title: United States Department of Defense

text: Several defense agencies are members of the United States Intelligence Community. These are national-level intelligence services that operate under the Department of Defense jurisdiction but simultaneously fall under the authorities of the director of national intelligence. They fulfill the requirements of national policymakers and war planners, serve as Combat Support Agencies, and also assist non-Department of Defense intelligence or law enforcement services such as the Central Intelligence Agency and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: The military services each have their own intelligence elements that are distinct from but subject to coordination by national intelligence agencies under the Department of Defense. Department of Defense manages the nation's coordinating authorities and assets in disciplines of signals intelligence, geospatial intelligence, and measurement and signature intelligence, and also builds, launches, and operates the Intelligence Community's satellite assets. Department of Defense also has its own human intelligence service, which contributes to the CIA's human intelligence efforts while also focusing on military human intelligence priorities. These agencies are directly overseen by the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) is a body of senior uniformed leaders in the Department of Defense who advise the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and the president on military matters. The composition of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is defined by statute and consists of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS), vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (VCJCS), senior enlisted advisor to the chairman (SEAC), the Military Service chiefs from the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Space Force, in addition to the chief of National Guard Bureau, all appointed by the president following Senate confirmation. Each of the individual Military Service Chiefs, outside their Joint Chiefs of Staff obligations, works directly for the secretary of the Military Department concerned: the secretary of the Army, secretary of the Navy and secretary of the Air Force.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: Following the Goldwater–Nichols Act in 1986 the Joint Chiefs of Staff do not have operational command authority, neither individually nor collectively, as the chain of command goes from the president to the secretary of defense, and from the Secretary of Defense to the commanders of the Combatant Commands. Goldwater–Nichols also created the office of vice-chairman, and the chairman is now designated as the "principal military adviser" to the secretary of defense, the Homeland Security Council, the National Security Council and to the president.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: The Joint Staff (JS) is a headquarters staff at the Pentagon made up of personnel from all four services that assist the chairman and vice chairman in discharging their duties, and managed by the director of the Joint Staff (DJS) who is a lieutenant general or vice admiral.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: The Military Departments are each headed by their own secretary (i.e., Secretary of the Army, Secretary of the Navy and Secretary of the Air Force), appointed by the president, with the advice and consent of the Senate. They have the legal authority under Title 10 of the United States Code to conduct all the affairs of their respective departments within which the military services are organized. The secretaries of the Military Departments are (by law) subordinate to the secretary of defense and (by SecDef delegation) to the deputy secretary of defense.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: Secretaries of Military Departments, in turn, normally exercise authority over their forces by delegation through their respective service chiefs (i.e., Chief of Staff of the Army, Commandant of the Marine Corps, Chief of Naval Operations, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, and Chief of Space Operations) over forces not assigned to a Combatant Command.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: Secretaries of Military Departments and service chiefs do not possess operational command authority over U.S. troops (this power was stripped from them in the Defense Reorganization Act of 1958), and instead, Military Departments are tasked solely with "the training, provision of equipment, and administration of troops."


title: United States Department of Defense

text: A unified combatant command is a military command composed of personnel/equipment from at least two Military Departments, which has a broad/continuing mission.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: These Military Departments are responsible for equipping and training troops to fight, while the Unified Combatant Commands are responsible for military forces' actual operational command. Almost all operational U.S. forces are under the authority of a Unified Command. The Unified Commands are governed by a Unified Command Plan—a frequently updated document (produced by the DoD), which lays out the Command's mission, geographical/functional responsibilities, and force structure.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: During military operations, the chain of command runs from the president to the secretary of defense to the combatant commanders of the Combatant Commands.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: Department of Defense spending in 2017 was 3.15% of GDP and accounted for about 38% of budgeted global military spending – more than the next 7 largest militaries combined. By 2019, the 27th secretary of defense had begun a line-by-line review of the defense budget; in 2020 the secretary identified items amounting to $5.7 billion, out of a $106 billion subtotal (the so-called "fourth estate" agencies such as missile defense, and defense intelligence, amounting to 16% of the defense budget), He will re-deploy to the modernization of hypersonics, artificial intelligence, and missile defense. Beyond 2021 the 27th secretary of defense is projecting the need for yearly budget increases of 3 to 5 percent to modernize.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: The Department of Defense accounts for the majority of federal discretionary spending. In FY 2017, the Department of Defense budgeted spending accounted for 15% of the U.S. federal budget, and 49% of federal discretionary spending, which represents funds not accounted for by pre-existing obligations. However, this does not include many military-related items that are outside the Defense Department budget, such as nuclear weapons research, maintenance, cleanup, and production, which is in the Department of Energy budget, Veterans Affairs, the Treasury Department's payments in pensions to military retirees and widows and their families, interest on debt incurred in past wars, or State Department financing of foreign arms sales and militarily-related development assistance. Neither does it include defense spending that is not military in nature, such as the Department of Homeland Security, counter-terrorism spending by the FBI, and intelligence-gathering spending by the NSA.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: In the 2010 United States federal budget, the Department of Defense was allocated a base budget of $533.7 billion, with a further $75.5 billion adjustment in respect of 2009, and $130 billion for overseas contingencies. The subsequent 2010 Department of Defense Financial Report shows the total budgetary resources for fiscal year 2010 were $1.2 trillion. Of these resources, $1.1 trillion were obligated and $994 billion were disbursed, with the remaining resources relating to multi-year modernization projects requiring additional time to procure. After over a decade of non-compliance, Congress has established a deadline of Fiscal year 2017 for the Department of Defense to achieve audit readiness.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: In 2015 the allocation for the Department of Defense was $585 billion, the highest level of budgetary resources among all Federal agencies, and this amounts to more than one-half of the annual Federal Expenditures in the United States federal budget discretionary budget.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: On 9/28/2018, President Donald Trump signed the Department of Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act, 2019 and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019 (H.R.6157) into law. On 30 September 2018, the FY2018 Budget expired and the FY2019 budget came into effect.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: The FY2019 Budget for the Department of Defense is approximately $686,074,048,000 (Including Base + Overseas Contingency Operations + Emergency Funds) in discretionary spending and $8,992,000,000 in mandatory spending totaling $695,066,000,000


title: United States Department of Defense

text: Undersecretary of Defense (Comptroller) David L. Norquist said in a hearing regarding the FY 2019 budget: "The overall number you often hear is $716 billion. That is the amount of funding for national defense, the accounting code is 050, and includes more than simply the Department of Defense. It includes, for example, the Department of Energy and others. That large a number, if you back out the $30 billion for non-defense agencies, you get to $686 billion. That is the funding for the Department of Defense, split between $617 billion in base and $69 billion in overseas contingency."


title: United States Department of Defense

text: The Department of Defense budget encompasses the majority of the National Defense Budget of approximately $716.0 billion in discretionary spending and $10.8 billion in mandatory spending for a $726.8 billion total. Of the total, $708.1 billion falls under the jurisdiction of the House Committee on Armed Services and Senate Armed Services Committee and is subject to authorization by the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). The remaining $7.9 billion falls under the jurisdiction of other congressional committees.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: The Department of Defense is unique because it is one of the few federal entities where the majority of its funding falls into the discretionary category. The majority of the entire federal budget is mandatory, and much of the discretionary funding in the budget consists of DoD dollars.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: The Department of Defense was the largest single consumer of energy in the United States in 2006. It is one of the largest carbon polluters in history, producing more carbon emissions than the total emissions of over 100 countries combined.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: In FY 2006, the department used almost 30,000 gigawatt hours (GWH) of electricity, at the cost of almost $2.2 billion. The department's electricity use would supply enough electricity to power more than 2.6 million average American homes. In electricity consumption, if it were a country, the department would rank 58th in the world, using slightly less than Denmark and slightly more than Syria (CIA World Factbook, 2006).


