about the artist
“I’ve been singing, playing guitar, writing songs, and trying to entertain people since I was 14 years old. I feel, at the present time, that I may, on any given night, be getting the hang of it!”
“I’m deeply grateful for the life I have,” says Colin Hay. “I think my natural tendency has always been towards optimism and humor. Lately, though, I’ve had to be more intentional about it. I’ve had to actively seek out the positive, to let new rays of hope shine on some seemingly dark situations.”
History
Born in Scotland, Hay moved with his family as a teenager to Australia, where he first came to international fame with seminal ’80s hitmakers, Men At Work.
While the band reached the heights of stardom – winning a GRAMMY Award for Best New Artist and selling more than 30 million records worldwide on the strength of number 1 singles like “Who Can It Be Now?” and “Down Under” – by 1985, they had called it quits and gone their separate ways. Hay released his solo debut the following year and, over the next three-and-a-half decades, recorded twelve more critically acclaimed studio albums that established him as one of his generation’s most hardworking and reliable craftsmen. Rolling Stone praised his “witty, hooky pop” tunes, while NPR’s World Café lauded his “distinctive voice,” and late-night hosts from David Letterman and Craig Ferguson to Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel have all welcomed him for performances.
Over the course of his remarkable solo career, Hay developed a reputation as a gifted raconteur with serious comedy chops, and his frequent appearances at LA’s Largo club helped garner him a legion of fans in the entertainment world. Among them was actor/director Zach Braff, who called Hay’s mix of heartfelt songwriting and hilarious storytelling “one of the most amazing things I had ever seen.” Braff went on to feature Hay’s music prominently in the GRAMMY-winning soundtrack for “Garden State” and invited him to appear as himself on the hit series “Scrubs,” introducing his music to a whole new generation of listeners.
In addition to his rigorous schedule as a solo artist, Hay has toured the world several times over with Ringo Starr & His All-Star Band, released an audiobook of Aesop’s Fables, starred in the award-winning documentary “Waiting For My Real Life,” and even provided the voice for Fergus Flamingo in Disney’s “The Wild.”
