Richard Ashcroft

Richard Paul Ashcroft (born 11 September 1971) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He formed the alternative rock band the Verve in 1990^[1] and served as the sole songwriter, lead singer and rhythm guitarist throughout the band's lifetime.^{[2][3][4][note 1]} In 2000, Ashcroft embarked on a solo career, releasing six UK top-three solo albums, including Alone with Everybody, Keys to the World and These People.^[5][6][7]

Ashcroft's songwriting has been commended by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors twice with an Ivor Novello Award.^[8] The Verve's Urban Hymns is one of the UK's best-selling albums of all time.^[9] Ashcroft's work has influenced artists such as Oasis, Coldplay, and the Britpop and indie rock genres.^[10][11] Noel Gallagher of Oasis described Ashcroft as a "genius",^[12] and Chris Martin of Coldplay called him "the best singer in the world".^[13]

On 10 October 2025, Ashcroft released his seventh studio album, Lovin' You.^[14]

Ashcroft was born in Wigan, the eldest child of Frank Ashcroft, an office worker, and Louise (née Baxter), a hairdresser. He has two younger sisters.^[15] His childhood was marked by a contrasting personality; while he was reportedly so shy that he had to be replaced in a school nativity play due to stage fright, he simultaneously developed a reputation as a "class clown" to entertain his peers.^[16]

The sudden death of his father from a brain haemorrhage in 1982, when Ashcroft was just 11, became a pivotal and traumatic turning point. He subsequently used music as a primary coping mechanism, recalling a profound sense of existential questioning that set him apart from his peers.^[17] During this period, his mother remarried a man who belonged to the Rosicrucian Order, an influence that would later permeate Ashcroft's lyrical mysticism.^[18]

Ashcroft attended Up Holland High School alongside future bandmates Simon Jones, Peter Salisbury, and Simon Tong.^[19] He later enrolled at Winstanley College to study Theatre Studies and Philosophy. Although his tutors described him as "incredibly intelligent," he was often perceived as a detached student, prioritising his burgeoning musical ambitions over academic achievement.^[20] It was at Winstanley where he met Nick McCabe, completing the core line-up of what would become The Verve.

An accomplished athlete in his youth, Ashcroft harboured serious ambitions of becoming a professional footballer. He was a talented junior player for Wigan Athletic and was also associated with Rotherham United.^[21] Despite his idolisation of George Best, his passion for football eventually waned as he became increasingly disillusioned with the professional sporting environment, ultimately choosing to dedicate himself to rock music.^[22]

Ashcroft formed the band in Wigan in 1990 alongside Simon Jones and Peter Salisbury, initially performing under the name Verve.^[23] The group's lineup was completed following a serendipitous encounter at Winstanley College; after hearing Nick McCabe playing guitar from behind a closed cubicle, Ashcroft waited outside to invite the unknown musician to join his project based solely on his "ethereal" sound.

The band's debut album, A Storm in Heaven (1993), was characterized by its avant-garde, shoegaze-influenced textures. Recorded at Sawmills Studios, the sessions were largely improvisational; Ashcroft would edit usable fragments from sprawling jams to structure them into cohesive songs.^[2] Reflecting on this period, Ashcroft admitted the group was frequently under the influence of LSD during the recording process, which contributed to the album's expansive, psychedelic atmosphere.^[24] It was during this early era that the press bestowed upon him the mercurial sobriquet "Mad Richard" due to his intense and unpredictable stage presence.

By 1995, Ashcroft's songwriting evolved towards a more structured, literary style, moving away from pure abstraction. This shift culminated in the band's second album, A Northern Soul. A definitive turning point was the track "History", which Ashcroft composed in a single 3 AM session inspired by the poetry of William Blake.^[2] Sonically, the song marked a departure from their earlier sound, featuring orchestral arrangements by Wil Malone and unconventional studio contributions, such as handclaps by Liam Gallagher.^[2]

However, the intense recording sessions at Loco Studios exacerbated creative differences between Ashcroft and McCabe. The latter's discomfort with the new "lyric-first" direction, coupled with the band's volatile mental health, led to an initial split in 1995 shortly after the album's release.^[2]