title: United States Department of Defense

text: The Department of Defense was responsible for 93% of all US government fuel consumption in 2007 (Department of the Air Force: 52%; Department of the Navy: 33%; Department of the Army: 7%; other Department components: 1%). The Department of Defense uses of fuel annually, an average of of fuel per day. A large Army division may use about per day. According to the 2005 "CIA World Factbook", if it were a country, the Department of Defense would rank 34th in the world in average daily oil use, coming in just behind Iraq and just ahead of Sweden. The Air Force is the largest user of fuel energy in the federal government. The Air Force uses 10% of the nation's aviation fuel. (JP-8 accounts for nearly 90% of its fuels.) This fuel usage breaks down as such: 82% jet fuel, 16% facility management and 2% ground vehicle/equipment.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: In the latest Center for Effective Government analysis of 15 federal agencies which receive the most Freedom of Information Act requests, published in 2015 (using 2012 and 2013 data, the most recent years available), the DoD earned 61 out of a possible 100 points, a D− grade. While it had improved from a failing grade in 2013, it still had low scores in processing requests (55%) and their disclosure rules (42%).


title: United States Department of Defense

text: A 2013 "Reuters" investigation concluded that Defense Finance & Accounting Service, the Department of Defense’s primary financial management arm, implements monthly “unsubstantiated change actions”—illegal, inaccurate “plugs”—that forcibly make DOD’s books match Treasury’s books. It concluded:Fudging the accounts with false entries is standard operating procedure… Reuters has found that the Pentagon is largely incapable of keeping track of its vast stores of weapons, ammunition, and other supplies; thus it continues to spend money on new supplies it doesn’t need and on storing others long out of date. It has amassed a backlog of more than half a trillion dollars… [H]ow much of that money paid for actual goods and services delivered isn’t known.In 2015, a Pentagon consulting firm performed an audit on the Department of Defense's budget. It found that there was $125 billion in wasteful spending that could be saved over the next five years without layoffs or reduction in military personnel. In 2016, "The Washington Post" uncovered that rather than taking the advice of the auditing firm, senior defense officials suppressed and hid the report from the public to avoid political scrutiny.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: Shortly after the 2020 Baghdad International Airport airstrike, the Iranian parliament designated all of the U.S. military, including the Department of Defense, as a terrorist organization.


title: United States Department of Defense

text: The organization and functions of the Department of Defense are in Title 10 of the United States Code.


title: Sam Fender

text: Samuel Thomas Fender (born 25 April 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He is known for his high tenor voice and strong Geordie accent, layered over music characterised by a roots-orientated rock approach. Fender's sound relies primarily on his traditional American musical upbringing combined with a classic British rock sensibility. He has been acclaimed by critics and musicians for his songwriting proficiency.


title: Sam Fender

text: Fender was born and grew up in North Shields. He found his vocation as a singer-songwriter around the age of 14 and subsequently released several singles independently, being named one of the BBC's Sound of 2018. Fender signed to Polydor Records and released his debut EP, "Dead Boys", in November 2018. He won the Critics' Choice Award at the 39th Brit Awards and released his debut album, "Hypersonic Missiles", in September 2019, which entered the UK Albums Chart at number one. His second album "Seventeen Going Under" was released in October 2021 and also topped the UK Albums Chart and spawned the UK hit single "Seventeen Going Under". In 2022, Fender received the Brit Award for Best British Alternative/Rock Act and the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.


title: Sam Fender

text: Samuel Thomas Fender was born on 25 April 1994 in North Shields, England, to Shirley and Alan Fender. He has a brother, Liam, nine years his senior. Shirley was a nurse, and Alan was an electrician; the lower-middle class family lived in a terraced house in the suburb of North Shields. Alan is also a singer-songwriter, guitarist, and pianist, whilst Liam plays the drums. Both were musicians performing locally. Fender described the first 10 years of his life as "comfortable" within a musical family. His great-great-grandmother was Irish. His father later became a music teacher.


