Gregg Alexander

Not to be confused with the rugby league playerGreg Alexander.

Gregg Alexander(bornGregory Aiuto;May 4, 1970)is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer.

Gregg Alexander
Birth name	Gregory Aiuto
Also known as	Alex Ander Cessyl Orchestra
Born	(1970-05-04)May 4, 1970
Origin	Grosse Pointe,Michigan,U.S.
Genres	Alternative rock power pop
Occupations	Singer songwriter producer musician
Instruments	Vocals guitar keyboards drums bass
Years active	1989–present
Labels	A&M Epic MCA EMI Warner Chappell

He was the lead vocalist and frontman of the short-lived rock bandNew Radicals,who are best known for their 1998 single "You Get What You Give".The group disbanded after one album,Maybe You've Been Brainwashed Too(1998) in 1999, with Alexander shifting focus onto production and songwriting work. Notable songwriting and productions credits for Alexander include "Life Is a Rollercoaster","Lovin' Each Day","Inner Smile","Murder on the Dancefloor"and"Mixed Up World",all of which were commercial successes in the early 2000s.

Alexander won aGrammy Awardfor his contributions to the 2003 single "The Game of Love"bySantana.He later co-wrote songs for the filmBegin Again,including "Lost Stars",which was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Original Song.

Early life

Born inGrosse Pointe,Michigan,Alexander was raised in a conservativeJehovah's Witnesshousehold. He received his first guitar at age 12 and taught himself to play several instruments. He and his sister, Caroline, played piano and Gregg composed songs.

Career

Early career

At age 14, he joined a band, The Circus, with his older brother, Stephen Aiuto, and classmates George Snow and John Mabarak. In 1984, they played their high school'sbattle of the bands,a competition that also included John Lowery (later known asJohn 5). At age 16, Alexander signed his first recording contract withA&M Recordsafter playing his demo tapes for producerRick Nowels.He released his debut album,Michigan Rain,in 1989 at age 19, to little notice. In 1992, he signed toEpic Recordsand releasedIntoxifornication,consisting largely of re-released songs fromMichigan Rain,and was again ignored.

New Radicals (1997–1999)

Main article:New Radicals

Breakthrough and break–up

In 1997, Alexander formedNew Radicals,a revolving-door band with no permanent members other than Alexander and his long-term collaboratorDanielle Brisebois.In October 1998, they released the albumMaybe You've Been Brainwashed Too,which sold more than one million copies. The single "You Get What You Give"was released that autumn and was an international hit.

It was not long after New Radicals' success that Alexander became tired of the constant media attention and an exhausting touring schedule. In July 1999, "Someday We'll Know"was announced as the band's second single; several days later, Alexander announced he was disbanding New Radicals to focus on production work.

2021 re–union

On January 20, 2021, New Radicals reunited for a one-off performance of "You Get What You Give" oninauguration dayforPresident Joe Biden.Used as a rally song at Biden campaign events, the song was a favorite of Joe's sonBeau Biden,who died in 2015. The song's lyrics were recited by his sisterAshleyduring the eulogy at his funeral.

The band had rejected offers to perform over the preceding 22 years, but wanted to honor this day and honor Beau, a military veteran. Prior to their performance on inauguration day, Alexander said: "We pledged if Joe [Biden] won, we'd get together and play our little song both in memory and in honor of our new president's patriot son Beau and also with the prayer of Joe being able to bring our country together again with compassion, honesty and justice for a change."

Songwriting and production (1999–)

Success and Grammy Award (1999–2014)

Since the summer of 1999, Alexander has written and produced hit songs for several artists, including Brisebois,Enrique Iglesias,Texas,Geri Halliwell,S Club 7,Melanie C,Rod Stewart,Hanson,Sophie Ellis-Bextor,Mónica Naranjo,andRonan Keating(he co-produced and co-wrote the albumDestination).Alexander's composition "The Game of Love",recorded bySantanaandMichelle Branch,earned him aBest Pop Collaborationprize at the45th Annual Grammy Awards.AllMusic'sStephen Thomas Erlewinedescribed Alexander as "the catchiest, smartest professional mainstream pop songwriter of the early 2000s."

In 2003, he wrote four songs on Iglesias' album7,under the pseudonym Alex Ander.In 2004, a new Alexander track, "A Love Like That," was released, uncredited, on the Internet. It was suspected to be a New Radicals outtake, as some of the lyrics appeared in the booklet accompanyingMaybe You've Been Brainwashed Too.Also in 2004, Hanson released "Lost Without Each Other,"co-written by Alexander, on their albumUnderneath."Why Can't We Make Things Work", written by Alexander (andRick Nowels), was released byAny Dream Will DowinnerLee Meadon his self-titled album in November 2007. In 2010,Boyzonereleased the single "Love Is a Hurricane,"written by Alexander and Brisebois.

Lost Starsand Academy Award nomination (2014–2024)

Alexander co-wrote and co-produced the music for the musical romance filmBegin Again,along with his longtime collaborators Brisebois and Nowels, as well asNick Lashley.Their song "Lost Stars"was nominated for anBest Original Songat the2015 Academy Awards.On the soundtrack album, Alexander, Brisebois, Nowels and Lashley are credited under the name Cessyl Orchestra.

On November 4, 2014, Alexander appeared and performed publicly for the first time in 15 years at theHollywood Music in Media Awards,singing "Lost Stars."Since 2018, Alexander has been involved in writing sessions withPhil Thornalleyand his 1970's singer-songwriter inspired music project,Astral Drive.Two songs co-written by Alexander have been released: "Take Back the World" and "This Is the Place". Alexander assisted with production ofThe Struts' albumEverybody Wantsand co-wrote two songs: "The Ol' Switcheroo" and "Put Your Money on Me."He also co-wrote and provided backup vocals forSpencer Ludwig's 2016 single, "Right Into U"; and co-wrote (with Lashley and Nowels) theKaiser Chiefs' 2019 song "The Only Ones".

Murder on the Dancefloor(2024–)

In January 2024, Sophie Ellis-Bextor's "Murder on the Dancefloor",co-written by Alexander, became a viral hit due to its appearance in the filmSaltburn.The resurgence of the song also carried over to social networkTikTok,which expanded the song's popularity. It rocketed up to #2 on the UK Singles chart, and reached #51 on the USBillboard Hot 100singles chart.This became the biggest hit for Alexander's career since "The Game of Love" in 2003.

Discography

For releases with the New Radicals, seeNew Radicals § Discography.

Albums

• Michigan Rain(1989)
• Intoxifornication(1992)

Singles

• "In the Neighborhood" (1989)
• "Smokin' in Bed" (1992)
• "The Truth" (1992)

Others

• "Promise Tomorrow Tonight" (1994,duetwithDanielle Briseboison her albumArrive All over You)
• "A Love Like That" (2003, digital download)