{{Short description|English singer and songwriter (born 1992)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2022}} {{Use British English|date=October 2022}} {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> | name = Louis Dunford | image = | caption = | background = solo_singer | alias = | birth_name = Louis Mark Dunford | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1992|1|20|df=y}} | birth_place = [[London Borough of Camden|Camden]], London, England | origin = [[Camden Town]], Camden, London, England | genre = [[Indie rock]], [[Folk rock]] | years_active = 2015–present | label = [[RCA Records|RCA]] | instrument = Vocals, guitar, piano | website = {{website| https://www.louis-dunford.com/}} }}
'''Louis Mark Dunford''' (born 20 January 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. The son of actress [[Linda Robson]], he is known for writing the song "[[The Angel (North London Forever)]]" in 2022, which became an anthem for [[Arsenal F.C.]] and [[Arsenal F.C. supporters]].
==Early life== Louis Mark Dunford was born on 20 January 1992 in [[London Borough of Camden|Camden]], [[London]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Louis Mark DUNFORD |url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/3BG-jAi1Df7ztq1bG8zYgeg6c7k/appointments |website=[[GOV.UK]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Ways |first1=Curious |title=Hometown-proud musician Louis Dunford is here to tell you the real story of North London |work=HUNGER TV |url=https://www.hungertv.com/editorial/hometown-proud-musician-louis-dunford-is-here-to-tell-you-the-real-story-of-north-london/ |access-date=7 August 2023}}</ref> He is the son of English actress and television personality [[Linda Robson]], best known for her role in the sitcom ''[[Birds of a Feather (TV series)|Birds of a Feather]]'' and being a panellist on ''[[Loose Women]]'', and her husband Mark Dunford.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/actress-linda-robson-tells-devastating-4957083 |title=EXCLUSIVE: Actress Linda Robson tells of the devastating impact Ben Kinsella's death had on her son |last=Pauley |first=Nigel |date=10 January 2015 |website=mirror.co.uk |publisher=[[Daily Mirror]] |access-date=10 May 2022}}</ref>
Dunford was a school friend of [[Murder of Ben Kinsella|Ben Kinsella]], and was present at the scene when he was fatally stabbed to death in [[Islington]] in June 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2227189/Ben-Kinsella-stabbing-TV-star-Linda-Robson-tells-how-her-son-cradled-dying-schoolboy.html|title=Ben Kinsella stabbing: TV star Linda Robson tells how her son 'cradled' dying schoolboy|last=Simpson|first=Aislinn|date=1 July 2008|work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|access-date=6 November 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121111222443/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2227189/Ben-Kinsella-stabbing-TV-star-Linda-Robson-tells-how-her-son-cradled-dying-schoolboy.html|archive-date=11 November 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Career== Dunford is from [[Islington]] in North London where he began playing the piano aged 15 after his family moved into a house which happened to have a piano already in it which he then had to persuade his parents to keep.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hatcmagazine.com/louis-dunford-interview|title=Louis Dunford : "I knew that writing would be therapeutic, but it was also upsetting and opened old wounds"|website=HATCmagazine}}</ref> He started playing [[Elton John]] songs and then began to mix music with his own poetry. He learnt to play guitar because the piano was too loud to play late at night in the house. He played his first gig at a pub called ''The Library'' and afterwards he said to his father he would eventually sell out ''[[Union Chapel, Islington|The Union Chapel]]'' venue opposite it, which he did in 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://whynow.co.uk/read/down-the-boozer-with-louis-dunford|title=Down the Boozer with Louis Dunford|website=Whynow.co.uk |date=7 December 2021 }}</ref> In 2012, Dunford and [[Charlie Quirke]] alternated playing the role of Travis Stubbs in the stage version of their mothers' comedy television series ''[[Birds of a Feather (TV series)|Birds of a Feather]]''.<ref>[http://www.birdsontour.com/home.html Birds of a Feather – The National Stage Tour] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120131071544/http://www.birdsontour.com/home.html |date=31 January 2012}}, Birdsontour.com. Retrieved 8 February 2012</ref> Dunford's music was discovered by [[Jamal Edwards]] in 2014 through hearing his song ''When We Were Hooligans'' on [[YouTube]]. Dunford has said he writes songs about the area around him, his experiences and his friends. His first EP ''The Morland'' chronicled life on the Morland Estate in Islington as he saw it.