title: Sam Fender

text: He had a tumultuous late childhood and adolescence. His mother abandoned him when he was eight years old, but he later returned to her after being forced out of his father's house by his stepmother. His mother was then living in the Scottish Borders, and Fender would grow up there when he visited her. At the age of eight, Fender received his first guitar from his father. He became "proficient" on the guitar at age 10 whilst being fascinated by Jimmy Page, Jimi Hendrix, and Slash. Fender attended John Spence Community High School. He was bullied for being overweight and unathletic as a child. When he was a young teen, he and his mother discovered the body of a woman they knew who committed suicide, which affected his formative years. Fender said: "Suddenly mortality became real. Life and death became concrete."


title: Sam Fender

text: When Fender was 12, he met his friend Dean Thompson and continued to play the guitar alongside him. Over the following year, he performed for the first time in front of an audience at his brother's street performer nights, playing Hendrix covers, and accompanied by Thompson at the latter's uncle's birthday, covering songs from Kings of Leon. His ambition at this point was to become a professional musician; Fender recalled, "when I hit 13 it was the only thing I wanted from life." At the age of 14, Fender began writing his own songs. The same year, he learned to sing by listening to Jeff Buckley's "Grace", an album his brother gave him. At the age of 15, his brother introduced him to Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run" and "Darkness on the Edge of Town" albums. Fender began playing at his brother's open mic nights and formed his first band at age 15. At the time, he and his mother were living in a small, crumbling flat within a council estate on the outskirts of North Shields and struggled to pay rent as both were poor.


title: Sam Fender

text: Fender attended sixth form at Whitley Bay High School. He found musically-minded friends at high school. Thus, he met Joe Atkinson, and they soon developed a friendship through their musical interests. Fender studied theatre and A Level in English language and literature at Whitley Bay High School; however, he began to spend most of his time in the music department, although he had not studied the subject academically. He was regarded as highly popular with students and staff and engaged in school activities. Fender performed with his band for the Year 13 students finishing their time. Fighting punctuated his difficult youth, and despite his broad shoulders, he often got punched. Alan would teach him boxing to improve this situation, but the expected result was usually not obtained. At the age of sixteen, Fender entered a Teenage Cancer Trust competition where Matty Healy was a judge and won.


title: Sam Fender

text: He grew up in an environment where North Shields was "ravaged" by the omnipresence of drugs, especially spice, also known as "zombie drug". Fender's friends were dealing marijuana, and later some switched to hard drugs such as cocaine. Social pressure had prompted him to smoke spice a couple of times, but he stopped because the experience was unsettling. However, his friends became addicted for years; Fender said, "it destroyed their lives". When he was 17, his mother had to end her 40-year career as a nurse due to fibromyalgia; he considered selling drugs to support her, but she talked him out of it. Fender idolised his father for his talent as a musician and viewed him as a tough man who struggled to provide for his children in a region facing an endemic lack of opportunities. Fender recalled that his stepfather had become homeless for more than a year after serving in the armed forces and faced difficulty escaping street life whilst struggling to find stable housing and employment.


title: Sam Fender

text: Fender said he needed to become independent quickly. Whilst studying, Fender simultaneously held two jobs, working in a local restaurant and pub (where his manager later discovered him), and consumed alcoholic beverages daily from 17 and a half to 18, relieving him from work fatigue. He then abandoned his A Levels to earn money to help Shirley, who also had a mental illness in addition to her fibromyalgia. At the time, both had slipped below the poverty line. Fender's passion for music also caused him to abandon his qualifications. His uncle would help them through their adversities and inconveniences, and eventually, Fender would find his outlet in music. His father was then a guitarist playing in clubs around Newcastle, and their relationship improved as they shared a common passion for music. When he was about 18, Fender began performing paid gigs at restaurants. After high school, he held several jobs, teaching guitars and working in a call centre and a bar.


