Nathan Leone
| Nathan Leone | |
|---|---|
 Nathan Leone performing at The Forum in London, England | |
| Background information | |
| Born | May 6, 1975 |
| Origin | Chicago, Illinois |
| Genres |
Post-hardcore Alternative rock Punk rock Alternative metal Post-grunge |
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Roadrunner Records |
| Associated acts |
The Blank Theory Madina Lake |
Nathan Daniel Leone (/liːˈoʊniː/ lee-OHN-ee) is a songwriter and the former lead singer of rock band Madina Lake. He was born on May 6, 1975.[1] Nathan is three minutes younger than his identical twin Matthew Leone, who played bass in Madina Lake.
Early life
Nathan grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. He has a twin brother and three older sisters: Allison, Jill and Paula.
Nathan fell out of a grocery cart when he was five, tearing a muscle in his eye, thus resulting in having to wear an eye patch and glasses for much of his childhood. He sometimes loses control of the muscle in his eye, but does not have a lazy eye.[2]
When Nathan was 12 years old, his mother was killed in a car accident. The song "Morning Sadness" is influenced by her death and Nathan has trouble talking about her in interviews.[3] On their album Attics to Eden the track Friends & Lovers includes lyrics where he is speaking about his childhood and his mother, much like Morning Sadness.
Nathan landed a sports scholarship to go to college in Indianapolis, Indiana at Butler University. He pursued professional soccer in the United States and for nine months in Florence, Italy. Nathan used to intern at Scratchie's Chicago headquarters.
Musical career
Nathan and his brother Matthew formed their first band, The Blank Theory, in 1998. In the early days of The Blank Theory, they also formed an independent label called 4 Alarm Records which also included The Frogs, The Pinehurst Kids, and Monkey Paw.
Nathan and Matthew appeared on a special edition of Twin Fear Factor, which they won. The $50,000 was the start up money for Madina Lake. The band's first self-produced EP, The Disappearance of Adalia, came out in early 2006 around October. Later that year, they were signed to Roadrunner Records and created their first full-length album entitled From Them, Through Us, To You, which was released in March 2007.
He cites the alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins as his favorite band and his biggest influence.[4]
He wrote the song "In Another Life" following a dream he had in which his then-girlfriend committed suicide.[5]
The Attics To Eden artwork is by Vic Lee who is also known as Lynden ST Victor. Nathan heard of Vic Lee through a friend who bought a painting of his, but seeing as the price range Vic Lee usually charges was too high Nathan emailed him, and to his shock received one back. They got the album artwork for Attics free if they recorded a song for Vic Lee (since he is not a musician).
Writing
Leone wrote his autobiography titled "Don't Love Me, Judge Me," and used Kickstarter to raise money to get his book published.[6] His autobiography was released on March 30, 2014.
Personal life
Antidepressants
On 29 March 2010, at a concert in Birmingham, England, Nathan revealed to previously being on antidepressants, however he also stated that he quit taking them two months before. He stated that he realized that "when people obsess over things, anything that happened yesterday or any day before that in their life, they are depressed. Anybody who obsesses and freaks out about tomorrow or any day in their future, what's gonna happen in their life, they have anxiety. The only way to live, the only way to live your life, is right now in this moment right here." He later went on to add that it was due to the support of the fans which enabled him to come off antidepressants. Nathan got married to girlfriend, Jenna Martinelli in 2012.
References
External links
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