Matt Bellamy
{{Short description|English musician (born 1978)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Matt Bellamy
| image = 20180603 Nürnberg Rock im Park Muse 0382.jpg
| caption = Bellamy performing with Muse in June 2018
| birth_name = Matthew James Bellamy
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1978|6|9}}
| birth_place = Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England
| occupation = {{hlist|Musician|singer|songwriter|record producer}}
| origin = Teignmouth, Devon, England
| genre = {{hlist|Alternative rock|art rock| |electronic rock|progressive rock|hard rock|space rock|electronica}}
| instrument = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|piano|keyboards|bass}}
| years_active = 1991–present
| label = Helium 3
| current_member_of = {{hlist|Muse|The Jaded Hearts Club}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Elle Evans|10 August 2019}}
{{Infobox person
| embed = yes
| children = 3
}}
| website = {{URL|mattbellamy.com}}
}}
Matthew James Bellamy (born 9 June 1978) is an English singer, songwriter and producer. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and lyricist for the English rock band Muse. He is recognised for his eccentric stage persona, wide tenor vocal range and musicianship.{{cite news |url=http://www.nola.com/voodoofest/index.ssf/2010/10/trying_to_make_sense_of_muse_a.html |title=Trying to make sense of Muse at Voodoo Fest |last=Greater New Orleans |newspaper=NOLA.com}}
Bellamy was born in Cambridge. His family moved to Teignmouth, Devon, where he formed Muse with schoolmates. They released their debut album, Showbiz, in 1999. With Muse, Bellamy has won two Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album, for The Resistance (2009) and Drones (2015); two Brit Awards for Best British Live Act; five MTV Europe Music Awards; and eight NME Awards. Muse have sold over 30 million albums worldwide.{{Cite web |date=25 June 2016 |title=Muse, Glastonbury, review: they are, at heart, an old fashioned heavy rock band who can really really play |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/muse-glastonbury-review-at-heart-muse-are-an-old-fashioned-heavy/ |access-date=27 June 2016 |website=Telegraph.co.uk}} In 2012, they received the Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors.
Bellamy has released solo compositions, and released a compilation of his solo tracks, Cryosleep, in 2021. He plays bass in the supergroup the Jaded Hearts Club, and produced their debut album, You've Always Been Here (2020).
Early life
Matthew James Bellamy was born on 9 June 1978 in Cambridge. He has an older brother named Paul. His father, George Bellamy, was the rhythm guitarist of the 1960s pop group the Tornados, whose 1962 single "Telstar" was the first US number one by an English band.{{Cite web |url=http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/gig-15352453-details/Muse/gigReview.do?reviewId=23375364 |title=Revelation on stage |website=London Evening Standard |access-date=28 February 2012}} His mother, Marilyn, was born in Belfast and moved to England in the 1970s. On her first day in England, she met Bellamy's father, who was working as a taxi driver in London at the time. The couple moved to Cambridge and in the mid-1980s to Teignmouth, Devon. After his parents divorced, Bellamy lived with his mother and brother. He started playing the piano at the age of six and guitar when he was 11. His first musical performance was in June 1991, aged 12, playing piano in front of his school at Teignmouth Community School.{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh3P65BGL9Y |title=Matt Bellamy, Muse, age 12 |date=17 April 2006 |publisher=YouTube |access-date=15 December 2012}}
Muse
{{Main|Muse_(band)|l1=Muse}}
At Teignmouth Community School, Devon, Bellamy played in a number of bands, including Carnage Mayhem and Gothic Plague with drummer Dominic Howard. When members of Gothic Plague left because of other interests, Bellamy and Howard asked bassist Chris Wolstenholme to join. In 1994, using the name Rocket Baby Dolls, they won the school's "Battle of the Bands" which led them to take the band more seriously, and changed their name to Muse.{{Citation needed|date=August 2020}}
Muse have gone on to worldwide success. Muse blends alternative, art rock, experimental rock, progressive rock, classical music, electronica and many other styles. The band is also well known for its energetic and visually dazzling live performances.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nme.com/news/streets/23467 |title=Muse play supermassive free show |date=26 June 2006 |work=NME |access-date=27 January 2008}} On 16–17 June 2007, Muse became the first band to sell out the newly built Wembley Stadium in London.{{cite magazine |last=Dan Martin |date=16 June 2007 |title=Muse play Wembley Stadium mega gig |magazine=NME}}
