Biography
Rufus Wainwright was innate within Rhinebeck, New York, USA, to folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle (they down the road divorced when he was the infant). He began to play a piano at age sixer, & by age baker's dozen he was touring sustaining his sister Martha, mother Kate, and auntie Anna as the "McGarrigle Sisters and Family." His song "I'm Running," which he performed in the motion picture Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller, and where he as well played the minor character, was nominated for the 1989 Genie Award for Best Original Song & earned him the nomination for the 1990 Juno Award for Most Promising Male Vocalist.

Though natural in the United States, Wainwright strongly identifies by using Canada and still maintains the home there. He sleep in Montreal with his mother for most of his childhood & briefly attended McGill University, where he exposed two serious music & 'rock' piano. In addition, a few of his songs feature his mastery of French.

Coming out when gay while still the teenager, Waggonwright witnessed solace across opera throughout his adolescent years (for instance, his track Barcelona features lyrics of Giuseppe Verdi). He besides became an enthusiast of such performing artist when Édith Piaf, Al Jolson and Judy Garland. Typically existence a supposed "rival" of mid Xc's legend Jeff Buckley, Wainwright sent tapes to Sin-é (the club Buckley convince Wagonwright to perform at), however late befriended Buckley; sadly, this was shortly prior to Buckley's dying. Rufus said "he was lovely."

Fallowing with been the fixture on the Montreal club circuit, Wainwright cut the series of demo tapes, one of which found itself in the paws of DreamWorks executive Lenny Waronker. A label signed him & he freed an album in the spring of 1998. This album received tremendously critical acclamation inside Canada, & was recognized by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the better albums of the season. Waggonwright's 2nd album, Poses (2001), brought similar acclamation.

Waggonwright's number 1 independent exposure to the Western public come as an opener to singer Tori Amos in 2001 and 2002. He garnered praise for his performance & began touring as a independent work shortly subsequently. He hwhen ofttimes toured as a opener for Sting and co-headlined with Ben Folds and Guster in the summer of 2004. He however typically performs using his sister Martha Wainwright (now herself an emerging creative persin) on backup vocals. Despite the growing cult following and critical acclaim, Wagonwright has had simply marginal commercial profits in the United States.

Additionally to existence the piano player, Waggonwright occurs as guitar player, typically switching between them instruments whenever performing survive; but, his mastery of the guitar does not approach his talent by owning a piano. When occasionally of his virtually all moving songs feature upright Waggonwright sustaining his piano, numbers of of his songs display complex layering & harmonies, occasionally comprising hundreds of single area. Wagonwright is an inspiring opera fan, & a influences in his music come evident, besides when his love of Schubert 'Lieder'; his music hwhen been described as "Popera" (Pop Opera) or "Baroque Pop." His lyrics are filled using allusions to opera, literature, pop culture, and, further recently, politics (around songs like "Gay Messiah" & "Waiting for a Dream"). Wagonwright occurs as convalescent crystal meth addict and the rape survivor; he uses a click to bring awareness to these social problems.

His talent hwhen been widely recognized & praised by such creative person as Elton John, Morrissey, John Mayer, & Sting, and he continues to influence creative person such as Keane, Alanis Morissette, Scissor Sisters, and Ben Folds.

Waggonwright's recently album, Want Two, from which quaternion songs were freed when a EP Waiting for the Desire, was discharged from either DreamWorks/Geffen on November 16, 2004. These are the companion to the 2003 release Want One. His latest, the survive iTunes Sessions EP entitled "Alright Already", was discharged March 15, 2005. The DVD entitled "All I Want," featuring the biographic docudrama, music online videos, & survive performances, is scheduled for U.S. release within late summertime 2005. He manufactured his motion picture debut in The Aviator. He as well appears in the film, Heights.

Themes

Waggonwright's music contains many lasting themes, ranging from either extremely household statements all about existence gay & individual ("Oh, What A World") to statements just about a decadency of California ("California.") These are underappreciated fact that a brobdingnagian majority of Wagonwright's lyric contawithin the information, either overtly or even in passing, to the God of the Judeo-Christian tradition. A song "Danny Boy," e.g., is just about a electricity of romantic & intimate attraction. Wagonwright sings just about the individual he calls Danny Son: "You broke my heart, Danny Boy / Not your fault, Danny Boy." Explaining how else instantly Wagonwright felt this, he says, "I was had at the doorstep / played like a two to a fourset / Had like poor Job in the Bible by God," a pass refence. Less devious refences include his recent "Agnus Dei" & "Gay Messiah," which aside from either either borrowing from religious antiqity sequentially to produce arguments all all about a present times, come besides around content about religious themes.

Discography

Albums
Rufus Wainwright (1998, DreamWorks) Poses (2001, DreamWorks) Want One (2003, DreamWorks) Waiting for the Desire (EP; 2004, DreamWorks) - available only in iTunes Want Two (2004, DreamWorks/Geffen) Ok Already (EP; 2005, DreamWorks/Geffen) - available only in iTunes

Contributions
"I'm Running" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller (1989) "Le Roi D'Ys" & "On the Banks of the Wabash" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture The Myth of Fingerprints (1997) "Shooldays", "What'll I Do?", "Heartburn", "Talk to Me of Mendocino", "Goodnight Sweetheart" & background vocals in various more tracks. - The McGarrigle Hour (1998) "Instant Pleasure" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Big Daddy (1999, Sony) "Complainte de la Butte" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Moulin Rouge! (2001, Interscope) "Hallelujah" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Shrek (2001, Dreamworks) "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Zoolander (2001, Hollywood Records) "Wake Up In New-York" - track from either Craig Armstrong's album As if to nothing (2002, Melankolic Records) "Across the Universe" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture I Am Sam (2002, V2/BMG) "Sonnet 29" - Whilst Love Speaks (2002, EMI Classics) "It's Only a Paper Moon" & "I Wonder What Became of Me" - Stormy Weather: A Music of Harold Arlen (2003, Sony) "The Origin of Love" - Wig within the Pack - Songs from either & elysian by Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2003, Off Records) "I Eat Dinner" (by using Dido) - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004, Geffen Records) "I'll Build A Stairway To Paradise" - Soundtrack to the Motion Picture The Aviator (2004, Sony) "What Can I Do?" - Will bring independent vocals on this track from either Antony and the Johnsons' I Am A Bird Now (2005, Rough Trade)

Awards and nominations

Juno Awards
1990 - Nominated, Virtually all Promising Male Singer of the Year 1999 - Won, Better Option Album, Rufus Wainwright 2000 - Nominated, Better Ballad maker; "Poses," "Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk," and "Grey Gardens" 2002 - Won, Better Choice Album, Poses

Genie Awards
1989 - Won, Right Original Song, "I'm A Runnin'"

Other
1999 - Won, Oustanding Music Album, GLAAD Media Awards 1999 - Won, Debut Album of the Month, Gay/Lesbian American Music Awards 2004 - Nominated, Shortlist Music Prize