Rea Garvey

A virtual unknown in his native Ireland but a household name in his adopted homeland of Germany, Rea Garvey is best-known as the former-frontman of alt rock quintet Reamonn (they broke up in 2011). Born in Tralee, County Kerry in 1973, he started his career fronting Dubliners the Reckless Pedestrians but in 1998, emigrated to Germany where he first worked as a roadie and sold T-shirts before founding Reamonn, who went on to score 15 Top 40 singles and five Top Ten albums during the noughties. Garvey simultaneously pursued various other projects, duetting with the likes of Nelly Furtado ("All Good Things") and Mary J. Blige ("Each Tear"), contributing vocals to dance tracks by Jam and Spoon ("Be Angeled"), Paul Van Dyk ("Let Go"), and ATB ("Running a Wrong Way"), and writing songs for talent show winners Nu Pagadi and Elli Erl. In 2011, he released his debut solo single, "Can't Stand the Silence," and its parent album of the same name, and was appointed as one of the judges on Germany's version of The Voice. ~ Jon O'Brien