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Sean Lennon

Born in New York, NY

Sean Lennon's Genre:

Alternative Pop/Rock, Twee Pop, Indie Pop, Alternative/Indie Rock

Biography

As the son of John Lennon, perhaps the most beloved Beatle, and avant-garde musician Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon was a celebrity before he had even begun his recording career. That may be the reason why he didn't choose straight-ahead pop as his musical vocation, like his half-brother Julian did. Instead, he cleverly positioned himself between pop and experimental, taking his cue from such kaleidoscopic '90s multiculturists as the Beastie Boys, Beck, and Cibo Matto. To many ears, his 1998 debut album, Into the Sun, had unexpectedly eclectic roots and a laid-back vibe, earning him positive critical reviews and securing a modest place in the post-alternative hierarchy.

Ten years before Into the Sun, such a transformation seemed unlikely. But toward the end of the '80s, Lennon began to emerge from the seclusion that marked the years following his father's assassination. During his childhood, he was educated in Swiss boarding schools, but occasionally appeared on his mother's albums and sang on the 1984 Ono tribute Every Man Has a Woman. In his early teens, he was occasionally seen decked out in a plastic Thriller jacket and hanging out with Michael Jackson, but his first official step into the spotlight was in the form of filmed interviews for the 1988 documentary John Lennon: Imagine.

Three years later, he organized -- with Ono and Lenny Kravitz -- a star-studded re-recording of his father's "Give Peace a Chance" as a protest to the Gulf War. That year, he also appeared on Kravitz's album Mama Said. Shortly afterward, he retreated from the spotlight again, deciding to attend Columbia University. He spent only a few semesters at college before he dropped out of school to hang out in the New York indie rock scene. He encouraged his mother to begin performing again, supporting her in a noise rock trio named IMA; the trio was featured on Ono's 1995 album Rising and backed her on her subsequent tour. During that time, Lennon met Cibo Matto, who were hired to remix a song on Ono and IMA's EP, and he became Cibo Matto's touring bassist as well as the boyfriend of their keyboardist, Yuka Honda. For a short while in the mid-'90s, he was touring with both IMA and Cibo Matto; it was the first time he was on the road playing music for an extended period of time.

Once the touring was completed, Lennon played some of his songs to Beastie Boy Adam Yauch. Impressed with the demos, Yauch asked Lennon if he wanted to record a solo album for the Beasties' label, Grand Royal. He accepted the offer and had Honda produce the resulting album, Into the Sun. A mellow, eclectic album that bounces between bossa nova and alternative rock, Into the Sun was released in the spring of 1998. Journalists and observers were ready to spot musical similarities between Sean and his father, but perhaps the clearest shared trait was an ability to unwittingly stick his foot in his mouth just like his dad. Shortly before Into the Sun, he gave an interview with The New Yorker claiming his father was assassinated by the American government. It helped stir up interest for his debut album, but he didn't need it, since the rock press was already eager to run stories about him -- not only was he the heir to rock royalty, he had the Grand Royal stamp of approval. Consequently, Into the Sun received strong reviews and, on the basis of those reviews, earned a small following, debuting at number 153 on the charts.

When Grand Royal folded in 2001, Lennon found himself without a label, but Capitol soon signed him. However, it wasn't until 2006 that he released new material; his second album, the mostly piano-driven Friendly Fire, appeared that fall and featured contributions from Honda, Ono, Money Mark, and Vincent Gallo. In 2009, Lennon composed the score for the independent film Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Undead. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

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Sean Lennon

This station plays the best music from and music from related artists like Julian Lennon, John Lennon, Beck, The Beatles, Cibo Matto, Elliott Smith, Radiohead, Death Cab For Cutie, Ringo Starr, George Harrison and more.

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Sean Lennon's Selected Discography (9)

Into the Sun

(C) 1998 Capitol Records, Inc.. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is a violation of applicable laws. Manufactured by Capitol Records, Inc., 1750 North Vine Street, Hollywood, CA 90028.199813 Songs

Home

2005 Sean Glen MusicSINGLE19982 Songs

Friendly Fire [Bonus DVD]

(C) 2006 Friendly Fire LLC under exclusive license to Capitol Records, Inc. All rights reserved. Manufactured by Capitol Records, Inc., 1750 N. Vine Street, Hollywood, California 90028. Unauthorized Reproduction is a Violation of Applicable Laws.200610 Songs

Parachute L’Eclipse

(C) 2007 Friendly Fire LLC under exclusive license to Capitol Records, Inc. All rights of the producer and of the owner of the recorded work reserved. Unauthorised copying, public performance, broadcasting, hiring or rental of this recording prohibited. Lc0148. Made in the EU.SINGLE20071 Songs

Dead Meat [2 Tracks]

(C) 2006 Capitol Records, Inc.. All rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction is a violation of applicable laws. Manufactured by Capitol Records, Inc., 1750 North Vine Street, Hollywood, CA 90028.DIGITAL20062 Songs

Into the Sun

200415 Songs

Half Horse Half Musician

199910 Songs

Alter Egos [Original Score]

SOUNDTRACK201320 Songs

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead

SOUNDTRACK200915 Songs

All Albums

Artists Related to Sean Lennon (50)

	Julian Lennon	The son of John Lennon and his first wife, Cynthia, Julian Lennon parlayed a remarkable vocal similarity to his father into a successful singing career.
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	Beck	Initially pegged as something as a voice of a generation when “Loser” turned into a smash crossover success, Beck did wind up crystallizing much of the post-modern ruckus of the ‘90s alternative explosion, but in unexpected ways.
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	Cibo Matto	A Japanese-born duo relocated to New York and christened with an Italian band name, Cibo Matto's music mirrored the melting-pot aesthetics of their origins, resulting in a heady brew of funk samples, hip-hop rhythms, tape loops, and fractured pop melodies all topped off by surreal narratives sung in a combination of French and broken English.
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	Death Cab For Cutie	Death Cab for Cutie's rise from small-time solo project to Grammy-nominated rock band is one of indie rock's greatest success stories.
	Ringo Starr	Ringo Starr, born Richard Starkey, was the drummer in the Beatles from 1962 to 1970 and thus became one of the most famous musicians of the '60s.
	George Harrison	In his most obvious contribution to music as lead guitarist for the Beatles, George Harrison provided the band with a lyrical style of playing in which every note mattered.
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	Paul McCartney	Out of all the former Beatles, Paul McCartney by far had the most successful solo career, maintaining a constant presence in the British and American charts during the '70s and '80s.
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	Eels	Although Eels are often marketed as a full-fledged band, singer/songwriter E (real name: Mark Oliver Everett) is responsible for the group's sound and direction.
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	Pedro the Lion	After a shifting lineup, Pedro the Lion finally eventually became a one-man outfit. That man is David Bazan.
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	Fantastic Plastic Machine	The most producer-driven act in the Japanese pop movement known as Shibuya-kei, Fantastic Plastic Machine was formed by Tomoyuki Tanaka.