Jack Garratt Artistfacts

October 11, 1991
Jack Garratt was raised in the Buckinghamshire village of Little Chalfont by his primary school music teacher mother and policeman father, who is also a keen amateur guitarist.
He was an attention-seeking child, a streak which his parents tried to channel into activities like acting and singing. "I would sing around the house and I would always play on things just because instruments were always there, but I didn't show any genius as a child. I wasn't a prodigy or anything like that," Garratt told the BBC.

"I just really enjoyed making noises and really enjoyed the reaction that I got from making those noises. So they put me on music lessons to encourage me to hone in on that talent rather than show off."
Garratt learned to play a variety of instruments as a youngster and was especially adept at the piano and guitar. He wrote his first song at the age of 12 and the youngster's early influences were classic singer-songwriters like Jackson Browne and Tom Waits - "just fantastic characters who could really show off their craft on these two beautiful instrument," he told The Independent.
In 2005, aged 14, Garratt won a place in the British finals of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, but his tune, "The Girl" finished last out of eight entries with just 13 points. "I had a massive afro. It was the most horrifying experience of my entire life," he recalled to the Evening Standard.
Garratt started studying for a teaching degree at London's Roehampton University in 2009 to follow in his mother's footsteps. He explained to The Sun: "I wanted to be a teacher because that is all I knew. It was a great course on primary school education, in which I could specialize in music, but I ended up dropping out after I was honest with myself about what I really wanted to do with my life.

Teaching was a safety net if my music failed. So I decided to go for it, even though it wasn't easy. But I'm so glad I stuck with music. It's been difficult but I love what I do."
Garratt got his break after posting music to the BBC Introducing Uploader, which led to his first radio play on BBC Introducing in Beds, Herts and Bucks in March 2012.
Mumford & Sons handpicked Garratt as the support act on their 2015 UK tour.
Garratt was the winner of the Critics' Choice category at the 2016 Brit Awards (previous winners include Adele, Florence + The Machine, Ellie Goulding and Sam Smith) and the BBC Sound of 2016 poll.
Jack Garratt's unique selling point is his red prairie beard, which gives him the appearance of an Amish teacher.
Asked during a Reddit AMA how he starts writing a song, Jack Garrett replied: "I usually start with a beat. I find the lyrics will come to me once i get my head feeling a certain way."
Jack Garrett recalled his first gig at a location in Old Street, London during an interview with BBC's Newsbeat:

"I actually did the gig under a different name because I'd already put a couple of songs out. I was testing out my live show as a solo artist for the first time ever. There were 20 people, four songs and I peed myself."

"I can't tell you the false name I used because I still use it at certain places and nights."