Biography

Declan Bennett is a dynamic acoustic singer-songwriter with a hard-hitting, witty and poetic way with words, unique take on life and unashamed and honest tales of life, love and sexuality , which have already won him a diverse and devoted fan base around the UK, across the US and beyond...

Declan is no stranger to fame, with mainstream chart success by the age of 20 as part of a pop/rock outfit, a lead role in an award-winning West End show at 21 and a starring role as Roger in cult rock opera RENT in a seven-month run on Broadway New York and an eight-month US tour.

From the moment Declan began introducing his solo repertoire at intimate unplugged nights around London a few years ago under the pseudonym sumladfromcov, he began to get repeated requests for recorded material from a rapidly expanding fan base. Having already experienced the frustration that writing for a major label could entail, he decided to go it alone, and, in 2005, brought out his debut album ‘The Painters Ball’ on his own label CovBoy Records. This was followed in 2007 by an iTunes only EP ’10 Nelson Road’.

In April 2008, Declan released his second full-length album ‘An Innocent Evening Of Drinking’. Recorded in London, New York and Coventry, the album has already gained a number of four-star reviews in the mainstream music press and radio airplay in the UK and US.

Now appearing under his own name, Declan has, in the past few years, been playing numerous respected acoustic venues and festivals around the UK and also across the US, since being given the unmissable chance to venture Stateside after being spotted singing by an American casting director. With sellout headline shows of his own at venues from New York’s Living Room, Joe’s Pub and Rockwood Music Hall, to London’s prestigious Soho Revue Bar, Declan has also supported at sell-out gigs for artists as diverse as Boy George (including the whole of his October 2008 UK tour, where Declan plays a 45-minute set each night), and Seth Lakeman.

Declan is now splitting his time between the UK and the US, and is soon to start work on his next album.

BOY GEORGE ON DECLAN BENNETT IN TIME OUT ‘He has a voice full of emotion and yearning, his lyrics and melodies have a pop edge without being lazy or radio-desperate’

MERCURY MOON MAGAZINE ‘His are unusually honest, intelligent and subtle pieces of work. Openness and vulnerability are a running thread with him… the recurrent theme is this desire for truth, integrity.’

POWPOWPOW ‘ 'Unlike many other peers swimming in the acoustic pool, Declan Bennett effortlessly stands apart. He's a confident and charismatic performer, with deliciously simple, welcoming melodies and captivating lyrical themes.’

AWARD-WINNING SONGWRITER LINDA THOMPSON ‘Declan is the real thing. He sings from the heart, and I defy anyone not to be touched by his songs.’

GAY TIMES ‘As far from the world of boyband pop as the earth is from Pluto...’

LITTLE BRITAIN'S MATT LUCAS ‘I'm absolutely convinced that Declan Bennett is going to be massive. I have his album on constant repeat’