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wonderlandmagazine.com/2021/11/08/rollercoaster-louis-dunford/|title=LOUIS DUNFORD|website=wonderlandmagazine|date=8 November 2021 }}</ref> The first single from that EP ''London's Requiem'' was a version of the first song he ever wrote.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://i-d.co/article/louis-dunford-london-musician-the-morland-ep-interview/|title=Louis Dunford is London's next great musical storyteller|website=i-d.vice.com}}</ref> In 2021 Dunford signed with [[Sony Music]] and released a cover of [[East 17]]'s hit single ''[[Stay Another Day]]'', the video for which featured Dunford wearing the white fur trimmed [[Parka|parka jacket]] visible in the 1994 [[List of UK Singles Chart Christmas number ones|Christmas number one]] song video.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://1883magazine.com/louis-dunford/|title=Louis Dunford|website=1883magazine.com|date=22 December 2021 }}</ref> In 2022 Dunford supported [[Jake Bugg]] on tour.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.voicemag.uk/review/10649/louis-dunford-the-popham-ep-review|title=Louis Dunford: The Popham EP review|website=voicemag.uk}}</ref>
Dunford's second EP ''Popham EP'' contained the song "[[The Angel (North London Forever)]]", which has since become an anthem for the fans of [[Arsenal F.C.]] and has begun to be played in the pre-match of every home game Arsenal play at the [[Emirates Stadium]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/sports/soccer/arsenal-liverpool-fans.html|title=How Arsenal Found Its Voice|work=The New York Times |date=7 October 2022 |last1=Smith |first1=Rory |last2=Quinton |first2=Ben }}</ref> Dunford himself is an lifelong Arsenal fan and wrote the song as a paean to the culture and sense of community in North London.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/louis-dunford-arsenal-anthem-singer|title=Louis Dunford is a North Londoner, forever|website=GQ-magazine.co.uk|date=9 May 2022 }}</ref> Dunford and the song were featured in the [[List of Amazon Prime Video original programming|Amazon Original]] documentary series ''[[All or Nothing: Arsenal]]'' about the [[2021–22 Arsenal F.C. season]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/arsenal-all-or-nothing-arteta-derby-fight-b1018854.html%3F|title= What we learned from final 'All or Nothing: Arsenal' episodes|website=Evening Standard}}</ref>
==Discography== ===Albums=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1" |+ List of albums, with selected chart positions ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;" | Title ! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;" | Album details ! scope="col" colspan="2" | Peak chart<br />positions |- ! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | [[Official Charts Company|UK]]<br /><ref name="UK">{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/62301/louis-dunford/|title= Louis Dunford on Official Charts|website=[[Official Charts Company]]|date=May 2026|access-date=24 May 2026}}</ref> ! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | [[Official Charts Company|SCO]]<br /><ref name="UK"/> |- ! scope="row" | ''Live from Eventim Apollo Hammersmith'' | * Released: January 2024 * Label: RCA | - || 63 |- ! scope="row" | ''Be Lucky'' | * Released: February 2025 * Label: RCA | 8 || 6 |}
===Extended plays=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1" |+ List of EPs, with selected details ! Title ! Details |- ! scope="row" | ''The Popham'' | * Released: May 2022 * Label: RCA |}
===Charting singles=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+List of singles, with selected chart positions ! rowspan="2" | Title ! rowspan="2" | Year ! colspan="1" | Chart positions |- ! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:85%" | [[Official Charts Company|UK<br> Sales]]<br /><ref name="UK"/> |- ! scope="row"| "The Popham" |rowspan="3" | 2022 | 81 |- ! scope="row"| "The Angel" | 5 |- ! scope="row"| "The Boy Who Could Fly" | 50 |- ! scope="row"| "Lucy" | 2023 | 94 |- ! scope="row"| "The Local" |rowspan="2" | 2024 | 53 |- ! scope="row"| "Billy Flynn of Bethnal Green" | 87 |}
==References== {{reflist}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunford, Louis}} [[Category:1992 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:English male singer-songwriters]] [[Category:21st-century English male singers]] [[Category:Singers from the London Borough of Camden]] [[Category:Singers from the London Borough of Islington]] [[Category:Arsenal F.C. mass media]] [[Category:21st-century English singer-songwriters]]