He has listed various influences, most notably Chet Baker, David Bowie, The Police, Andre 3000, Marvin Gaye, The Specials, Billie Holiday, Rosster, Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzee Rascal. When he was with The Library they were known for their energetic live performances which include steelpan and a piano. They were nominated for "Best Newcomer" at the 2007 UK Festival Awards.
Mr. Hudson has worked with acts such as Kanye West, Dizzee Rascal, N-Dubz, Kid Cudi, Tinie Tempah and Jay-Z and toured with Calvin Harris. His vocal performances have been compared to those of Sting.[3] He is accompanied by Joy Joseph (vocals and steel drum), Rob Barron (electric keyboard), Raphael Mann (bass guitar) and Andrew "Wilkie" Wilkinson (electric drums).
One of his first appearances was on JUMPOFF producer battles in 2005. Mr Hudson first came to prominence after featuring on Later with Jools Holland on 8 December 2006. The band's debut LP titled A Tale of Two Cities, was released in 2007 to strong reviews and received national airplay on Jo Whiley and Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 shows.
In 2007, Mr Hudson and his band The Library embarked on a tour through 12 British libraries as part of the 'Get It Loud' initiative, and also supported Amy Winehouse on her tour, along with Paulo Nutini, Mika and Groove Armada.[5]
During the summer of 2007 they appeared at several UK festivals, such as Glastonbury, T in the Park, The Big Chill, V Festival, Godiva Festival, and Bestival. In October 2007, the band played at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in support of The Police. They also supported Kanye West on his Europe leg of his Glow in the Dark Tour, performing in Dublin and other European cities.
On 11 November 2008, "There Will Be Tears" was given its first UK radio airplay on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show as 'The Hottest Record in the World Right Now'. Mr Hudson's new album – given a working title of Straight No Chaser[6] is set for release in mid-2009 with Kanye West acting as co-producer. As announced in December 2008, Mr Hudson will tour the UK to preview material from his forthcoming album visiting cities such as London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Newcastle.
Mr Hudson featured on Paranoid on Kanye West's fourth album, 808s & Heartbreak. He also co-produced "Street Lights" as well as supplied additional vocals on "Say You Will" and "Amazing". Kanye West has stated: "I believe Mr Hudson has the potential to be bigger than me, to be one of the most important artists of his generation" In the autumn of 2009 Mr Hudson will support Calvin Harris on his UK tour.
A Tale of Two Cities (2007–2009)
The production ... on the band's debut album uses acoustic guitar interspersed with classically informed piano, soulful, Motown-inspired backing vocals and bass guitar, steelpan, electric drums and unusual rhythm patterns to create an expansive sound. Two of the tracks from A Tale of Two Cities are covers; "On The Street Where You Live", ..................mr hudson rules.................is a cover of a number from the musical My Fair Lady[9] and "Everything Happens to Me" is a well known Great American Songbook classic as popularised by the likes of Frank Sinatra and Chet Baker. The album was greeted with warm reviews from the music press.
[edit]Straight No Chaser (2009 – present)
According to Amazon.com, on 1 December 2009, Mr Hudson is set to release a new album, Straight No Chaser (via G.O.O.D. Music and Mercury Records), executive produced by Kanye West.
"I wanted to make a mainstream record, not structured or ornate," he explains. "The first album feels like an Escher drawing, all these layers and you don't know where you're going at any point. The way the songs are written and produced on this one is much more direct. It's not trying to reinvent the wheel. It's straight, no chaser.
