Background and career
Matthew James Bellamy (born 9 June 1978) is an English musician and producer. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and lyricist for the English rock band Muse. He is recognised for his eccentric stage persona, wide tenor vocal range and musicianship. Bellamy was born in Cambridge. His family moved to Teignmouth, Devon, where he formed Muse with schoolmates. They released their debut album, Showbiz, in 1999. With Muse, Bellamy has won two Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album, for The Resistance (2009) and Drones (2015); two Brit Awards for Best British Live Act; five MTV Europe Music Awards; and eight NME Awards. Muse have sold over 30 million albums worldwide. In 2012, they received the Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. Bellamy has released solo compositions, and released a compilation of solo tracks, Cryosleep, in 2021. He plays bass in the supergroup the Jaded Hearts Club, and produced their debut album, You've Always Been Here (2020). Since the early 2000s, Bellamy has worked with Manson Guitar Works, based in Devon, to create his electric guitars. In 2019, Bellamy purchased a majority stake in Manson.
Matthew James Bellamy was born on 9 June 1978 in Cambridge. He has an older brother named Paul. His father, George Bellamy, was the rhythm guitarist of the 1960s pop group the Tornados, whose 1962 single "Telstar" was the first US number one by an English band. He grew up in Teignmouth, Devon. Bellamy had violin and clarinet lessons as a child, but soon quit. He began playing piano at home around the age of 11, mimicking his father's Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder records. At age 13, he won a talent contest playing boogie-woogie piano. He took piano lessons with a jazz teacher, but quit when the teacher told him his technique was incorrect. Instead, he started playing rock guitar, inspired by Jimi Hendrix. He took flamenco guitar lessons when he was 17, which led to his interest in classical music. Bellamy studied music at A-level at Exeter College, Devon.
At Teignmouth Community School, Devon, Bellamy played in a number of bands, including Carnage Mayhem and Gothic Plague with drummer Dominic Howard. When members of Gothic Plague left because of other interests, Bellamy and Howard asked bassist Chris Wolstenholme to join. In 1994, using the name Rocket Baby Dolls, they won the school's "Battle of the Bands" which led them to take the band more seriously, and changed their name to Muse. Muse have gone on to worldwide success. Muse blends alternative, art rock, experimental rock, progressive rock, classical music, electronica and many other styles. The band is also well known for its energetic and visually dazzling live performances. On 16–17 June 2007, Muse became the first band to sell out the newly built Wembley Stadium in London. Muse released their debut album, Showbiz, in 1999, showcasing Bellamy's falsetto and a melancholic alternative rock style. Their second album, Origin of Symmetry (2001), expanded their sound, incorporating wider instrumentation and romantic classical influences, and earned them a reputation for energetic live performances. Absolution (2003) saw further classical influence, with orchestra on tracks such as "Butterflies and Hurricanes", and became the first of seven consecutive UK number-one albums. Black Holes and Revelations (2006) incorporated electronic and pop elements, influenced by 1980s groups such as Depeche Mode, displayed in singles such as "Supermassive Black Hole". The album brought Muse wider international success. The Resistance (2009) and The 2nd Law (2012) explored themes of government oppression and civil uprising and cemented Muse as one of the world's major stadium acts. Their seventh album, Drones (2015), was a concept album about drone warfare and returned to a harder rock sound. Their eighth album, Simulation Theory (2018), featuring a retro 1980s style, was released on 9 November 2018. Their ninth album, Will of The People, was released on 26 August 2022. Their tenth, The Wow! Signal, featuring more personal lyrics influenced by Bellamy's separation from his wife, Elle Evans, was released on 26 June 2026. Muse's awards include two Grammy Awards (winning the Grammys for Best Rock Album for The Resistance and Drones) two Brit Awards (winning Best British Live Act twice) five MTV Europe Music Awards and eight NME Awards. In 2012, they received the Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors. Muse have sold over 30 million albums worldwide.
Bellamy has a tenor vocal range. Many Muse songs are recognisable by his use of vibrato, falsetto, and melismatic phrasing, influenced by the American songwriter Jeff Buckley. Bellamy said he did not believe his high-pitched singing would be suitable for rock music until he heard Buckley's 1994 album Grace. He had wanted to be a "harder" singer, working in genres such as metal or hard rock, but said his "soft” voice pushed Muse towards alternative rock. He said: "If I could have done Zack de la Rocha, I would. If I could have done Nirvana, I would. But I didn't have that voice." He sometimes uses distortion on his vocals to mimic the sound of a guitar.
After playing piano as a child, Bellamy took up piano again for "Sunburn" on the first Muse album, Showbiz, and began incorporating piano into further songs. Bellamy's earliest guitar influences were Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix; he admired their "element of chaos, an element of being slightly out of control". He sometimes uses tapping techniques. He said: "I'm not the most technical player. I never spent years doing scales and runs, and I never studied the intricacies of sweep picking ... I like some of the struggle that comes out in my playing. I think there’s some humanity in it." Bellamy described his style as a combination of Tom Morello and the "shimmering atmospherics" of another influence, the U2 guitarist the Edge.
Bellamy often uses pitch-shift effects (such as the DigiTech Whammy) and arpeggiators to create a more "electronic" sound, citing Hendrix and Morello as influences. He uses effects to create synthesiser-like guitar tones, and sometimes merges his guitar parts with synthesiser parts. He often uses a Fuzz Factory, a fuzz distortion effect. Since the early 2000s, Bellamy has worked with Manson Guitar Works, based in Devon, to create his electric guitars. In 2019, he purchased a majority stake in Manson. Manson has released several "M-series" signature models. Bellamy's guitars have built-in Fuzz Factory and MXR Phase 90 effects, and touch-controlled MIDI controllers, which control Kaoss Pad effects processors; the Guardian described Bellamy as "undoubtedly the Kaoss rock star". He has used seven-string and eight-string guitars on songs including "Citizen Erased", "Unravelling" and "Shimmering Scars". In 2020, he purchased the Fender Telecaster used by Buckley for Grace. He used it to record a song with the Jaded Hearts Club, and on some Muse recordings.
