Tom Fletcher
Encyclopedia
Thomas Michael "Tom" Fletcher (born 17 July 1985) is an English singer, songwriter, and guitarist
. He is best known as one of the lead vocalists
and guitarists of English pop rock
band McFly
, in addition to being the group's founder and principal songwriter. In his nearly ten-year career as a professional songwriter, Fletcher has penned ten UK number one singles and twenty-one top ten singles.
, London
, to a working-class family. His father, who worked at Kodak and played in local bands, and mother, a special needs
teacher, encouraged and supported his love of music from a young age. He has a younger sister, Carrie Fletcher
. When he was 10, Fletcher starred as the main role in Oliver!
at the London Palladium
alongside Jim Dale
as Fagin
. He then went on to do a documentary about HIV
for schools.
, a co-educational independent school
in the Marylebone
area of the City of Westminster
in west London, on a scholarship.
after the record label Island
decided the band should be a trio rather than a four-piece; Fletcher states that he was in the band "for approximately 24-hours." Though the record label decided against offering Fletcher a place in Busted, they were intrigued by his songwriting talents and invited him to join Busted member (and already accomplished songwriter) James Bourne
on the band's songwriting team. Fletcher has since stated that it was Bourne who taught him how to "properly" structure songs, and how to "come up with good, poppy melodies."
, Fletcher was asked by the record label if he was available to film auditions for a new band, V
. It was at this time that he and Danny Jones
met for the first time; Jones went to the audition mistaking the band to be a Busted-esque band, rather than the conventional, all-singing, all-dancing, boyband, for which they were intended. Fletcher was impressed with Jones's style, and so invited him to write with him and Bourne. When writing projects for Busted had come to an end, the two began collaborating for their own (as yet unnamed) band, and, eventually, moved into the InterContinental Hotel
in London for 2 months to concentrate on writing together. Bassist (Dougie Poynter
) and drummer (Harry Judd
) were subsequently recruited via a classified advertisement in NME
magazine. Fletcher suggested McFly for the band's name due to his love for the American science fiction/comedy trilogy Back to the Future
and Michael J. Fox
's character Marty McFly
.
In 2004, McFly made it into the Guinness Book of World Records, beating The Beatles
's record for "the youngest band to have a début album go straight to number one". Fletcher has written the majority of McFly's songs with Jones and Poynter, with occasional contributions by Judd; Bourne has also assisted with songwriting on occasions. As of 15 November 2010, McFly have released five studio albums and two compilation albums.
," "Who's David?
," and "Thunderbirds" for Busted; and "Five Colours in Her Hair," "Obviously
," "All About You
," "I'll Be OK
," "Please, Please," "Star Girl
," and "Transylvania" for McFly. He co-wrote eight of the songs on A Present for Everyone, as well as all but one ("Not Alone," written by Jones) of the tracks on McFly's debut album, Room on the 3rd Floor
. He is the primary writer on the majority of tracks on all five of the band's albums. Of McFly's four members, he has "the most songwriting credits and therefore the most money."
Tom Fletcher wrote "On a Rainbow," the official song of the 2012 Summer Olympics
' mascots Wenlock and Mandeville
. The song features vocals from him and his sister Carrie. He also wrote the song "I Want" for One Direction
's new album.
Fletcher also wrote and co-wrote songs on the album Up All Night
for the UK Band One Direction
.
He currently lives in London with Giovanna, and his three cats Marvin, Princess Leia and Aurora.
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
. He is best known as one of the lead vocalists
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
and guitarists of English pop rock
Pop rock
Pop rock is a music genre which mixes a catchy pop style and light lyrics in its guitar-based rock songs. There are varying definitions of the term, ranging from a slower and mellower form of rock music to a subgenre of pop music...
band McFly
McFly
McFly are an English pop rock band who first found fame in 2004. The band consists of Tom Fletcher , Danny Jones , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd . They were signed to the Island Records label from their 2004 launch until December 2007, before creating their own label, Super Records...
, in addition to being the group's founder and principal songwriter. In his nearly ten-year career as a professional songwriter, Fletcher has penned ten UK number one singles and twenty-one top ten singles.
Early life
Fletcher was born in HarrowHarrow, London
Harrow is an area in the London Borough of Harrow, northwest London, United Kingdom. It is a suburban area and is situated 12.2 miles northwest of Charing Cross...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, to a working-class family. His father, who worked at Kodak and played in local bands, and mother, a special needs
Special education
Special education is the education of students with special needs in a way that addresses the students' individual differences and needs. Ideally, this process involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials,...
teacher, encouraged and supported his love of music from a young age. He has a younger sister, Carrie Fletcher
Carrie Fletcher
Carrie Hope Fletcher is a former child actress who was born in South Harrow, London, England. Carrie is the younger sister of Tom Fletcher, the founding member of the British pop/rock band McFly.-Career:...