Supernova
Mr Hudson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let me be your supernova
Before you make the biggest mistake of your life
Just give me the chance to get it right
They got it all
They've got all the things I thought I wanted
But I can't fall
To live this facade and smile as the warm champagne pours
Out on the lawn
We pretend we're having tonnes of fun in this world where we don't belong
Some bloke all alone
Is she thinking of me
Did she forget what we once had
And I feel like taking off
Let me be your supernova
Before you make the biggest mistake of your life
Just give me the chance to get it right get it right
Oh they got it all you can see they got it all
They got the cars the boat and the beautiful house by the shore
And you know there's more
But I can't take another minute of y'all
He wants his kids and the dog
He wants his breakfast in bed
He's got his trust fund saved
Not a worry in his head
He's not you or me
I wanna break up the scene and see you running back to me
'Cause I feel like taking off
Let me be your supernova
Before you make the biggest mistake of your life
Just give me a chance to get it right get it right
Yeah I feel like taking off
Let me be your supernova tonight
Before you make the biggest mistake of your life
Just give me a chance to get it right get it right
You've got it wrong if you say our love is gone
You've got it wrong if you say our love is gone
You've got it wrong if you say our love is gone
You've got it wrong if you say our love is gone
You've got it wrong if you say our love is gone
Yeah I feel like taking off
Let me be your supernova
Before you make the biggest mistake of your life
Just give me a chance to get it right get it right
Yeah I feel like taking off
Let me be your supernova tonight
Before you make the biggest mistake of your life
Just give me the chance to get it right get it right
The lyrics of Mr Hudson's "Supernova" speak to the desire to rekindle a lost love before it's too late. The singer suggests that his lover is making a mistake by being with someone else, as they are the only one who truly understands and accepts them. The singer is willing to do whatever it takes to make things right, and is asking for a chance to prove his love once again. The song is full of poignant imagery, depicting the facade of wealth and leisure that the singer's lover now inhabits. Despite this, the singer is steadfast in his belief in their love, and longs to be reunited.
Line by Line Meaning
And I feel like taking off
The singer wants to escape from his current situation
Let me be your supernova
He wants to be the bright light in someone's life and make them happy
Before you make the biggest mistake of your life
The singer believes that if the person doesn't choose him, they will regret it forever
Just give me the chance to get it right
He wants one opportunity to prove that he is the right choice and can make things work
They got it all
The people he is competing with seem to have everything he thought he wanted in life
But I can't fall
The singer is not willing to pretend anymore and live a fake life
To fake anymore
He doesn't want to pretend to be happy anymore
To live this facade and smile as the warm champagne pours
He doesn't want to fake being happy at social events anymore
Out on the lawn
This is where everyone goes to have fun and pretend they're happy
We pretend we're having tonnes of fun in this world where we don't belong
The singer doesn't feel like he fits in with the people in his current social circle
Some bloke all alone
He wonders if the person he loves is thinking of him and remembers their past together
Is she thinking of me
He is questioning whether the person he loves is thinking about him
Did she forget what we once had
He wonders if the person he loves has forgotten the love they once shared
Oh they got it all you can see they got it all
The people he is competing with seem to have everything he thought he wanted in life
But I can't take another minute of y'all
He can't stand to be around them anymore because it feels fake
He wants his kids and the dog
The person he is competing with has a clear idea of what he wants in life
He wants his breakfast in bed
The person he is competing with has a luxurious lifestyle
He's got his trust fund saved
The person he is competing with is financially secure
Not a worry in his head
The person he is competing with has no real problems or worries in life
He's not you or me
The singer believes that the person he loves is not meant to be with the person he is competing with
I wanna break up the scene and see you running back to me
He wants to disrupt the current situation and make the person he loves realize that they should be with him instead
You've got it wrong if you say our love is gone
The singer believes that their love is still alive, even if the other person thinks it's over
Yeah I feel like taking off
The singer wants to escape from his current situation
Let me be your supernova
He wants to be the bright light in someone's life and make them happy
Before you make the biggest mistake of your life
The singer believes that if the person doesn't choose him, they will regret it forever
Just give me a chance to get it right
He wants one opportunity to prove that he is the right choice and can make things work
Yeah I feel like taking off
The singer wants to escape from his current situation
Let me be your supernova tonight
He wants to be the bright light in someone's life and make them happy right now
Before you make the biggest mistake of your life
The singer believes that if the person doesn't choose him, they will regret it forever
Just give me the chance to get it right get it right
He wants one opportunity to prove that he is the right choice and can make things work
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JEFF BHASKER, BEN HUDSON MCILDOWIE, KANYE WEST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind