Birth name Anthony McLean Instruments Vocals Also known as Digga25 Cent Role Singer Name Anthony McLean | Siblings Aaron McLean Occupation(s) Singer, songwriter Music group Children of the Corn | |
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Born 23 April 1980 (age 44) ( 1980-04-23 ) Albums Children of the Corn: The Collector's Edition Similar People Ironik, M J Cole, Friction, Aaron McLean, Sway Profiles | ||
McLean (born Anthony McLean, 24 June 1980) is an English singer from Dagenham, east London. He was signed to Asylum Records in the UK and Atlantic Records in the US. His debut single "Broken" was released on 26 October 2009. The song was co-written/produced by The Schizofreniks and first released independently on 26 March 2007 on Schizofreniks Records, and has since then accrued over 20 million hits across major social networking sites, including YouTube and MySpace.
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Early life and career
McLean is the son of the Lovers Rock musician, John McLean. He is the brother of the footballer Aaron McLean. Under the pseudonym of "Digga" he collaborated with M. J. Cole on "Gotta Have It"; then with drum and bass duo Chase & Status on the song "Take U There", which featured on the debut album, More Than Alot.
McLean cites 1960s and 1970s soul musicians as his influences; "I love the soul men and women from then – Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Aretha, Michael Jackson and Bros. It's the best music ever made – it just has a feeling". It was the birth of McLean's daughter which spurred him on to make his musical dreams a reality. "Me and My Business partner D-el the producer went at it hard, making and sending out t-shirts and CDs, and setting up a Myspace page. We'd wake at the crack of dawn and work until we couldn't stay awake – even if that was two days later" he stated. Around this time, the singer also took jobs as a night watchman, at a fire alarm factory and at Pizza Hut to support his family.
Debut album
McLean has worked with record producers Fraser T Smith, Phil Tan, Dylan "3D" Dresdow, Nate 'Danja' Hills, plus Naughty Boy (of Wiley and Chipmunk fame). Confirmed songs include "My Name", "Great Escape", "Try Me" and the Smith produced "One More Night", "Finally in Love" and "Broken".
Personal life
He is the nephew of 1990s singer Bitty McLean and is the older brother of professional footballer Aaron McLean.