. When he was 10, Fletcher starred as the main role in Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
alongside Jim Dale
Jim Dale
Jim Dale, MBE is an English actor, voice artist, singer and songwriter. He is best known in the United Kingdom for his many appearances in the Carry On series of films and in the US for narrating the Harry Potter audiobook series, for which he received two Grammy Awards, and the ABC series Pushing...
as Fagin
Fagin
Fagin is a fictional character who appears as an antagonist of the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, referred to in the preface of the novel as a "receiver of stolen goods", but referred to more frequently within the actual story as the "merry old gentleman" or simply the "Jew".-Character:Born...
. He then went on to do a documentary about HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
for schools.
Education
Fletcher attended the Sylvia Young Theatre SchoolSylvia Young Theatre School
Sylvia Young Theatre School is an independent fee-paying stage school, in Westminster, London, named after its founder and Principal, Sylvia Young.-Outline:...
, a co-educational independent school
Independent school
An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...
in the Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
area of the City of Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
in west London, on a scholarship.
Musical career
At 14, Fletcher began writing music commercially. He originally auditioned for Busted, but lost out on the place to Charlie SimpsonCharlie Simpson
Charles Robert Simpson , is an English musician, singer and songwriter. He was the youngest member of multi BRIT Award-winning band Busted, and is the lead vocalist, guitarist and co-lyricist in alternative rock band Fightstar...
after the record label Island
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
decided the band should be a trio rather than a four-piece; Fletcher states that he was in the band "for approximately 24-hours." Though the record label decided against offering Fletcher a place in Busted, they were intrigued by his songwriting talents and invited him to join Busted member (and already accomplished songwriter) James Bourne
James Bourne
James Elliot Bourne is an English singer-songwriter and co-founder of pop bands Son of Dork and Busted. He is currently pursuing a solo career under the name Future Boy. His albums have sold over six million copies...
on the band's songwriting team. Fletcher has since stated that it was Bourne who taught him how to "properly" structure songs, and how to "come up with good, poppy melodies."
McFly
During the writing project for Busted's second album A Present for EveryoneA Present for Everyone
A Present for Everyone is the second and final studio album by British pop rock band Busted. It was released on 17 November 2003 by Universal Island Records and debuted at number 2 on the UK Albums Chart...
, Fletcher was asked by the record label if he was available to film auditions for a new band, V
V (band)
V were a UK five-piece boyband made up of Antony Thomas Brant, Aaron Buckingham, Mark Harle, Kevin McDaid and Leon Pisani.-Career:Band member Antony Brant came up with the band name "V" because V is the Roman numeral for five and there were five members in the band...
. It was at this time that he and Danny Jones
Danny Jones
Daniel Alan David "Danny" Jones is an English musician who is one of the lead vocalists and guitarists for pop rock band McFly, alongside fellow members Tom Fletcher , Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd .-McFly:McFly rose to fame in 2004, in part due to their association with Busted who helped launch...
met for the first time; Jones went to the audition mistaking the band to be a Busted-esque band, rather than the conventional, all-singing, all-dancing, boyband, for which they were intended. Fletcher was impressed with Jones's style, and so invited him to write with him and Bourne. When writing projects for Busted had come to an end, the two began collaborating for their own (as yet unnamed) band, and, eventually, moved into the InterContinental Hotel
InterContinental
InterContinental is a brand of upscale luxury hotels, founded by Pan American World Airways, under Juan Trippe, and now owned by InterContinental Hotels Group. The chain operates over 200 hotels and resorts in approximately 75 nations.-History:...
in London for 2 months to concentrate on writing together. Bassist (Dougie Poynter
Dougie Poynter
Dougie Lee Poynter is an English musician and the bass guitarist and vocalist for the pop rock boyband McFly.- McFly :...
) and drummer (Harry Judd
Harry Judd
Harry Mark Christopher Judd is an English musician who is best known as the drummer for British pop rock band McFly, along with fellow band members Tom Fletcher, Dougie Poynter and Danny Jones...