title: Sam Fender

text: At 18, Fender was spotted performing in Low Lights Tavern, the pub where he worked, by Ben Howard's manager Owain Davies, who took him on as a client. Throughout 2013, he played a series of gigs across the country supporting a number of artists including Howard and Willy Mason. At the age of 20, Fender was diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening illness, shortly after which his father moved to France. He then took two years out for health reasons. He revealed years later that he has a "compromised immune system". Fender has said that prior to this time he tried to write songs that he thought would be popular as he was "desperate to do well" to get himself and his mother out of their financial and living situation. However, Fender said that having a major health scare and facing the possibility of death changed his outlook on life. His recovery refocused his songwriting efforts, and he began writing songs for himself. It was out of this period that Fender wrote a number of the songs he went on to release.


title: Sam Fender

text: In late March 2017, Fender independently released his debut single, "Play God", which premiered on BBC Radio 1. In the summer of 2017, Fender played the first shows with his band, consisting of guitarist Thompson, guitarist and keyboardist Atkinson, bassist Tom Ungerer, and drummer Drew Micheal. Throughout this period Fender toured with support slots for acts such as Bear's Den, Declan McKenna, and Michael Kiwanuka. In 2017, he put out singles "Friday Fighting" and "Start Again", which sparked a first breakthrough. In November 2017, Fender was placed on BBC's Sound of 2018 shortlist alongside Billie Eilish, Khalid, Lewis Capaldi, and winner Sigrid. The Sound of 2018 list was compiled by votes from 173 critics, festival bookers, and DJs. On 2 December 2017, he played a BBC Music Introducing session at Maida Vale Studios.


title: Sam Fender

text: In June 2018, he signed to Polydor Records. The single "Dead Boys" was premiered as Annie Mac's Hottest Record in the World in October. The song deals with the subject of male suicide, and Fender wrote it as a reaction to losing close friends to suicide. In October 2018, Fender performed "Dead Boys" alongside "Leave Fast" on BBC's "Later... with Jools Holland". "Dead Boys" would be considered Fender's first significant breakthrough song as it was the first to bring him mainstream attention. The single "Play God" would appear in the "FIFA 19" video game soundtrack.


title: Sam Fender

text: The single "That Sound" was released on 22 October 2018. His debut EP, "Dead Boys", followed the next month, on 20 November 2018. The EP also featured the songs "Spice" and "Poundshop Kardashians". Alongside the EP's release, he embarked on a headline tour including three sold-out shows at the London's Omeara club and one at Newcastle University and toured with Blossoms in December. He also went on a 13-date European and Australian tour. In December 2018, Fender was selected by Vevo to be a part of its Dscvr 2019 Artists to Watch series, and he was included in "The Irish News" list of "Who are the ones to watch in music in 2019?".


title: Sam Fender

text: In January 2019, the final band line-up was completed by saxophonist Johnny "Blue Hat" Davis, who had previously worked with the Who's Roger Daltrey and the Blues Brothers' Lou Marini. In anticipation of his debut album, Fender re-released "Play God" on 14 January 2019. Fender received widespread recognition winning the Critics' Choice Award at the 2019 Brit Awards. On 26 February, he performed "Play God" in his first Live Lounge alongside a cover of Ariana Grande's "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored". On 6 March, Fender released a single, "Hypersonic Missiles", the forthcoming album's title track, which he described as an "unorthodox love song". In March, he performed the song on his US television debut on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" He embarked on his first-ever North American tour in mid-March, including six shows at the South by Southwest festival in Texas and sold-out shows in New York City and Los Angeles.


