Brian Higgins (producer)
Encyclopedia
Brian Thomas Higgins is a British
music producer who has written and produced albums and tracks for several highly successful pop music singers and groups, most notably Girls Aloud
, through his Xenomania
production group. A key collaborator with Higgins is Miranda Cooper
, who shares co-writing credits in nearly all Xenomania-written tracks.
His musical style has been described as part electro, part power pop
, more basic pop
, with elements of New Wave
, rave
, and dance found in many of his collaborations in the more than 15 years he has been in the music industry.
, Cumbria
, on the edge of the Lake District
of the UK. The second eldest of 5 children, his father was a general practitioner
. Influenced by the band ®tm (Registered Trade Mark) in the early eighties, he then played keyboards in a band called Despatch, including former members of ®tm.
In the late eighties, he moved to East Grinstead
, West Sussex. Along with fellow Cumbrian and guitarist Dave Colquhoun they formed a band named Anything You Want with Mark Scott. Dave Colquhoun soon left the band and now plays guitar with Rick Wakeman
of Yes
fame. Scott and Higgins continued and had one release with Profile Records
. They wrote countless songs for some eight years including the original Believe song that went on to be the massive hit for Cher
. Scott introduced Higgins to Steve Rodway
(also known as Motiv8) who took on Higgins as a session musician. Higgins then co-wrote and co-produced the hit 1997 song, 'All I Wanna Do
' for Dannii Minogue
. Two of his collaborators on this early hit, Tim Powell and Matt Gray, would become important future members of Xenomania.
His success with 'All I Wanna Do
' led to an opportunity to co-write a song for Cher
. This led to the international number one hit, 'Believe
,' which was released in 1998. Once again, Powell and Gray were among his collaborators.
He has said that his sometimes wide musical tastes growing up, from punk rock
groups like the Buzzcocks
and the Sex Pistols
, to more electronic
-based groups like Depeche Mode
and New Order
, have informed his distinct musical style as the main producer behind Xenomania. "It's natural", he has said, "for me to look for combinations of both in the music Xenomania
creates."
with the singer, Miranda Cooper
(a.k.a. Moonbaby). Although the song did not become a hit, Ms. Cooper's unique lyric writing talents would become a key part of Xenomania.
Complications resulted from the late nineties sale of London Records
to Universal Music Group
. Eventually, Xenomania became an independent production company based in Kent
, where Higgins, Cooper, and the rest of the Xenomania production team currently reside.
, Sugababes
, Dannii Minogue
, The Saturdays
, Girls Aloud
, Sophie Ellis-Bextor
, Kylie Minogue
, Bananarama
, Alesha Dixon
, Texas
, Rachel Stevens
, Gabriella Cilmi
, and Saint Etienne
, among others.
Of ex-Sugababes
member Mutya Buena
, Higgins has said, "She's undoubtedly the finest female singer this country has produced in years - for me the closest comparison is Dusty Springfield."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
music producer who has written and produced albums and tracks for several highly successful pop music singers and groups, most notably Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
, through his Xenomania
Xenomania
Xenomania is a British songwriting and production team founded by Brian Higgins and based in Kent, England. Formed after Higgins met Miranda Cooper, Xenomania has written and produced for renowned artists such as Cher, Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Pet Shop Boys, and Sugababes...
production group. A key collaborator with Higgins is Miranda Cooper
Miranda Cooper
Miranda Eleanor De Fonbrune Cooper has been on the UK charts longer than any other female songwriter in the country. In 2007 Harper's Bazaar wrote of her: ‘If it's a hit you want, you'd better talk to Cooper...
, who shares co-writing credits in nearly all Xenomania-written tracks.
His musical style has been described as part electro, part power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
, more basic pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, with elements of New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
, rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
, and dance found in many of his collaborations in the more than 15 years he has been in the music industry.
Early career
Higgins hails from WhitehavenWhitehaven
Whitehaven is a small town and port on the coast of Cumbria, England, which lies equidistant between the county's two largest settlements, Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness, and is served by the Cumbrian Coast Line and the A595 road...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, on the edge of the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
of the UK. The second eldest of 5 children, his father was a general practitioner
General practitioner
A general practitioner is a medical practitioner who treats acute and chronic illnesses and provides preventive care and health education for all ages and both sexes. They have particular skills in treating people with multiple health issues and comorbidities...
