Alexander George Clare is an English singer and songwriter. His debut album, The Lateness of the Hour, produced by Mike Spencer and Major Lazer, was released in July 2011 on Island Records.
He has since published four more albums, including an acoustic collection.
real name: Alexander George Clare
labels: Island Records
genres: soul, dubstep, pop rock
plays: voice
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
Alex Clare was born in London on 14 September 1985, the youngest of seven children. He grew up listening to his father's jazz records; Clare described the experience as a "...benefit of having a dad who was born in 1936... very much into bebop and cool jazz. I just loved it". From a young age, he was drawn to blues and soul artists such as Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder, which eventually led to interests in drum and bass, dubstep, and UK garage. Though he took up the trumpet and drums when he was young, he eventually placed an emphasis on guitar and songwriting, playing open mic nights with original material.
"Too Close" is a song by British singer Alex Clare. The track was first released in the United Kingdom on 15 April 2011 as the second single from Clare's debut studio album, The Lateness of the Hour (2011).
The track was written by Clare, Jim Duguid and produced by Major Lazer, with co-production from Ariel Rechtshaid and Mike Spencer. Lyrically, the song describes the protagonist who is not ready for a committed relationship and he must end things with his love interest in good terms.
Clare said "Too Close" was inspired by a particular relationship with a close friend that turned romantic. He said, "One thing led to another, but it didn't really work out and that felt too close."
A music video to accompany the release of "Too Close" was first released onto YouTube on 15 March 2011 at a total length of four minutes and eighteen seconds. The video contains Clare singing on a chair, intermixed with scenes of a heavily dramaticised representation of a Kendo match between two heavily padded athletes in black uniforms. The fight takes place in an urban setting resembling a deserted factory building. Clare said that he originally wanted samurais cutting each other up in the music video but the budget did not permit it, so he had to settle for kendo fighters.
In October 2012, Leona Lewis performed an acoustic cover of the song during a session with The Sun. Tim Halperin and Macy Maloy also covered the song.