title: Sam Fender

text: In May, Fender made an appearance on "The Graham Norton Show" to promote the forthcoming album and performed at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Middlesbrough. In early July, he announced the album alongside the release of the single "Will We Talk?". After extensive touring, including playing two sold-out shows at Shepherd's Bush Empire, Fender had to cancel several gigs, including Glastonbury Festival, after experiencing severe bleeding in his vocal cords. Nevertheless, after a month of rest, he recovered sufficiently to support Bob Dylan and Neil Young in Hyde Park and set a record for the fastest-selling show at the Mouth of the Tyne Festival, where he was the headliner. All 4,000 tickets for Fender's show at Mouth of the Tyne Festival sold out within 40 minutes. On 1 August 2019, Fender was the musical guest on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon", where he performed "Will We Talk?". Claire Shaffer of "Rolling Stone" wrote: "Fender is notably one of the few true singer-songwriters who's climbing the modern-day pop charts". After that, he performed at the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago and the Summer Sonic Festival in Osaka and Tokyo. The last single, "The Borders" was released two weeks prior to the album. Fender has said the song is the most personal on the album and that it shows the musical direction that he will be going in, both sonically and thematically.


title: Sam Fender

text: Fender released his debut studio album, "Hypersonic Missiles," on 13 September 2019. It topped the UK Albums Chart, outselling the rest of the top 5 combined at the mid-week mark, and sold 41,000 copies in its first week of release. The album debuted and peaked at number twelve on the "Billboard" Heatseekers Albums chart. On 21 September, Fender supported Liam Gallagher for a Radio X performance at the O2 Ritz in Manchester. He received the Official Charts Number 1 Award from Alan Shearer for the BBC's "Match of the Day". Subsequently, he returned for a second North American tour spanning from 25 September to 20 October. On 21 October 2019, Fender appeared as the musical guest on "Late Night with Seth Meyers". On 22 November, he began a headlining tour of 20 dates in the UK and Ireland, which completely sold out, including two nights at the O2 Brixton Academy and four nights at the O2 Academy Newcastle. Fender set the record for the fastest sell-out of four nights at Newcastle's O2 Academy. On 10 December 2019, "All Is on My Side" was released being described as one of his oldest songs and a staple of his live set, which didn't make it on the album. "Hypersonic Missiles" was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling over 100,000 units in the UK, three months after the album release, on 13 December 2019. It was the "fastest-selling" and the eleventh best-selling vinyl album of 2019 in the UK.


title: Sam Fender

text: Elton John personally invited Fender to perform at his annual AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Party after the 2020 Oscars and joined him on stage for a rendition of "Will We Talk?". On 13 February 2020, the single "Hold Out" was released, which Fender said was to be the last release from the "Hypersonic Missiles" era. Fender was nominated for Best New Artist at the 40th Brit Awards, losing out to Lewis Capaldi. In February 2020, he undertook a headlining tour across Europe to promote the album. Fender performed in the Live Lounge playing a cover of "Back To Black" by Amy Winehouse, a previous Brit Award winner, which was later officially released. He was supposed to embark on a UK-headline tour in Spring 2020, including performances at Leeds Arena, Utilita Arena Newcastle, and Cardiff International Arena. Tickets for the London's Alexandra Palace show sold out within 20 minutes, and as a consequence, the band added a second night at the venue. It marked his first-ever headlining arena shows. However, in March, Fender was forced to reschedule the tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Sam Fender

text: In mid-August 2020, Fender was the first act to perform at the world's first socially distanced venue, at the Gosforth Park-based Virgin Money Unity Arena, in Newcastle. Opening the show with "Will We Talk?", he played three unreleased songs, including "The Kitchen" and "Seventeen Going Under". "Dead Boys" was nominated for a 2020 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically. On 24 November 2020, Fender released the single "Winter Song", a cover of a 1970s track by Lindisfarne, which was premiered as Annie Mac's Hottest Record in the World. He performed the song with the Royal Northern Sinfonia at the Sage Gateshead Christmas Cracker event on 18 December. Fender declined John's invitation to collaborate on "The Lockdown Sessions" to focus on making his second studio album. Fender said he was "too busy" and "didn't want to rush anything". Their collaboration was then postponed to a later date. The then-forthcoming album was initially planned to be recorded at Hendrix's Electric Lady Studios in New York City before the pandemic interrupted the project.