Following a brief period where Ashcroft intended to pursue a solo career, he reconciled with McCabe in 1997. The band—now including Simon Tong—reformed to release Urban Hymns, which propelled them to international superstardom. Ashcroft became the "face of British rock," winning an Ivor Novello Award for his songwriting.^[25]

The lead single, "Bitter Sweet Symphony", reached number 12 on the US charts and became a cultural phenomenon.^[26] Despite its success, the song became the subject of a high-profile legal dispute with ABKCO Records over a sample from a Rolling Stones orchestral cover; Ashcroft was famously stripped of his royalties and songwriting credits for over two decades until the rights were voluntarily returned to him in 2019.^[27] The band swept the 1998 BRIT Awards, winning Best British Group and Best British Album, before splitting again in April 1999 amidst internal exhaustion.^[28]

The Verve reunited for a third time in 2007, headlining major festivals and releasing the album Forth (2008), which debuted at number one in the UK. However, the reunion was short-lived; in August 2009, the band announced their final dissolution due to renewed tensions and McCabe's struggles with alcohol, which had made further collaboration untenable.^[29]

Ashcroft's first solo single, "A Song for the Lovers", peaked at No. 3 in the UK chart in April 2000.^[30] It was followed by the single "Money to Burn", which reached the UK Top 20 at No. 17.^[30] The album Alone with Everybody was released in June, reaching number 1 and receiving platinum status in the UK. Album reviews were generally positive.^[31] In September, a third single was released, "C'mon People (We're Making It Now)", entering the charts at No. 21.^[30] Richard does not publish his song lyrics in the inlay cards of his albums or singles, as he feels they are personal to him.

Ashcroft began work on his second album, Human Conditions, in 2002. The lead single, "Check the Meaning", was released in early October, and peaked at No. 11 on the UK Singles Chart.^[30] The album was released later that month and reached No. 3 in the UK Album Chart.^[30] Reception to the album was generally positive. Review aggregating website Metacritic reports a normalised score of 61% based on 15 reviews. In response to negative reaction to the album, Coldplay's Chris Martin – a fan of both Ashcroft and the Verve – defended the album's merits which "made an impression" on Ashcroft.^[32] The appreciation shown would later result in a support slot for Ashcroft, serving as the opening act for Coldplay during a European tour.^[32] The album's second single, "Science of Silence", was released the following January and charted at No. 14 in the UK.^[30] On 26 March, Ashcroft made his first live appearance of 2003 at London's Royal Albert Hall as part of the third annual Teenage Cancer Trust charity fundraising event,^[33] before "Buy It in Bottles", the third and final single to be taken from the album, was released on 7 April, charting at No. 26.^[30]

Aside from a limited number of appearances in 2003, Ashcroft was absent from the music business for about two years. He later explained this in 2006, stating that "[e]veryone got it into their heads over the last few years that I was in my ivory tower like Lennon, baking bread all day. The fact of the matter was that I was bringing up kids".^[34]

Ashcroft began playing shows again in mid-2005, and, on 2 July at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, Coldplay invited him to perform with them. They performed the Verve's hit "Bitter Sweet Symphony", after having rehearsed the song in Crystal Palace. Chris Martin introduced Ashcroft's performance of the song as "probably the best song ever written, and here's the best singer in the world",^[21][32] helping to renew interest in Ashcroft. At Christmas 2005, a documentary entitled Live 8: A Bitter Sweet Symphony was aired on the BBC, featuring a portion of Ashcroft's performance as the show's opening soundtrack.

After the disintegration of Hut Records in 2004, Ashcroft signed to Parlophone,^[21] where he released his third solo album, Keys to the World, on 23 January 2006. The first single from the album, "Break the Night with Colour", was released on 9 January 2006, and entered the UK Singles Chart at number 3.^[30] Following his performance at Live 8, Ashcroft was booked as a support act for Coldplay's Twisted Logic Tour throughout North America and the UK, which started on 14 March in Ottawa, Canada. Ashcroft saw the support slot as "a good chance to play to a significant amount of people and say, 'I’m back. And this is what I do'".^[32]

