Bio
Ben Folds is an American singer-songwriter and record producer best known as the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five and for being a judge on the a cappella singing contest The Sing-Off, from 2009-2011.
Folds first found mainstream success as the leader of the critically acclaimed, platinum-selling Ben Folds Five. He has gone on to have a very successful solo career, recording four studio albums in addition to a pair of records documenting his renowned live performances and a remix record.
Lonely Avenue, a collaboration with English novelist Nick Hornby, was released on Nonesuch Records. The album features music and vocals by Folds and lyrics by Hornby, with string arrangements by influential pop string arranger Paul Buckmaster (David Bowie, Elton John, Leonard Cohen).
Folds previously collaborated with Hornby on a song for the Folds-produced William Shatner album Has Been, which the Huffington Post called "one of the few records in recent memory that dared to tell the unvarnished truth about the human condition."
Folds also has a special relationship with symphony musicians, having performed with some of the world's greatest orchestras including a record-breaking sold-out Australian symphonic tour in 2006; repeatedly sold-out nights both at the Kennedy Center with the National Symphony Orchestra and at the Boston Pops with conductor Keith Lockhart; along with several full-house residencies at the Sydney Opera House in Australia.
Folds has been married four times.