Muse released their debut album, Showbiz, in 1999, showcasing Bellamy's falsetto and a melancholic alternative rock style. Their second album, Origin of Symmetry (2001), expanded their sound, incorporating wider instrumentation and romantic classical influences, and earned them a reputation for energetic live performances. Absolution (2003) saw further classical influence, with orchestra on tracks such as "Butterflies and Hurricanes", and became the first of seven consecutive UK number-one albums.{{Cite web |title=Muse claim seventh UK Number 1 album with Will Of The People |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/muse-claim-seventh-uk-number-1-album-with-will-of-the-people__37325/ |access-date=2022-11-13 |website=www.officialcharts.com |language=en}}
Black Holes and Revelations (2006) incorporated electronic and pop elements, influenced by 1980s groups such as Depeche Mode, displayed in singles such as "Supermassive Black Hole". The album brought Muse wider international success. The Resistance (2009) and The 2nd Law (2012) explored themes of government oppression and civil uprising and cemented Muse as one of the world's major stadium acts. Their seventh album, Drones (2015), was a concept album about drone warfare and returned to a harder rock sound. Their eighth album, Simulation Theory (2018), featuring a retro 1980s style, was released on 9 November 2018. Their ninth album, Will of The People, was released on 26 August 2022.{{Cite web |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=2022-03-17 |title=Muse to Return After Four Years With 'Will of the People' Album; 'Compliance' Video Out Now |url=https://variety.com/2022/music/news/muse-will-people-new-album-return-1235207984/ |access-date=2022-03-18 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}
Muse's awards include two Grammy Awards (winning the Grammys for Best Rock Album for The Resistance and Drones) two Brit Awards (winning Best British Live Act twice) five MTV Europe Music Awards and eight NME Awards. In 2012, they received the Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. Muse have sold over 30 million albums worldwide.{{Cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/muse-glastonbury-review-at-heart-muse-are-an-old-fashioned-heavy/ |title=Muse, Glastonbury, review: they are, at heart, an old fashioned heavy rock band who can really really play |date=27 June 2016 |website=Telegraph.co.uk |access-date=18 April 2018}}
Musicianship
File:Matt Bellamy playing with sound @ Royal Albert Hall 2018.gif]]
Bellamy has a tenor vocal range.{{cite web |last1=Spera |first1=Keith |title=Trying to make sense of Muse at Voodoo Fest |url=https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/festivals/article_b909f676-4432-50c1-bb4a-06b75a977001.html |website=Nola |date=30 October 2010 |access-date=30 October 2010}} Many Muse songs are recognisable by Bellamy's use of vibrato, falsetto, and melismatic phrasing, influenced by the American songwriter Jeff Buckley.[https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2001/aug/17/artsfeatures.muse "Matt Bellamy Interview"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305030612/http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2001/aug/17/artsfeatures.muse |date=5 March 2016 }}. The Guardian. Retrieved 17 June 2015 Bellamy said he did not believe his high-pitched singing would be suitable for rock music until he heard Buckley's 1994 album Grace.{{Cite magazine |last=Greene |first=Andy |date=2021-07-19 |title=Muse's Matt Bellamy Bought Jeff Buckley's 'Grace' Guitar and Recorded a Song With It |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/muse-matt-bellamy-jeff-buckleys-grace-guitar-1198086/ |access-date=2023-05-26 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}
Bellamy's earliest guitar influences were Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix; he admired their "element of chaos, an element of being slightly out of control".{{Cite web |last=Charupakorn |first=Joe |date=11 August 2022 |title=Muse's Matt Bellamy: Natural-Born Disruptor |url=https://www.premierguitar.com/artists/guitarists/muse |website=Premier Guitar}} His playing is also influenced by Latin and Spanish guitar music, which "opened up a world of different harmonies and making music and a different sort of passion". He described Spanish guitar music as "very heavy music" that does not use a distortion pedal.{{cite web |title=muse : archives | microcuts.net | September 2000 |url=http://www.microcuts.net/uk/news/archives/2000/09/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917084649/http://www.microcuts.net/uk/news/archives/2000/09/ |archive-date=17 September 2012 |access-date=17 April 2012 |publisher=microcuts.net}}