The album's second single, "Music Is Power", charted at number 20.^[30] On 18 April 2006, he recorded the Live from London EP, the ninth in a series of EPs released exclusively as digital downloads from Apple's iTunes Store. The EP was released six days later on 24 April. With the release of Keys to the World, the general consensus was that Ashcroft was "back at the top of his musical game".^[32] He announced his largest UK tour for years for May 2006, culminating in three nights at London's Brixton Academy. Following the tour, Ashcroft had hoped to perform two "Homecoming" shows at Wigan Athletic's 25,000-seater JJB Stadium in June 2006, but was unable to do so as the proposed venue lacked the "appropriate licence".^[35] As a consequence, he played at Lancashire County Cricket Club in Old Trafford, in his biggest solo show up to then. He was supported by acts such as Razorlight and the Feeling, while DJ Shadow joined Ashcroft on stage to perform "Lonely Soul", their UNKLE collaboration from 1998's Psyence Fiction LP.^[36] Another UK tour followed five months later, culminating in a show at Manchester's M.E.N. Arena on 30 November.^[37] Ashcroft did not tour Keys to the World outside Europe.^[37]

Ashcroft hinted at the possible release of a new version of "C'mon People (We're Making It Now)" for the Bobby Moore Cancer Fund,^[38] which would coincide with England's participation in the 2006 Football World Cup, but the single never materialised. Instead, his next release was "Words Just Get in the Way", which charted at No. 40 in the UK Singles Chart.^[30] On 4 December, the double a-side "Why Not Nothing" / "Sweet Brother Malcolm" was released on limited edition 7" vinyl.^[39]

Ashcroft played a solo show on 25 August 2008 as part of the Last Days of Summer Festival in Buckingham.^[40] The Verve broke up for a third time sometime between the last rehearsals in late 2008 and the summer of 2009.

At that time, Ashcroft was contractually obligated to record another album for Parlophone.^[41] A b-side compilation was considered a possibility, as Ashcroft's team asked the fans through his site about their feelings on such an album, but it's now very unlikely. In December 2009, Ashcroft contributed the lead soundtrack song for the documentary The Journey.^[42] A video of the song was posted at Ashcroft's site.^[43] Also, through his blog BRAIN, he stated that he would release a new album in 2010. Sources revealed he worked on a number of new songs in New York, Los Angeles and London with producer No I.D., who Ashcroft sought after because he liked his work in the Jay-Z song "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" and read an interview where he states how many producers destroy records to boost sales.^[44]

In 2010, Ashcroft formed a new band called RPA & The United Nations of Sound, who released a promo single, "Are You Ready?", from their new album.^[45] The album United Nations of Sound (former working title Redemption)^[45] was released on Parlophone on 19 July 2010;^[46] "Born Again", the first proper single from the album, was released on the same day.^[47] The full album leaked on 15 July and the NME started streaming the album the following day. The new sound seems to emulate many of Richard's influences described over the years in interviews and seems to close a circle for his solo career. Strings, beats, rock-guitar-riffs, voice-loops, ballads and heroic-choir-anthems are the core of the album's sound with Ashcroft's craft for pop tunes and unique melody-making. Also found in the songs are the ever-present spiritual lyrics for Richard, although here in fuller form.

On 15 October 2010, Ashcroft released through his website a second fanclub-only track, "Here We Go Again". On the same day the song "Are You Ready?" was released as the first official single from the new album in the United States.^[48] During the same month Ashcroft had signed with the record company Razor & Tie in the United States. The radio edit of "Are You Ready?" is available for free on the US version of Ashcroft's website.

The album United Nations of Sound was released across the Atlantic on 22 March 2011 under the name "Richard Ashcroft". The lead single "Are You Ready?" was featured over the closing credits of the film The Adjustment Bureau in March 2011, along with the new song "Future's Bright", written and performed specifically for the film's opening by Ashcroft and ten-time Oscar-nominated composer Thomas Newman.^[49]

For the US release of "Are You Ready?", Ashcroft and Big Life Management commissioned Giorgio Testi for the promo – created out of live footage from a show at Shepherd's Bush Empire. The video premiered on 7 February on the official website of Pulse Films, the production company.^[50]

On 1 March the song "Future's Bright" was premiered on Stereogum.^[51] On the official website of the movie The Adjustment Bureau there is also a video created for the song by director George Nolfi.^[52]

Ashcroft released his fifth studio album, These People, in May 2016. The album was followed by 2016 UK and Europe tour, an abbreviated North American tour, and—for the first time in Ashcroft's career—festival dates in Latin America.

