Rufus Wainwright

Rufus Wainwright is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter and composer from Rhinebeck, New York, and Montréal. Born in 1973, he is associated with alternative rock, chamber pop, folk, indie rock and singer-songwriter traditions, and his work often draws on piano, voice-led arrangements and detailed vocal layering.

Early life and family

Wainwright is the son of folk singers Loudon Wainwright III and Kate McGarrigle. His parents divorce while he is still a child, and he spends much of his childhood in Montréal with his mother. He begins playing piano at six, and by thirteen he is touring with his sister Martha Wainwright, his mother and his aunt Anna as the McGarrigle Sisters and Family.

He briefly attends McGill University, where he studies classical and rock piano. He also comes out as gay while still a teenager.

Early recognition

Wainwright performs the song I’m A-Runnin’ in the film Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller, in which he also appears in a minor role. The song is nominated for the 1989 Genie Award for Best Original Song and brings him a nomination for the 1990 Juno Award for Most Promising Male Vocalist.

Style and influences

Wainwright is a pianist and guitarist, and he often moves between the two instruments in live performance. His music is described as having piano-rock, baroque pop and “popera” qualities, with operatic influence, Schubert Lieder, and references to classical music, literature, pop culture and politics. He has a particular interest in opera and names singers such as Édith Piaf, Al Jolson and Judy Garland among his influences. Some of his songs also use French.

His arrangements range from sparse piano and voice to densely layered songs with complex harmonies, sometimes built from many individual parts. He is also a recovering crystal meth addict and a rape survivor, and he uses interviews and publicity to raise awareness of those issues.

Recording career

After building a reputation on the Montréal club circuit, Wainwright records demo tapes that reach DreamWorks executive Lenny Waronker, and he signs to the label. His debut album, Rufus Wainwright, appears in 1998 and receives strong critical attention in Canada, with Rolling Stone naming it among the year’s best albums. His second album, Poses (2001), is also well received.

He first reaches a wider American audience as an opening act for Tori Amos in 2001 and 2002, after which he begins touring as a headline artist. He also tours frequently with Sting and co-headlines with Ben Folds and Guster in 2004. He often performs backing vocals with Martha Wainwright.

Key releases and projects

His third and fourth studio albums are Want One (2003) and Want Two (2004), the latter issued by DreamWorks/Geffen and later paired with the former as Want. The combined release includes additional tracks in different editions, including Es Mus Sein, Velvet Curtain Rag, Chelsea Hotel No. 2 and In with the Ladies. A four-song EP, Waiting for a Want, is drawn from Want Two.

Alright Already, a live iTunes Sessions EP, also appears in 2005. That same year he releases All I Want, a DVD containing a documentary, music videos and live performances. He contributes as solo vocalist to I Am a Bird Now and At This Time.

Release the Stars, his fifth studio album, is released by Geffen in 2007. Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys executive produces the album, which features contributions from Richard Thompson, Teddy Thompson, Martha Wainwright, Kate McGarrigle, Joan Wasser, Julianna Raye, Larry Mullins (as Toby Dammit) and Sian Phillips. It reaches number 2 in the UK and number 23 in the United States. Its first single is “Going to a Town”.

Rufus Does Judy at Carnegie Hall is a live album based on his 2006 tribute concert to Judy Garland. It is backed by a 36-piece orchestra conducted by Stephen Oremus and recreates Garland’s 1961 Carnegie Hall concert.

All Days Are Nights: Songs for Lulu, released in 2010, is a piano-and-voice song cycle. It includes settings of three Shakespeare sonnets and an excerpt from his 2009 opera Prima Donna. The title refers to a figure he describes as the dark, brooding, dangerous woman within everyone, and the title also takes its first phrase from Shakespeare’s “Sonnet 43”.

Film work and performances

Wainwright appears in Tommy Tricker and the Stamp Traveller, The Aviator and Heights. He also contributes music to Brokeback Mountain, recording “The Maker Makes” and “King of the Road”, and makes a minor cameo as a guitar player.

Legacy and recognition

Wainwright receives praise from artists including Elton John, Morrissey, John Mayer and Sting, and he influences artists such as Keane, Alanis Morissette, Scissor Sisters and Ben Folds. He maintains a residence in Canada.