As a guitarist, Bellamy often uses the arpeggiator and pitch-shift effects to create a more "electronic" sound, citing Hendrix and Tom Morello as influences.{{Cite web |date=25 December 2003 |title=Muse's Matt Bellamy Talks |url=http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/interviews/muses_matt_bellamy_talks.html |access-date=17 September 2009 |publisher=Ultimate-Guitar.com (possibly reprinted from Total Guitar (UK Magazine))}} Bellamy often uses a Fuzz Factory, a fuzz distortion effect.{{Cite web |last=Price |first=Andy |date=2021-04-21 |title=The genius of… Origin of Symmetry by Muse |url=https://guitar.com/review/album/the-genius-of-origin-of-symmetry-by-muse/ |access-date=2021-06-05 |website=Guitar.com |language=en-GB}} He has touch-controlled MIDI controllers built into guitars, which control Kaoss Pad effects processors; the Guardian described Bellamy "undoubtedly the Kaoss rock star".{{Cite web |last=McNamee |first=David |date=9 March 2011 |title=Hey, what's that sound: Kaoss Pad |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/mar/09/whats-that-sound-kaoss-pad |access-date=22 August 2018 |website=The Guardian |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Varian |first=Ethan |date=2011-09-13 |title=Manson MB-1 Guitar is Muse Guitarist Matt Bellamy's Secret Weapon |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/features/manson-mb-1-guitar-muse-guitarist-matt-bellamys-secret-weapon |access-date=2024-01-27 |website=Guitar World |language=en}}
Since the early 2000s, Bellamy has worked with Manson Guitar Works, based in Devon, to create his electric guitars. They have released several "M-series" signature models.{{Cite web |date=2019-06-20 |title=Muse's Matt Bellamy plans to make his signature Manson guitars more affordable |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/muses-matt-bellamy-plans-make-signature-manson-guitars-affordable-2511611 |access-date=2020-09-08 |website=NME |language=en-GB}} In 2019, Bellamy purchased a majority stake in Manson.
{{Cite web |date=2019-06-07 |title=Muse's Matt Bellamy buys (most of) Manson Guitar Works |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/matt-bellamy-buys-his-favourite-devon-guitar-workshop-2505888 |access-date=2020-01-27 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}
In 2020, he purchased the Fender Telecaster used by Buckley for Grace. Bellamy used it to record a song with the Jaded Hearts Club, and said he planned to use it when next recording with Muse.
{{Cite web |last=Astley-Brown |first=Michael |date=15 May 2020 |title=Matt Bellamy just bought Jeff Buckley's 'Grace' Fender Telecaster - and plans to use it on the next Muse album |url=https://www.guitarworld.com/news/matt-bellamy-just-bought-jeff-buckleys-grace-fender-telecaster-and-plans-to-use-it-on-the-next-muse-album |access-date=16 May 2020 |website=Guitar World}}
As a pianist, Bellamy often uses arpeggios. His compositions often suggest or quote late classical and romantic era composers such as Sergei Rachmaninov (in "Space Dementia" and "Butterflies and Hurricanes"), Camille Saint-Saëns (in "I Belong to You (Mon Coeur S'ouvre À Ta Voix)"), Johann Sebastian Bach (Prelude No. 1 in C in Sunburn intro) and Frédéric Chopin (in "United States of Eurasia").[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/6599450/Muse-interview.html "Muse Interview"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160222235607/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/rockandpopfeatures/6599450/Muse-interview.html |date=22 February 2016 }}. The Telegraph. Retrieved 17 June 2015
Lyrics
Bellamy's lyrics incorporate political and dystopian themes. Books that have influenced lyrical themes in his songs include Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell,{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/10000720 |title=New Muse album 'inspired' by 1984 |work=BBC News |date=4 August 2009 |access-date=18 April 2018}} Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins,{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_78ucyED8E |title=Interview with Matthew Bellamy |publisher=Youtube.com |access-date=18 April 2018}} Hyperspace by Michio Kaku,The Making of Origin of Symmetry. Xfm. 8 November 2011 The 12th Planet by Zecharia Sitchin{{Cite web |date=2004-06-20 |title=Muse: The band who fell to earth |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/muse-the-band-who-fell-to-earth-6167112.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226081039/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/muse-the-band-who-fell-to-earth-6167112.html |archive-date=2012-02-26 |access-date=2022-04-30 |website=The Independent}} and Trance Formation of America by Cathy O'Brien.{{Cite web |url=https://genius.com/6775035 |title=Behold my trance formation |website=Genius |access-date=18 April 2018}}
Other work
