercial music industry by signing to Virgin Records and adjusting their sound to become more marketable. Ironically, Radio 1 had held a "Razorlight week" recently before that to coincide with and promote the band's second album.

Borrell also said that he believed Razorlight were better than the Arctic Monkeys.

Borrell and Keane

In late 2006, Tim Rice-Oxley, pianist and songwriter with Keane, declared their song "The Frog Prince" to be a criticism of Borrell.

Trivia

• In Razorlight's 2004 release Up All Night, Borrell recorded the number of the company Vice into the track "Vice." The number has been quoted as 07761-010-233, though the authenticity of this number has been disputed. In the video for the track, Borrell is seen in a phone box with adverts for prostitutes on the walls, as can be seen across many London phoneboxes. The telephone number for every advert on the wall is also 07761-010-233.

• He supports Chelsea Football Club.

• Borrell is a big fan of cricket and a member of Middlesex County Cricket Club.

• He has been romantically linked to Uruguayan-born singer Fabiola Gatti and has dated Kirsten Dunst, who he was seen with at Lord's during a 2007 cricket match between England and the West Indies..

• He has appeared twice on The Mighty Boosh, once alone as a giant rapist rabbit in the 2006 stage show and once with Razorlight in the episode "The Priest and the Beast".

• Borrell appeared on the front cover of the May 2007 issue of Vogue Magazine, alongside supermodel Natalia Vodianova, in his trademark skinny white jeans. Borrell is one of only seven men who have appeared on the cover of the British Vogue.

External links

• Razorlight official site