Ren Harvieu

British vocalist Ren Harvieu is a darkly enigmatic singer with a supple, yearning voice and bent toward mixing '60s pop, soul, and modern alt-rock. Born in Broughton, Salford in the County of Lancashire in 1991, Harvieu was introduced to Irish folk songs and traditional music by her guitarist/vocalist father. In her teens, Harvieu fell under the influence of an array of artists including Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez, as well as local heroes the Smiths and even such contemporary artists as Alicia Keys. While in sixth form college, she performed in musical theater and entered several talent competitions before uploading some of her own recordings to MySpace. The tracks caught the ear of music manager Paul Harrison, who brought Harvieu to London to begin work on an album. In 2011, she released the single "Through the Night" and was brought to wider attention touring with Glasvegas. Harvieu was set to play Glastonbury and collaborate with rapper Nas when a freak accident left her hospitalized with two broken vertebrae. After two months of healing and physical therapy, Harvieu recovered and was able to walk again. Her debut full-length album is set for release in 2012.