Glen Hansard is a renowned Irish musician. He did not receive a special musical education, but his work is unique. He is also famous as an actor, as well as the creator of the soundtrack for the movie "The Hunger Games".
Few indie folk heroes have won Oscars or set the stage for a successful musical on stage, but Glen Hansard is an artist who can wear both of these feathers in his hat. As a member of The Frames and The Swell Season, Hansard has won acclaim for his literate, intelligent and passionate songwriting. And he continues to win similar awards as a solo artist. Hansard first captivated audiences with flexible yet expressive indie rock as a member of The Frames, then gained international fame with fellow singer and songwriter Markéta Irglová in The Swell Season; their emotionally open, primarily acoustic indie folk has become the centerpiece of the award-winning independent romantic drama. After releasing solo with his 2012 solo debut, Rhythm and Repose, Hansard has shown a stylistic variety.
Carier start
Glen Hansard was born on April 21, 1970 in Dublin, in the Ballymun area. From childhood, Hansard was much more passionate about music than school assignments. At 13, on the advice of a teacher who believed he had a future as a musician, he dropped out and started making a living playing on the streets of Dublin. Glen has no special education, he never graduated from any educational institution. For five years the musician played on the streets of the city, worked on his songs and developed creatively. In his late teens, his parents helped him record demos of his original works, financially supporting him. A total of 50 copies were made, one of which was heard by the famous Denny Cordell. Cordell was impressed by Hansard's recordings, and on his recommendation, the musician signed to Island Records. Having signed a contract with the label, Hansard needed to create a support group, so in 1990 he assembled a group of local rock musicians. And already in 1991 the first album “Another Love Song” was released.
In the same year he made his debut as an actor in Alan Parquet's film "The Group" Commitments ". The role brought him fame outside Iceland, but, according to Glen himself, acting greatly distracted him from the music. He decided to focus on it.
However, when the new love song fell short of Island Records' sales expectations, Frames had to focus on live performance until they struck another deal, this time with ZTT Records. The record company released the band's second album, Fitzcarraldo, in 1995. The next album, Dance the Devil, followed in 1999. The group's work had not only a large audience in its native country, but also enjoyed particular popularity in the United States. In 2001, they released their fourth album, For the Birds, followed by a live recording of the Breadcrumb Trail the following year. Hansard also found himself in front of the cameras again when he recorded as the host of Other Voices: Songs from the Room, an Irish TV show that showcased local talent.
Joint creativity with Irglova
In 2006, following the release of The Cost, Hansard took a short break to work on The Swell Season, in which he collaborated with Czech singer and songwriter Markéta Irglová. Despite the fact that Hansard was 18 years older than Marketa, they began a romantic relationship, which continued after the completion of the joint album.
Around the same time, writer and director John Carney, a former member of The Frames, convinced Hansard to play the male lead in the independent feature film Once Upon a Time, about an Irish musician who falls in love with an Eastern European immigrant and colleague. Irglova played the main female role in the film. The film was released in 2007 and made the couple famous. And their song, written and performed in the movie "Falling Slowly", earned them an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
In 2009, The Swell Season released their second album, Strict Joy, but by that time Hansard and Irglova had broken off their romantic relationship amicably. Occasionally they continued to collaborate, but not as "The Swell Season" anymore. However, their music found a second life in 2011 when it debuted a Broadway musical adapted from Carney's Once Upon a Time. The show moved to Broadway in 2012 and has since been staged in the UK, Canada, Australia and South Korea.
Solo career
In 2012, Hansard released his first solo album, Rhythm and Repose, and at the same time announced his final break with Irglova and moved to New York. Later in 2012, Hansard's track "Take The Heartland" appeared on the soundtrack to the hit movie The Hunger Games, and the following year he joined Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder to cover Bruce Springsteen's "Drive All Night.", which was included in the self-titled album released in support of music education by the charity Little Kids Rock.
In September 2015, Hansard returned with a new album, Didn't He Ramble, which was followed by an American concert tour. In January 2018, Hansard's fourth full-length solo album, Between Two Shores, was released, in support of which he organized an international concert tour, including a special show with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.
Personal life
As mentioned above, Glen had a long affair with Irglova. When they got together, she was only 19 years old, when Hansard was 37, but the big age difference was not a hindrance. But the couple had known each other for a long time. Mar's father was an acquaintance of Glen, so the girl met the musicians at the age of 12.
Hansard himself spoke about the girl like this: “I think we fell in love a couple of years ago, but until recently nothing happened. To be honest with you, I felt that even then this girl became so prominent in my life that she will probably become the girl I will marry someday. But, as time has shown, this was not destined to happen. To date, Glen Hansard is not married and has no children, the musician completely devotes himself to creativity.