title: Sam Fender

text: On 7 July 2021, Fender released "Seventeen Going Under" as the lead single and title track of his second studio album. The single focuses on the time Fender was seventeen and struggling to help his mother financially. Alongside this, Fender announced the tracklist of his then-forthcoming album and described it as "a coming of age story. It's about growing up. It's a celebration of life after hardship, and it's a celebration of surviving". The single debuted at number forty-four on the UK Singles Chart. The two-minute song "Howdon Aldi Death Queue" was released as a B-side that same month. After the title track was released, Fender followed it with the politically charged single "Aye", which he described as being "about the polarity between the left and the right wing". Fender embarked on a sold-out 13-date headline tour of the UK, the one initially scheduled for March and April 2020 but postponed due to the pandemic. On 8 September, he released the single "Get You Down". The single "Spit of You", released on 27 September, chronicled Fender's relationship with his father and was played in the music video by actor Stephen Graham. "Get You Down" was later featured on the "FIFA 22" video game soundtrack. Fender appeared on one of three cover versions of "Rolling Stone"s October issue of its UK edition.


title: Sam Fender

text: Produced by Bramwell Bronte, "Seventeen Going Under" was released on 8 October 2021 through Polydor Records. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, marking Fender's second time to debut at the top spot. "Seventeen Going Under" shifted 44,000 copies in its first week of release, of which 79% of those were physical sales, outselling the rest of the UK's top 10 combined. The album made it Fender's highest first-week sales to date and the fifth-biggest opening week of 2021. It also topped the Official Vinyl Albums Chart and was the best-seller album in its first week in the UK's independent record shops. It debuted at number one on the Scottish Albums Chart. The album debuted (and peaked) at number 4 on the Irish Albums Chart and number 6 on the German Albums Chart. On 15 October, Fender received a second Official Charts Number 1 Award. Fender said that "as a record, I think this one is leagues ahead of "Hypersonic Missiles", I'm more proud of this than anything I've ever done. It's probably the best thing I've done in my life." It received "universal acclaim", based on the cumulative reviews on the website Metacritic. John and Paul Weller acclaimed the album. Grant Moon of "Guitar World" called it "a masterclass in songwriting".


title: Sam Fender

text: The album's front cover depicts Fender sitting on a low brick wall near an alley he often used with a group of teenagers when he was 15 to smoke marijuana in a vacant lot in Meadow Well, known for its 1991 riots and extreme poverty. Fender appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on 10 November 2021, where a performance of "Spit of You" recorded at the Low Lights Tavern in North Shields was played. He also presented a BBC Four documentary on the life of Alan Hull, named "Lindisfarne's Geordie Genius: The Alan Hull Story", which featured contributions from Sting, Elvis Costello, Mark Knopfler, Dave Stewart, and Peter Gabriel. It was broadcast by BBC Four on 26 November 2021. In December 2021, "The New York Times" wrote that Fender "is fast becoming one of Britain's biggest rock acts". "Seventeen Going Under" was the eleventh best-selling vinyl album of 2021 in the UK.