Bellamy co-wrote the end credits for the 2009 film The International. He wrote the song "Soaked", which appears on Adam Lambert's debut album, For Your Entertainment (2009). Bellamy appears as a playable character in the video game Guitar Hero 5, along with the Muse song "Plug In Baby".{{Cite web|url=http://www.muselive.com/index.php?m=single&id=5043|title=MuseLive UK Exclusive: Bellamy Features in GH5|website=Muselive.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309134520/http://www.muselive.com/index.php?m=single&id=5043|archive-date=9 March 2012|access-date=28 February 2012|df=dmy-all}} He contributed to the second album by the New Zealand artist Kimbra, The Golden Echo (2014).{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/muse/76668|title=NME News Muse's Matt Bellamy to feature on new Kimbra album|date=11 April 2014|website=NME|access-date=24 August 2014}}
Bellamy composed his first solo release, "Pray", for For the Throne, a 2019 compilation album of music inspired by the TV series Game of Thrones.{{Cite web|title=Listen to Rosalía, The Weeknd, Matt Bellamy, The National and more on new 'Game Of Thrones' album|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/rosalia-weeknd-matt-bellamy-national-new-game-thrones-album-2474377|last=Andrew Trendell|date=2019-04-26|website=NME|language=en-US|access-date=2019-09-03}} In May 2020, Bellamy released his second solo composition, "Tomorrow's World", inspired by life under lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.{{Cite web|title=Matt Bellamy tells us about going solo, Muse's next move and "embracing the simple life" of lockdown|url=https://www.nme.com/music-interviews/muse-matt-bellamy-solo-new-album-origin-of-symmetry-2668645|date=2020-05-15|website=NME|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-05-17}} In June, he released an acoustic version of the 1999 Muse song "Unintended".{{Cite web|date=2020-06-26|title=Muse's Matt Bellamy shares dreamy, stripped-back version of 'Unintended'|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/muses-matt-bellamy-shares-dreamy-stripped-back-version-of-unintended-2696347|access-date=2020-08-06|website=NME|language=en-GB}} Bellamy released a compilation of his solo work, Cryosleep, on 16 July 2021 for Record Store Day.{{Cite web|date=2021-04-08|title=Muse's Matt Bellamy to release 'Cryosleep' – a collection of solo recordings on Record Store Day|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/muses-matt-bellamy-to-release-cryosleep-a-collection-of-solo-recordings-on-record-store-day-2916493|access-date=2021-05-20|website=NME|language=en-GB}}
With the British composer Ilan Eshkeri, Bellamy wrote the score for a 2024 audiobook adaptation of the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four for Audible. The score was performed by a 60-piece orchestra at Abbey Road Studios.{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=2024-01-09 |title=Audible '1984' Adaptation to Star Andrew Garfield, Cynthia Ervio, Tom Hardy, Andrew Scott |url=https://variety.com/2024/digital/news/1984-george-orwell-audible-andrew-garfield-cynthia-ervio-tom-hardy-andrew-scott-1235866068/ |access-date=2024-01-09 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} The Guardian said the score "brims with melodrama and menace".{{Cite news |last=Sturges |first=Fiona |date=2024-04-19 |title=1984 by George Orwell audiobook review – a starry cast drive this powerful dramatisation |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/apr/19/1984-by-george-orwell-audiobook-review-a-starry-cast-drive-this-powerful-dramatisation |access-date=2024-04-23 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}
= The Jaded Hearts Club =
{{Main|The Jaded Hearts Club}}
File:Dr. Pepper's Jaded Hearts Club Band at Teenage Cancer Trust 2018 6 (27113865638) (cropped).jpg in 2018]]
In 2017, Bellamy cofounded a supergroup, the Jaded Hearts Club, to perform covers of Beatles songs. The other members include the singer Miles Kane, the Nine Inch Nails drummer Ilan Rubin, and the drummer Sean Payne. Bellamy plays bass; he said, "It's nice being the lukewarm water in the background rather than have to be up the front there."{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2020-09-23|title=The Jaded Hearts Club: 'If we're playing Beatles songs and Paul McCartney's singing, are we the Beatles?'|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/jaded-hearts-club-interview-matt-bellamy-b515732.html|access-date=2020-09-26|website=The Independent|language=en}} He said of the covers: "Obviously, I know the Beatles, but I couldn't name a lot of their album tracks. It was such a different area of music to explore for me ... the development of where the kind of music that ended up becoming Muse over the course of decades in terms of the evolution of rock, going back to where it first started." The band's repertoire grew to include songs by other acts. The Jaded Hearts Club released an album, You've Always Been Here, in 2020, produced by Bellamy.