) were subsequently recruited via a classified advertisement in NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine. Fletcher suggested McFly for the band's name due to his love for the American science fiction/comedy trilogy Back to the Future
Back to the Future trilogy
The Back to the Future trilogy is a comedic science fiction adventure film series written by Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis, directed by Zemeckis, produced by Amblin Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. The main plot follows the adventures of a high school student Marty McFly and...
and Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
's character Marty McFly
Marty McFly
Martin Seamus "Marty" McFly, Sr. is the protagonist in the Back to the Future film trilogy, and is portrayed by actor Michael J. Fox. Marty was also the protagonist in the animated series where he was voiced by David Kaufman...
.
In 2004, McFly made it into the Guinness Book of World Records, beating The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
's record for "the youngest band to have a début album go straight to number one". Fletcher has written the majority of McFly's songs with Jones and Poynter, with occasional contributions by Judd; Bourne has also assisted with songwriting on occasions. As of 15 November 2010, McFly have released five studio albums and two compilation albums.
Songwriting
Fletcher has written or co-written ten UK number-one singles: "Crashed The WeddingCrashed the Wedding
"Crashed the Wedding" is a song by British pop rock band Busted, composed by James Bourne and Tom Fletcher. It was released as the first single from their second album, A Present for Everyone, on 10 November 2003, becoming their second single to reach #1 on the UK Singles Chart, with first week...
," "Who's David?
Who's David?
"Who's David?" is a song by British boyband Busted, released as the second single from their second studio album, A Present for Everyone, on February 16, 2004. The single peaked at #1 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the group's third number-one single, and their second consecutive. The song is...
," and "Thunderbirds" for Busted; and "Five Colours in Her Hair," "Obviously
Obviously
"Obviously" is the second single from British popband McFly's debut studio album, Room on the 3rd Floor. The single itself features a cover version of the popular Beatles single "Help!", as well as the band's first recorded interview - part one of which can be found on CD2, with part two appearing...
," "All About You
All About You/You've Got a Friend
"All About You"/"You've Got a Friend" is the first single from British band McFly's second studio album, Wonderland. The single was the official Comic Relief charity single for 2005, with all royalties being donated to the charity. The single was also used to promote Make Poverty History. The...
," "I'll Be OK
I'll Be OK
"I'll Be OK" is the second single from British pop rock band McFly's second studio album, Wonderland. The single became the group's fourth UK number one. The single is renowned for selling more copies than their first single, "Five Colours in Her Hair"....
," "Please, Please," "Star Girl
Star Girl (song)
"Star Girl" is the second single from McFly's third studio album, Motion in the Ocean, which was released in the UK on October 23, 2006. The song was the band's sixth #1 single in the UK, staying in the Top Ten for two weeks...
," and "Transylvania" for McFly. He co-wrote eight of the songs on A Present for Everyone, as well as all but one ("Not Alone," written by Jones) of the tracks on McFly's debut album, Room on the 3rd Floor
Room on the 3rd Floor
-Release history:-Chart performance:-Year-end charts:-Awards:The Room on the 3rd Floor Album won Best Album at the 2004 Smash Hits Awards-External links:*...
. He is the primary writer on the majority of tracks on all five of the band's albums. Of McFly's four members, he has "the most songwriting credits and therefore the most money."
Tom Fletcher wrote "On a Rainbow," the official song of the 2012 Summer Olympics
2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...
' mascots Wenlock and Mandeville
Wenlock and Mandeville
Wenlock and Mandeville are the official mascots for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics being held in London, United Kingdom.The mascots were unveiled on 19 May 2010; this marks the second time that both Olympic and Paralympic mascots were unveiled at the same time...
. The song features vocals from him and his sister Carrie. He also wrote the song "I Want" for One Direction
One Direction
One Direction are a British-Irish boy band, consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They finished third on the seventh series of The X Factor. Following The X Factor, the group signed a record contract with Syco Music.One Direction's debut single...
's new album.
Other Work
Fletcher has also written two short stories for the book Wow! 366.Fletcher also wrote and co-wrote songs on the album Up All Night
Up All Night
-Film, television and radio:* Up All Night , a UK radio programme* Up All Night , a 2011 American sitcom* USA Up All Night, a 1989-1998 movie/variety show on the USA Network...
for the UK Band One Direction
One Direction
One Direction are a British-Irish boy band, consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They finished third on the seventh series of The X Factor. Following The X Factor, the group signed a record contract with Syco Music.One Direction's debut single...
.
Personal life
On 18 April 2011, Fletcher became engaged to his longtime girlfriend. He proposed to Giovanna Falcone at the Sylvia Young Theatre School where they first met.He currently lives in London with Giovanna, and his three cats Marvin, Princess Leia and Aurora.