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Lee Ryan (born 17 June 1983 in Chatham, Kent) is a singer-songwriter, actor and member of the British boy band Blue.

Biography

Early life

Lee Ryan was born in Chatham, Kent. His parents split up when he was five years old. Lee mostly lived with his mother, sister Gemma and his grandmother. He was brought up in Plumstead. At the age of 5 it was discovered that he suffered from dyslexia. Lee attended Chatham Grammar School for Boys, which was then followed by performing arts schools, including the independent fee-paying theatre schools Sylvia Young Theatre School and Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts. In Blue, Lee was an irreplaceable member of the band as he was often regarded as the lead singer with his solid vocal performances. While in Blue, Lee recorded "Stand Up As People" for the War Child: Hope album. He left the band in 2005 to become a solo artist after a commercially successful career with the band.^[2][3]

Solo career

Lee Ryan is a Tenor.

Lee released his first single "Army of Lovers" on 18 July 2005. It was released to mixed reviews and debuted (and peaked) at #3 in the UK Singles Chart. It hit #1 in Italy.

On 1 August, Lee released his debut album, Lee Ryan, to mixed reviews. The album reached #6 in the UK Album Chart and #3 in Italy, where it has spent 5 weeks in the Top10.

On 10 October, Lee released his second solo single "Turn Your Car Around". The single went under a heavy wave of promotion but because of the release of his album and the lack of enthusiasm for his first single, the track failed to reach the top ten, peaking at #12.

In late 2005, Dolce & Gabbana signed Lee up to be UK face of their new line of clothing.

In January 2006, Lee released his third and final single in the UK "When I Think of You". The song reached #15 in the UK.

Lee later presented two more tracks to the world. "Real Love" was used for the end credits of the film Ice Age 2: The Meltdown which later led to Lee voicing the part of an elk in the UK version of the movie. "How Do I" was released on Lee's website in the form of a video directed by Lee himself to thank his fans for their support. Lee had previously co-directed the video for Blue's single "Breathe Easy" after he wrote the track.

Lee Ryan also appeared on a celebrity edition of Come Dine With Me, aired on 17 September 2008 alongside fellow celebrities Peter Stringfellow, Michelle Heaton and Linda Barker. Lee finished in joint first place with Linda Barker, both of whom scored 26 points.

He has also appeared in series 22, episode 9 of Never Mind the Buzzcocks on 27 November 2008 alongside Mark Watson and Katy Brand, where he got continuously slated by most of the guests and in particular, host Simon Amstell. He had failed to appear on the show almost exactly a year before, being replaced by Dappy from N-Dubz.

Future in the music industry

After the relative success of his first solo album, Lee started planning his second solo album which was to be released independently, after parting with SonyBMG's Brightside label. Reports said that the new album may feature Elton John, Jo O'Meara, Rappers Lil' Kim & Charli Baltimore & his ex-Blue band mate Simon Webbe.^{[citation needed]} Although nothing was been confirmed, rumoured tracks from the album were "Peaches" which Lee has performed at many live performances and has released on his MySpace page, "It's Not Me", a song which Lee has told he would have liked on the first album but couldn't get produced fast enough, "Stand Up As People" and "Free" also released on his MySpace page.

Ryan began promotion for the album with a number of live and acoustic performances across the UK in spring 2007, he also announced on his website that he has recently finished filming a TV show for BBC2 which was set to air in April and has also filmed a 24 Hours With... special for ITV which aired in June 2007.

The single "Reinforce Love" was released on 10 December 2007. The single was being released for Great Ormond Street Hospital and Clic Sargent, which were the two charities that Ryan was touring for in November and December 2007, with young voices. The single peaked at #101 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the lowest chart position for a Blue former member. The album was then postponed, and finally cancelled.

He also acted alongside Natalie Casey in The Pretender Agenda at The New Players Theatre in London. (Aug-Sept 2008)

Lee filmed two movies in the United States, which will be available only on the internet^[4].

He has also taken to writing and revealed on Loose Women that he and British writer Kelly Marcel had collaborated on a movie together.

On April 28 2009, Blue announced that they have reformed & will soon return to the stage this summer with a new album coming soon.

A new single "Secret Love" was released in March, 2010.

Hell's Kitchen

Ryan made an appearance in Hell's Kitchen where he only manage to last 3 days walking out of the show after a row with Marco Pierre White, because he used the word 'gypos' which offended Ryan. When asked not to use the word, Pierre White, refused.

Controversies

In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on New York city, the group was being interviewed on BBC and, in the midst of it, Ryan commented that "This New York thing is being blown out of proportion" and asked "What about whales? They are ignoring animals that are more important. Animals need saving and that's more important". The other members of the band tried to silence him but Ryan went on. ^[5]

On 31 December 2007, he was arrested for an assault on a taxi driver in Oxted, Surrey. He was released on bail until February 2008 ^[6]. At Guildford Magistrates' Court on 24 June 2008 he was fined £300. Claimed in court "he felt targeted because he is famous".^[7] As a result of this, he was fired from his prime time ITV show which he was due to appear in 6 episodes^[8]

Discography

Albums

Singles

Other Songs

• "Stand Up As People" (2004) - Released on the compilation album, War Child: Hope.
• "Why Me" (2004) - Released on the movie soundtrack The Passion of Christ.
• "Come Together Now" (2006) - Charity single to raise money for the Katrina victims, alongside Céline Dion, Joss Stone, The Game, Wyclef Jean, Stacy Orrico and Natalie Cole, amongst others.

Filmography

• The Heavy (2008)
• Ice Age 2: The Meltdown (2006)
• Holby City (12 October 2000) - Guest appearance
• Come Dine With Me (2008)

References

External links

• Official website
• 24 Hours With Lee Ryan preview
• Lee's Hell's Kitchen profile