Accolades
In 2004, Total Guitar readers voted Bellamy the 29th-greatest guitarist and his "Plug in Baby" riff the 13th-greatest riff.{{Cite web |date=4 May 2004 |title=Top 20 Guitar Riffs Of All Time |url=http://www.whereseric.com/news/2004/05/top-20-guitar-riffs-of-all-time.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313144430/http://www.whereseric.com/news/2004/05/top-20-guitar-riffs-of-all-time.html |archive-date=13 March 2008 |access-date=23 March 2008 |publisher=Where's Eric}} In 2008, Gigwise named Bellamy the 19th-greatest guitarist ever.{{cite news |url=http://www.gigwise.com/photos/40852/32/The-50-Greatest-Guitarists-Ever |title=The 50 Greatest Guitarists... Ever! |date=18 February 2008 |work=Gigwise |access-date=28 February 2012}}
In April 2005, Kerrang! named Bellamy the 28th-sexiest person in rock. Cosmopolitan also chose him as the sexiest rocker of 2003 and 2004. NME named him the 14th-greatest "rock 'n' roll hero", ahead of John Lennon and Bob Dylan. Bellamy also won the Sexiest Male Award at the 2007 NME Awards.{{Cite web |url=http://showbiz.sky.com/Kate-Rocks-NME-Awards |title=Kate Rocks NME Awards – Sky Showbiz |publisher=BSkyB |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617210317/http://showbiz.sky.com/Kate-Rocks-NME-Awards |archive-date=17 June 2010 |url-status=dead |access-date=28 February 2012 |df=dmy-all}} He won again in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014 and was nominated in 2012. Bellamy, however, declared himself "too short to be sexy" (he is 5' 7"), and said the award should have gone to Dominic Howard, Muse's drummer. Bellamy also won the "Hero of the Year" award at the 2012 NME Awards. On 26 September 2008, the University of Plymouth awarded the members of Muse an honorary doctorate degree for their work in music.{{Cite web |url=http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/EXCLUSIVE-University-honour-rock-stars-Muse/article-356162-detail/article.html |title=University honour for rock stars Muse |date=26 September 2008 |website=The Herald |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091006060656/http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/news/EXCLUSIVE-University-honour-rock-stars-Muse/article-356162-detail/article.html |archive-date=6 October 2009 |url-status=dead |access-date=8 June 2009 |df=dmy-all}}
In the January 2010 edition of Total Guitar, Bellamy was named "Guitarist of the Decade" and was proclaimed to be "the Hendrix of his generation".{{Cite web |url=http://www.muselive.com/index.php?m=single&id=5779 |title=Muselive |publisher=Muselive |access-date=28 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615192538/http://www.muselive.com/index.php?m=single |archive-date=15 June 2013 |url-status=dead }} In the Guinness Book of World Records 2010, Bellamy is credited as holding the world record for most guitars smashed on a tour. His record, 140, was set during the Absolution Tour. In April 2010, Bellamy was named the eighth best front man of all time by the readers of Q.{{Cite web|url=https://www.qthemusic.com/|title=Q Magazine|website=Q Magazine}} In December 2010, MusicRadar readers voted Bellamy the 9th greatest lead singer of all time.{{Cite web |url=http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/the-30-greatest-lead-singers-of-all-time-315448 |title=The 30 greatest lead singers of all time | Martha Reeves (Martha and the Vandellas) | Guitar News |website=MusicRadar |date=7 December 2010 |access-date=24 August 2014}} In 2010, a BBC Radio 6 survey named Bellamy the third-best guitarist of the last 30 years.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/events/theaxefactor/ |title=6Music – The Axe Factor |date=1 January 1970 |publisher=BBC}}
Political views
