Singer / Songwriter Gregory Darling To Release Debut Solo Album MADLY

American singer, songwriter and musician GREGORY DARLING will release MADLY, his debut solo album in the U.S. in late April (exact date TBA), after having released three albums throughout the U.K. and Europe, with the first two discs achieving Top Ten positions. MADLY, due out on FOD Records, will be preceded by THE MARCH 19 release of the first single, "My Sleeping Heart,"an upbeat slice of piano-based soulful pop marked by his distinctive croon, cascading melodies and incisive lyrics about a busted-up relationship. The song will be accompanied by a video in the weeks to come. *View the EPK with DARLING here.

"An old friend was staying with me, after his wife decided she no longer wanted a relationship," says GREGORY about the evocative song. "As I've been in this situation before, I could relate to his dilemma. So I took pen to paper and within a few hours I had a song in the can. The message to this song is, 'Don't fall asleep behind the wheel.'"

MADLY was recorded in ROME and produced by Bob Rose, who did the same honors for Shell (2006), Stew Americano (2008) and Coloured Life (2012).MADLY features Manny Elias (Tears For Fears) on drums, Nigel Harrison(Blondie) on bass, Dani Robinson (Billy Cox Band of Gypsies Experience) on guitar and the Orchestra di Santa Cecilia Orchestra(Orchestraof theVatican). The album abounds with highlights including the Bowie-esque "Send Me A Message," inspired by the death of DARLING's grandfather and a conversation DARLING had with his son about the afterlife, although the line"send me a message from the stars" surely acknowledges the deaths of Bowie and Prince as much as anyone else. The title track "Madly"is DARLING at his most rock 'n' roll, with Pistols/Clash guitar breaks courtesy of ax-wielder Dani Robinson;you get the idea he may have messed up on a relationship as he sings,"it's a lonely old Saturday night but I've got red wine!"

Throughout his career, DARLING has captured the attention of George Michael, Prince and Bono. And talk about a unique backstory. Famed for appearing in a choir conducted as a child by Ennio Morricone (Exorcist 2)-while studying at the Mitchell School (where his father had also been a student)--DARLING initially signed to Polygram as Bowie/Queen-influenced outfit DarlingCruel. Their debut album, Passion Crimes, sold 100,000 copies in its first week of release, spawned two videos that became Polygram's most successful MTV videos of the year. Record company politics unfortunately derailed the band's future. Years later, DARLING met producer Bob Rose, which led to co-writing five songs (including the title track) and playing piano on Julian Lennon's critically acclaimed album Photograph Smile. He subsequently embarked on a world tour with Lennon between 1998 and 2000 where he played piano and provided backing vocals.

In 2005, DARLING signed a worldwide publishing and recording deal with Toronto-based FOD Records releasing his debut album Shell the following year. The album received critical acclaim throughout Europe catapultedDARLING into the Top Ten in Italy and Germany and saw him touring with Bryan Adams. Two years later, DARLING released Stew Americano featuring Portishead's Clive Deamer and Alan Parson's Project bassist Joe Puerta, with the record receiving superb reviews: the SundayTimes called it "a wonderful album full of classic 1970s-style piano pop that should delight anyone who loves peak period Elton John or Joe Jackson" while the Mail On Sunday suggested it had "a romantic weariness that recalls something of Elton John in his prime."

GREGORY DARLING has been quoted as saying "at school, I played in a lot of bands, a black funk act, even at the Southern Baptist Church in Tujunga [CA] every Sunday, until they kicked me out for falling asleep under a piano,"but he also attended music school in LA in order to learn to write songs properly. Of course that church's loss is everyone's mutual gain, and it is this combination of eccentricity and expertise that makes his recordings such a revelation. Naturally, MADLY proves to be just as revelatory.

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