Sanctuary

Sanctuary is a confident collection of twelve perfect pop songs

Fresh from the massive success of his debut solo single Lay Your Hands, Simon Webbe finally unleashes his highly anticipated debut solo album Sanctuary. Good thing Simon landed a solo deal, or his legacy would have been a handful of Blue hits, augmented by a sheaf of tabloid kiss-and-tells. Written exclusively by this Manchester-born and former member of Blue, the first offering is a mix of R&B and soulful pop. The album was produced by Webbe's close friend Matt Prime. Sanctuary isn't the disappointment, and the reason is evident here: Webbe was Blue's star voice, and his distinctive warmth is as alluring on its own as it is when bolstered by three other voices. Sanctuary showcases a new Simon Webbe: a softer, more soulful singer with thoughtful lyrics and beautiful melodies. Simon has spent the last nine months working on the material, creating an exceptional first album that will appeal to pop, R&B and country fans alike. The album is a confident collection of twelve perfect pop songs that is sure to establish Simon as one of the most exciting artists on the current music scene.

Diverse range of lyrical themes and surprising stylistic breadth

Opening with the massive hit single Lay Your Hands, and straight into the infectious new single No Worries, the album moves from the smooth acoustic groove of After All This Time to the soulful and uplifting A Little High, through the country funk of Unjustified, on to the sweeping beauty of ballad Free and the indelible melody of Sanctuary, finishing with the Caribbean influenced Star. At the heart of every track is a killer song. As Simon explains, the album explores a diverse range of lyrical themes. And there is also a surprising stylistic breadth to it. With the release of Lay Your Hands, Simon undeniably established himself as major player in the UK and overseas charts. Now, with the release of a new single No Worries and the album Sanctuary, he is truly a solo superstar in the making. He is not just some rapper that was stuck into Blue to make them hip. His vocal range is incredible; he can sing low bass to high tenor and has smooth falsetto. And the twelve tracks on his debut album really prove Simon Webbe is not just a pretty face.

Simon Webbe: singer, songwriter, actor, producer and father

At only 26 years old, Simon has already gained more experience in the music industry than many artists attain in a lifetime. Music was always played in the Webbe family home, and Simon grew up to the soulful sounds of acts such as Bill Withers, Bob Marley and various gospel acts. At 17 Simon began auditioning as a singer and rapper for various bands and music projects, all the while writing songs for future use. Continuing to hit the audition circuit he met Duncan James, Lee Ryan and Antony Costa, Blue were formed and an incredible rollercoaster of success began. Blue gave Simon the chance to develop his natural songwriting talents and explore his production ideas. Simon was the key songwriter on many of Blue's biggest hits including All Rise, Fly By and One Love. In fact Simon either wrote or co-wrote six tracks on their first multi platinum album All Rise and even more tracks on the two albums that followed One Love and Guilty. As a member of the band he has achieved phenomenal sales figures not only in the UK, but also all across the globe. Now in addition to his musical career, Simon is also pursuing his talents as an actor. He has to date filmed two movies, both due for release in early 2006. Simon is also a loving father to his eight-year-old daughter, besides he owns a Manchester based modeling agency, Industry People and runs a production company, UK Team responsible for developing UK urban artists.