Bellamy describes himself as a "left-leaning libertarian"{{Cite web |last=Lynskey |first=Dorian |date=2022-08-05 |title=Muse's Matt Bellamy: 'I've got to an age where I'm not so titillated by disaster' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/aug/05/muses-matt-bellamy-ive-got-to-an-age-where-im-not-so-titillated-by-disaster |access-date=2022-08-05 |website=The Guardian |language=en}} and "in the realm of" Noam Chomsky.{{cite news |last=Lynskey |first=Dorian |date=29 September 2012 |title=Muse: 'We like pushing it as far as we can' |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/sep/30/muse-2nd-law-tour-interview}} He supports the abolition of the British monarchy, the abolition of the House of Lords, decentralised government, decarbonisation, land value tax and limits on the size of corporations. In 2022, Bellamy used the term "meta-centrism" to describe his political views, calling it "an oscillation between liberal, libertarian values for individuals ... but then more socialist on things like land ownership, nature and energy distribution".{{Cite web |last=Beaumont |first=Mark |date=10 June 2022 |title=Muse: "There's gonna be a big shift. We're dealing with a disruptive transition" |url=https://www.nme.com/big-reads/muse-cover-interview-2022-will-of-the-people-3243209 |access-date=25 August 2022 |website=NME}} He invests in startups in Silicon Valley focusing on clean energy. He said: "That has given me optimism. When you hear their ideas and their vision for the future, it does give you genuine hope that a lot of the biggest issues we're facing could be solved."
Earlier in his career, Bellamy expressed interest in conspiracy theories, including the theory that the 9/11 attacks were an "inside job". He disowned conspiracy theories in later years, saying they had been "hijacked" by rightwing politics, and that he had "become far more rational and empirical and I've managed to focus on slightly more realistic, tangible things". In 2022, he described conspiracy theories as quackery, saying they were attractive because they were distractions from pressing issues and that "there's a comfort that maybe human beings somewhere, even if they're evil, are in control, when in fact the truth is far more frightening – there are no humans in control and it's all a bunch of chaos". Bellamy is vaccinated against COVID-19 and supported masking during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bellamy expressed discomfort when the lyrics of Muse's 2009 album The Resistance were adopted by the rightwing Fox News anchor Glenn Beck, and when their song "Uprising" was used in YouTube videos advocating for conspiracy theories. Muse refused requests from American politicians to use "Uprising" in their rallies.
Personal life
Bellamy began dating the American actress Kate Hudson in mid-2010.{{cite magazine |title=Bellamy Confirms Hudson Romance Rumours 3 July 2010 |url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/story/bellamy-confirms-hudson-romance-rumours_1151246 |magazine=Contactmusic.com |access-date=12 July 2010}} They became engaged in April 2011.{{Cite web |date=27 April 2011 |title=Kate Hudson engaged to Muse frontman Matthew Bellamy |url=https://nypost.com/2011/04/27/kate-hudson-engaged-to-muse-frontman-matthew-bellamy/ |website=NY Post}} Their son, Bingham, was born in July 2011.{{Cite web |last=Byrne |first=Alla |date=27 April 2011 |title=Kate Hudson, Matthew Bellamy Have Baby |url=https://people.com/parents/kate-hudson-matthew-bellamy-have-baby/ |access-date=24 August 2014 |website=People}} In December 2014, Bellamy and Hudson announced that they had ended their engagement.{{Cite web |last=Steiner |first=Amanda Michelle |date=8 December 2014 |title=Kate Hudson and Matt Bellamy Call Off Engagement |url=http://www.people.com/article/kate-hudson-matt-bellamy-split-end-engagement |access-date=8 December 2014 |website=People}}
In February 2017, Bellamy bought the former home of the tennis player Pete Sampras, a {{convert|6900|sqft|adj=on}} estate in Brentwood, Los Angeles, for $6.9 million.{{cite web |last=David |first=Mark |date=14 February 2017 |title=Tennis Great Pete Sampras Sells Brentwood House to Muse's Matt Bellamy (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2017/dirt/real-estalker/pete-sampras-house-matt-bellamy-1201987270/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308172718/https://variety.com/2017/dirt/real-estalker/pete-sampras-house-matt-bellamy-1201987270/ |archive-date=8 March 2021}} In February 2015, Bellamy began dating the American model Elle Evans. They announced their engagement in December 2017{{Cite web |last=Fisher |first=Kendall |date=24 December 2017 |title=Matthew Bellamy Is Engaged to Model Elle Evans |url=http://www.eonline.com/ca/news/902002/matthew-bellamy-is-engaged-to-model-elle-evans |access-date=20 January 2018 |website=E!}}{{Cite magazine |last=Peters |first=Mitchell |date=24 December 2017 |title=Muse's Matthew Bellamy and Model Elle Evans Get Engaged |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8078655/muse-matthew-bellamy-and-model-elle-evans-get-engaged |magazine=Billboard |access-date=20 January 2018}} and married on 10 August 2019.{{cite news |last=Murphy |first=Helen |date=10 August 2019 |title=Muse Frontman Matt Bellamy and Model Elle Evans Are Married |magazine=People |url=https://people.com/music/matt-bellamy-marries-elle-evans/ |access-date=25 November 2019}} Their daughter, Lovella, was born in June 2020.{{cite web |date=June 14, 2020 |title=Matt Bellamy and Wife Elle Evans Welcome Their First Child, Daughter Lovella Dawn |work=Trending Cafe |url=https://trendingcafe.com/matt-bellamy-and-wife-elle-evans-welcome-their-first-child-daughter-lovella-dawn/ |access-date=June 14, 2020}} Evans gave birth to their second child, George, in May 2024.{{Cite web |date=May 20, 2024 |title=Muse Frontman Matthew Bellamy and Wife Elle Evans Welcome Second Baby Together |url=https://people.com/muse-frontman-matthew-bellamy-wife-elle-evans-welcome-second-baby-together-8642737 |access-date= |website=People |language=en}}
As of 2022, Bellamy was living in Los Angeles during school periods to be close to his son and spending the holidays in London. That year, Bellamy said he was considering applying for an Irish passport to regain his European Union citizenship following Brexit, as he qualified through his Belfast-born mother.{{Cite web |date=10 May 2022 |title=Muse's Matt Bellamy: 'The will of the people can be something to be frightened of' |url=https://www.bigissue.com/culture/music/matt-bellamys-muse-the-will-of-the-people-can-be-something-to-be-frightened-of/ |access-date=10 May 2022 |website=The Big Issue |publisher=}} He announced during a show in Dublin that year that he had received his Irish passport.{{Cite web |last=Moriarty |first=Aoife |date=2023-09-28 |title=Review: Muse at 3Arena is breathless spectacle that fans won't forget in a hurry |url=https://www.buzz.ie/music/muse-3arena-dublin-tour-review-31050017 |access-date=2024-12-08 |website=Buzz.ie |language=en}}
Discography
Muse
{{main|Muse discography}}
- Showbiz (1999)
- Origin of Symmetry (2001)
- Hullabaloo Soundtrack (2002)
- Absolution (2003)
- Black Holes and Revelations (2006)
- The Resistance (2009)
- The 2nd Law (2012)
- Drones (2015)
- Simulation Theory (2018)
- Will of the People (2022)
The Jaded Hearts Club
- You've Always Been Here (2020)
Solo
- "End Title" (2009) (The International, soundtrack)
- "Pray (High Valyrian)" (For the Throne, soundtrack album)
- "Tomorrow's World"{{Cite web|title=Matt Bellamy on Instagram: "New track I made during lockdown, out very soon #tomorrowsworld"|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/B_xu22KDNCb/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/B_xu22KDNCb |archive-date=26 December 2021 |url-access=registration|website=Instagram|language=en|access-date=2020-05-04}}{{cbignore}} (2020)
- "Unintended" (Acoustic version) (2020)
- "Behold, the Glove" (2020)
- "Simulation Theory Theme" (2020)
- Cryosleep (2021){{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/muses-matt-bellamy-to-release-cryosleep-a-collection-of-solo-recordings-on-record-store-day-2916493|title=Muse's Matt Bellamy to release 'Cryosleep' – a collection of solo recordings on Record Store Day|date=8 April 2021|work=NME|first=Andrew|last=Trendell|access-date=7 June 2021}}
Guest appearances
- "90s Music" – guitar, released on The Golden Echo album by Kimbra
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{wikiquote}}
- {{Commons category-inline|Matt Bellamy}}
{{Muse}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellamy, Matthew}}
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Category:English alternative rock singers
Category:English expatriate musicians in the United States
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Category:English people of Northern Ireland descent
Category:English rock pianists
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Category:Progressive rock guitarists
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