Fran Healy

Fran Healy was born in Stafford but grew up in his parent’s hometown of Glasgow. He has been the lead singer and main songwriter of Travis on all of the band’s six studio albums, and released his first solo album in October 2010. He is currently based in Berlin, but shares his time between the German capital, London and New York.

Healy’s song-writing has been praised by artists as esteemed as Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Elton John and Noel Gallagher (Travis supported Oasis on tour in their early years), and Fran himself says he is influences by songwriters such as Joni Mitchell, Sir Paul McCartney and Graham Nash.

Travis was formed in Glasgow and spent its formative years rehearsing above Glasgow infamous Horseshoe Bar. The band then moved to London where they were quickly snapped up by a major manager and record label, recording in a French chateau, as well as the famous Abbey Road Studios. Travis saw great success in the 1990s and was twice awarded British Album of the Year at the BRIT Awards, and is credited as paving the way for bands such as Coldplay and Keane. The band also won an Ivor Novello Award, and played at all the UK’s major music festivals, before touring to America and across Europe.

Glastonbury folklore tells the story of a Travis performance of Why Does It Always Rain On Me?, when the heavens opened as soon as Healy sang the first line of the famous chorus.

Fran is a prominent spokesperson for the Make Poverty History campaign, and played at the Live 8 concerts in both London and Edinburgh. He also participated in Band Aid 20’s re-recording of Do They Know It’s Christmas? He is an ambassador for Save the Children, and has made two trips to Sudan part of the organisation’s biggest ever campaign to eradicate child poverty.