BY GEMMA BROSNAN

For those still struggling to find the perfect gift this Mother’s Day, they could do worse than look to Mark Read for inspiration.Although it may seem unusual to take tips on gifts from a 30 year old man, this man is far from ordinary and much more talented than most.   

Hailing from Kingston, Surrey, Mark Read is a singer-songwriter and musician, probably remembered best for his time with British boyband sensation, A1, which reached phenomenal global heights from 1998-2002 with huge hits both here and abroad and a Brit Award for Best Breakthrough Act.
 
Six of their hit songs were co-written by Mark, while one of the three albums gained incredible triple platinum status, but in 2002, after four successful years, they decided to try other things.
 
Mark’s musicality led him down the road of song-writing and in 2003 he struck a four year publishing deal with Metrophonic/Universal Music.
 
Since then, he has co-written with and for some notoriously impressive musicians, including Jarvis Cocker, Ronan Keating, Graham Stack, Robin Gibb, Rob Davis and Kenney Jones’ supergroup The Jones Gang who he also toured with in 2007.
 
Mark chose not to go down the solo career route straight away, an intentional decision on his part, giving him time to mature as a writer and create his own distinctive sound and style, away from his former group.
 
Mark explains more: “I love writing songs and it is always great to see someone performing them, but for me, it is always more personal when I perform my own songs as I combine my two greatest passions – singing and songwriting.
 
Although I achieved huge success with A1 and it was of course a great platform, I feel as though I am starting from the very bottom now as my solo work is quite different.
 
I feel it has a lot more depth and substance, as I have so much more life experience now to draw from, both highs and lows like everyone else, which I think makes better lyrics.
 
The nice thing about writing on your own is that you can put so much more of yourself into it, rather than co-writing, which is more about merging thoughts and ideas and contributing on a smaller scale.
 
It is a very exciting time for me and I’m looking forward to getting on the road to perform and promote my new album and find out the response from my fans.”
 
His solo effort is already proving hugely popular, as he performed “The Greatest Lady In My Life” for Tesco’s prestigious Mum Of The Year Awards, leaving an emotionally charged crowd memorised at London’s Waldorf Hotel last week.
 
He was flattered to be part of the event, beating off competition to provide the signature tune, and he struggled to keep a dry eye as the crowd – including his own mum - watched him perform his tribute to all mothers.
 
“The song is really about taking time to say the important things to our mum, the woman who brought us into this world, the woman we all should treasure. I have watched close friends go through the agonising pain of losing their mum, and it is a tragic reminder of how special the bond is that we have with our mums and how we should never be scared to admit it.”
 
Mark’s debut solo album “Peace At Last” is scheduled for late March release and features 14 tracks.
 
The debut favourite “The Greatest Lady In My Life”, was released on March 2nd on CBM Records so if you haven’t already found the perfect Mother’s Day gift, make sure you check it out.
 
For more information on Mark’s album and tour dates check out:  
 
www.markreadmusic.com