. Influenced by the band ®tm (Registered Trade Mark) in the early eighties, he then played keyboards in a band called Despatch, including former members of ®tm.
In the late eighties, he moved to East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
, West Sussex. Along with fellow Cumbrian and guitarist Dave Colquhoun they formed a band named Anything You Want with Mark Scott. Dave Colquhoun soon left the band and now plays guitar with Rick Wakeman
Rick Wakeman
Richard Christopher Wakeman is an English keyboard player, composer and songwriter best known for being the former keyboardist in the progressive rock band Yes...
of Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
fame. Scott and Higgins continued and had one release with Profile Records
Profile Records
Profile Records was a record label that specialized in many types of urban-oriented music, such as hip hop, active until 1996..- History :In 1980, at 23 years old, after working briefly for MCA, Cory Robbins was looking to start a record label. He invited his songwriter friend Steve Plotnicki to be...
. They wrote countless songs for some eight years including the original Believe song that went on to be the massive hit for Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
. Scott introduced Higgins to Steve Rodway
Steve Rodway
Steve Rodway , also known under the alias Motiv 8 or Motiv8, is an Electronic dance music record producer, songwriter, remixer and sound engineer....
(also known as Motiv8) who took on Higgins as a session musician. Higgins then co-wrote and co-produced the hit 1997 song, 'All I Wanna Do
All I Wanna Do (Dannii Minogue song)
"All I Wanna Do" is a dance-pop song written by Brian Higgins, Stuart McLennan, Tim Powell and Matt Gray for Dannii Minogue's third studio album Girl .The song was produced by Higgins and Gray....
' for Dannii Minogue
Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...
. Two of his collaborators on this early hit, Tim Powell and Matt Gray, would become important future members of Xenomania.
His success with 'All I Wanna Do
All I Wanna Do (Dannii Minogue song)
"All I Wanna Do" is a dance-pop song written by Brian Higgins, Stuart McLennan, Tim Powell and Matt Gray for Dannii Minogue's third studio album Girl .The song was produced by Higgins and Gray....
' led to an opportunity to co-write a song for Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
. This led to the international number one hit, 'Believe
Believe (Cher song)
"Believe" is a song by American recording artist Cher. It was released on November 24, 1998 as the lead single from her twenty-third studio album of the same name. It was written by Brian Higgins, Stuart McLennen, Paul Barry, Steven Torch, Matthew Gray, and Timothy Powell and produced by Mark...
,' which was released in 1998. Once again, Powell and Gray were among his collaborators.
He has said that his sometimes wide musical tastes growing up, from punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
groups like the Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
and the Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
, to more electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
-based groups like Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
and New Order
New Order
New Order are an English rock band formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris...
, have informed his distinct musical style as the main producer behind Xenomania. "It's natural", he has said, "for me to look for combinations of both in the music Xenomania
Xenomania
Xenomania is a British songwriting and production team founded by Brian Higgins and based in Kent, England. Formed after Higgins met Miranda Cooper, Xenomania has written and produced for renowned artists such as Cher, Kylie Minogue, Dannii Minogue, Pet Shop Boys, and Sugababes...
creates."
Xenomania
In 2000, Higgins and Gray produced a single for London RecordsLondon Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
with the singer, Miranda Cooper
Miranda Cooper
Miranda Eleanor De Fonbrune Cooper has been on the UK charts longer than any other female songwriter in the country. In 2007 Harper's Bazaar wrote of her: ‘If it's a hit you want, you'd better talk to Cooper...
(a.k.a. Moonbaby). Although the song did not become a hit, Ms. Cooper's unique lyric writing talents would become a key part of Xenomania.
Complications resulted from the late nineties sale of London Records
London Records
London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....
to Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
. Eventually, Xenomania became an independent production company based in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, where Higgins, Cooper, and the rest of the Xenomania production team currently reside.
Philosophy
"He thinks everyone's got at least one number one hit in them,'" says Cooper, his long-time writing partner, in a 2004 Observer Music Monthly article. Higgins goes on to clarify: 'Music is a fundamental human need. Well, maybe not as necessary as water, but there's a natural tendency towards melody and rhythm in everybody. It's just a question of bringing it out."Collaborations
Artists that Higgins has produced and/or written with/for include Pet Shop BoysPet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
, Sugababes
Sugababes
The Sugababes are an English pop girl group based in London, consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 with founding members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in 2000 under London...
, Dannii Minogue
Dannii Minogue
Danielle Jane "Dannii" Minogue is an Australian singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, radio personality, fashion designer and model...
, The Saturdays
The Saturdays
The Saturdays are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London, United Kingdom. The group consists of five members Una Healy, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford, Vanessa White and Rochelle Wiseman. In 2007 the band were formed through Fascination Records which gave them an instant record deal with...
, Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
, Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor is an English singer, songwriter, model and occasional DJ. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s, as the lead singer of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo, achieving widespread success in the early 2000s...
, Kylie Minogue
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue, OBE - often known simply as Kylie - is an Australian singer, recording artist, songwriter, and actress. After beginning her career as a child actress on Australian television, she achieved recognition through her role in the television soap opera Neighbours, before commencing...
, Bananarama
Bananarama
Bananarama are an English female pop duo who have had success on the pop and dance charts since 1982. Rather than relying on a two part harmony, the duo generally sings in unison, as do their background vocalists. Although there have been line-up changes, the group enjoyed their most popular...
, Alesha Dixon
Alesha Dixon
Alesha Anjanette Dixon is an English singer-songwriter, dancer, model and television personality. She first found fame in the all-female R&B trio Mis-Teeq, however, the trio separated in 2005 and Dixon continued pursuing her music career as a solo artist, signing to Polydor Records...
, Texas
Texas (band)
Texas are a Scottish pop band from Bearsden, near Glasgow, Scotland. They were founded by Johnny McElhone in 1986 and feature Sharleen Spiteri on lead vocals. Texas made their performing debut in March 1988 at Scotland's University of Dundee...
, Rachel Stevens
Rachel Stevens
Rachel Lauren Stevens is an English singer-songwriter, actress, presenter, dancer, television personality and model. She is a former member of the successful pop group S Club, and launched a solo recording career in 2003, releasing seven singles and two albums in the UK between 2003 and 2005...
, Gabriella Cilmi
Gabriella Cilmi
Gabriella Lucia Cilmi is an Australian singer-songwriter. In 2008, Cilmi was awarded six ARIA awards including Single of the Year and Best Female Artist....
, and Saint Etienne
Saint Etienne (band)
Saint Etienne are an English Pop group comprising Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs. They are named after the French football team AS Saint-Étienne.-History:Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs were childhood friends and former music journalists...
, among others.
Of ex-Sugababes
Sugababes
The Sugababes are an English pop girl group based in London, consisting of members Heidi Range, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen. The Sugababes were formed in 1998 with founding members Siobhán Donaghy, Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan. Their debut album, One Touch, was released in 2000 under London...
member Mutya Buena
Mutya Buena
Rosa Isabel Mutya Buena is an English recording artist who rose to fame as a member of girl group the Sugababes. With the Sugababes, Buena had four UK number one singles, an additional six top-ten hits and three multi-platinum albums. After leaving the group in December 2005, she released her...
, Higgins has said, "She's undoubtedly the finest female singer this country has produced in years - for me the closest comparison is Dusty Springfield."
Sources
- The Observer Ben Thompson. "Heart Of The Country, Home Of The Hits." Observer Music Monthly. July 2004.
- BBC Interview Mark Savage. "The Hitmakers: Xenomania." BBC website. May 2005.
- Slate.com Elisabeth Vincintelli. "Originality, Inc. - The Songwriting Factories of Europe."Slate Music Box. August 2005.
- BBC Interview Mark Savage. "The Hitmakers: Xenomania." BBC website. May 2005.
- The Guardian Alexis Petridis. "Girls Aloud, What Will The Neighbours Say?" Review. May 2004.