In January 2018, it was confirmed that in June 2018, Ashcroft would be supporting Liam Gallagher at his two concerts in Malahide Castle and Gardens in Dublin and Belsonic at Ormeau Park in Belfast.^[53] In March 2018, it was announced that Ashcroft would tour with Gallagher in North America in May 2018.^[54] On 11 June 2018, it was announced that Ashcroft would support Gallagher at his show at Lancashire County Cricket Club on 18 August 2018.^[55]

In August 2018, Ashcroft announced his sixth solo album, Natural Rebel, which was released on 19 October, preceded by the single "Surprised By The Joy" in September and subsequent teasers "Born To Be Strangers" and "That's When I Feel It." The LP debuted at No. 4 on the UK Albums Chart, its highest position.^[56]

On February 19, 2021, he released a cover of John Lennon's "Bring On the Lucie (Freda Peeple)"^[57][58] (track 5 on Lennon's 1973 album Mind Games). On 29 October that year, he released his sixth album, Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1.^[59] It features acoustic versions of Ashcroft's songs with The Verve and his solo career.^[60] The album debuted at No. 2 on the UK Albums Chart, its peak position.^[61]

On October 21, 2024, it was announced that Ashcroft would be the supporting act to Oasis Live '25 UK reunion tour which sold out in 10 hours.^[62][63]

On May 22, 2025, he released "Lover". The song is based on sample from "Love and Affection" by Joan Armatrading. In an interview with Absolute Radio, he commented how he doesn't consider himself defined by any specific genre and just needs it to be "music". Per the song's new sound, he doesn't like to stale in his previous genres, as that would become like a Xerox Machine that renders bad copies of something. He admires in the creation of music by sampling, how the sample takes on a life of its own and becomes new music.^[64] The song was produced by Esme Ramazanoglu and was accompanied by an announcement of a new album, Lovin' You, which was released on October 10, 2025.^[65][66]

Ashcroft is married to Kate Radley, a former keyboardist of Spiritualized.^[67] They married in 1995 and it was years before it was publicly revealed that the pair had married. Together, they have two sons. The family lives in Taynton in Gloucestershire and Richmond in London.^[68] Ashcroft and Radley have collaborated professionally throughout their marriage and toured together with Coldplay in 2006.^[69] Radley has been the source of inspiration for many of his songs, including "Sonnet" from the album Urban Hymns.^[70]

Ashcroft is a Manchester United fan, and regularly attends matches.^[71]

Ashcroft is good friends with Noel and Liam Gallagher of the band Oasis. For a long time the Gallagher brothers have expressed great respect for Ashcroft, with Noel Gallagher fondly nicknaming Ashcroft 'Captain Rock'. The Oasis track "Cast No Shadow", from the successful 1995 album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? is dedicated to him. Ashcroft in turn dedicated the title track of A Northern Soul to Noel Gallagher.^[72] Ashcroft also provided backing vocals on the Oasis song "All Around the World" in 1997, for Oasis' Be Here Now.

In a 2006 interview, Ashcroft mentioned taking Prozac to help him with clinical depression, but said that it did not help, referring to the pills as "very, very synthetic." Ashcroft has said that he's always been "a depressive, someone who suffers from depression", and that music and creativity help him cope with his illness.^[73]

Ashcroft has abstained from large-scale touring until his two sons have grown up for wanting to be present for his family^[74] and has always preferred to stay out of commercial spotlights stating, "We're not a showbizy kind of band, we don't play the game where everyone else goes to specific parties to have their photograph taken, which sells magazines, that whole kind of game we're not really part of."^[75]

Ashcroft has a sustained interest for the psychological and affectual influence music holds, stating, "A great pop song is as powerful as the best piece of poetry you have ever read and the melody can take you to another place."^[76]

Ashcroft is well known for using string instrumentation in his songs. He considers it part of his "palette" and draws inspiration from such composers as Ennio Morricone, John Barry, and John Williams.^[32]

A major influence on Ashcroft from childhood to adulthood has been the Beatles. Ashcroft recalls two out of the three LPs his family owned when he was a child were the 1966 album Revolver, and the Beatles compilation album 1967–1970. He also recalls in his teens he used to watch an "unauthorised" video of the band on a loop. He has expressed a high regard for George Harrison's work with the Beatles and his solo work, as well as praise for his moral ideals and distaste for the fake nature of the music industry.^[77]

Ashcroft has highlighted the Smiths as a major influence in his teens, citing the album Hatful of Hollow and the song "How Soon Is Now?" as having a profound impact on him.^[2]

Ashcroft also holds a deep interest for cinema; when he was thirteen years of age, he was shown the Jean-Luc Godard film 1+1, which showed the Rolling Stones creating a song. Ashcroft mentions this event as a turning point in his life view.^[2]

In terms of literature, Ashcroft has been vastly influenced by the poet/polymath William Blake. He has also mentioned poet Phillip Larkin and A.E. Housman as some of his favorite poets.^[78]

A legal dispute was held over Ashcroft's song "Bitter Sweet Symphony" from the Verve's album Urban Hymns, a song on which he was the sole band member to share a co-writing credit.^[3] The song uses a sample of Andrew Oldham Orchestra's recording of the Rolling Stones' 1965 song "The Last Time". The Verve had negotiated this legally, but the Rolling Stones' record company successfully sued and argued that they had used "too much". The Verve were subsequently forced to give ABKCO 100 percent of the royalties^[19] from "Bitter Sweet Symphony", and Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were given songwriting credits along with Ashcroft.^[3] Against Ashcroft's wishes, the song was used in a commercial advertisement; from this he received $175,000, but donated it all to charity despite it being the only revenue he had ever received from the song.^[79] On 23 May 2019, Ashcroft announced that Jagger and Richards had signed over the rights to him, giving him sole writing credit and all subsequent royalties.^[80][81]

• "(Could be) A Country Thing, City Thing, Blues Thing"^[102]
• "Precious Stone"^[102]
• "Leave Me High"^[103]
• "XXYY"^[103]
• "Make a Wish"^[104]
• "For the Lovers"^[104]
• "Einstein on a Beach"^[105]

• "The Miracle"^[106]
• "Get Up Now"^[107]
• "Don't Take Me In"^[108]
• "The Journey's Just Begun"^[108]
• "Check the Meaning" (Chris Potter Remix)^[106]
• "Check the Meaning" (The Freelance Hellraiser Remix)^[109]

• "The Direction"^[110]
• "75 Degrees"^[111]
• "Slip Sliding"^[112]
• "Circles"^[113]
• "Long Way Down"^[114]
• "Words Just Get in the Way" (Demo Version)^[115]
• "Break the Night with Colour" (Acoustic Version)^[116]
• "Music Is Power" (Acoustic Version)^[117]
• "She's So Hot" – Ashcroft performed this song at several concerts in 2006, though it has never been officially released on an album.^[118][119]

• "Captain Rock" – iTunes exclusive bonus track.^[120]
• "Third Eye" – Released to RPA fan club members via Richard Ashcroft's official website; it also appears as track 9 on the US version of the album.^[121][122]
• "Here We Go Again" – Second song released to Richard Ashcroft fan club members.^[123]
• "Lead the Way" Third tune released to Richard Ashcroft fan club members.
• "Screw You Screw Me" Fourth and last song released to Richard Ashcroft fan club members.

• "How the West Was Lost"^[124]

• "Hey Columbo"^[125]
• "Rare Vibration"^[126]
• "Gilded Halls"^[126]
• "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (Cover)^[127]

• "C'mon People (We're Making It Now)" (feat. Liam Gallagher) (Don't Stop Now Mix)^[128]

On December 18, 2025, Ashcroft shared three bonus tracks for free on his official YouTube account:^[129]

• "Take It Back Home"
• "To Be Loved Again"
• "You've Got All I Need"

• Official website (UK)
• Richard Ashcroft Online (unofficial website)
• Richard Ashcroft at IMDb