title: Sam Fender

text: "Seventeen Going Under" peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart in the week ending 13 January 2022, after twenty-five weeks on the chart. On 8 February 2022, he received the award for Best British Alternative/Rock Act from Ronnie Wood at the 42nd Brit Awards at the O2 Arena in London. He dedicated the win (in part) to the North East Homeless centre, which was followed by a song performed live. Furthermore, Adele held him in great esteem in her British Album of the Year acceptance speech at the Brit Awards, where he was nominated in the same category. Fender embarked on a UK-headline arena tour to support "Seventeen Going Under", which began on 20 March and included shows at Wembley Arena, OVO Hydro Arena, and also 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Tickets for all UK arena dates, including the two nights at Wembley Arena, sold out "as soon as they went on sale". On 19 May, "Seventeen Going Under" earned Fender the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. He supported the Killers on 5 and 6 June at London's Emirates Stadium. On 24 June, Fender was the last act to perform right before headliner Billie Eilish on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival. He appeared as a special guest for the Rolling Stones at the 65,000-capacity British Summer Time Hyde Park on 3 July 2022, scheduled the day after Adele's two sold-out shows at the same place. Fender headlined a sold-out show to 45,000 people at London's Finsbury Park on 15 July 2022. It marked his largest headline show at this point.


title: Sam Fender

text: On 2 September 2022, Fender announced his first headline stadium show, which will be held on 9 June 2023 at Newcastle's St James' Park. As pre-sale tickets were sold out, on 7 September, he added a second show at St James' Park scheduled for 10 June 2023. On 18 October, Fender secured his first Mercury Prize nomination with "Seventeen Going Under". He unveiled "Wild Grey Ocean", a song previously unreleased from "Seventeen Going Under", which would later be included in the album's reissue. In November 2022, the single "Seventeen Going Under" was certified double platinum by the BPI (1.2 million UK sales).


title: Sam Fender

text: At the age of 15, Fender acted in the pilot episode of the ITV drama series " Vera" which aired in 2011. He also played the character of Dean in an episode of the fantasy series "Wolfblood" which first aired on CBBC in 2012. Subsequently, he put his short-lived acting career on hold, preferring to concentrate on music that depicted his own perspective rather than a script. At the end of 2021, he mentioned that he might return to acting roles in the future but added that releasing albums remained his priority. Grace Almond of "Rolling Stone" wrote that the music videos of "Spit of You" starring Graham and "Get You Down", where he was the leading character, highlighted Fender's acting abilities.


title: Sam Fender

text: In 2018, Fender first appeared in UK fashion magazines such as "F Word" and "The Last Magazine". In April 2019, he was chosen as a model to front the "Suit Your Self" tailoring campaign for Topman. In 2019, he was featured in a "GQ" magazine article. Fender made an appearance at the British "GQ" Men of the Year Awards 2019 at Tate Modern in London. In September 2020, he was hired as the "face" of an eighteen-month motorcycle-inspired clothing campaign for British brand Barbour International and retailer Scotts Menswear. In 2021, Fender created his signature clothing line in partnership with Barbour International and launched it in April of that year via Scotts Menswear. The promotion was accompanied by a short film called "On the Record", which included an interview conducted at Newcastle's Vinyl Guruh record store. As part of his modelling work, Fender has promoted branded apparel such as, Acne Studios, Frame, Harrington jacket, Martine Rose, Nike, Rag & Bone, Reiss, Champion, Levi's, Umbro, Urban Outfitters, Converse, Dr. Martens, and Dunhill.


title: Sam Fender

text: Fender has been involved in charity work. On 1 April 2020, he played a set for Isolation Nation Live on LADbible's Facebook page with an optional donation benefiting the British Red Cross to help fund emergency support during their fight against coronavirus. He was involved with the BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge All-Stars charity single alongside twenty-three acts, including Dua Lipa and Chris Martin. The charity supergroup recorded a rendition of Foo Fighters' "Times Like These" from their homes during the COVID-19 lockdowns, whose proceeds were donated to charities "Children in Need", "Comic Relief", and Solidarity Response Fund. The single, produced by Fraser T. Smith, first aired on 23 April 2020 and was accompanied by a music video featuring Fender and all the other acts, including members of Foo Fighters.


title: Sam Fender

text: He released an Alan Hull cover, "Winter Song", to raise money for "The Big Issue" newspaper, collaborating with the social enterprise "People of the Streets". Fender has said that the issue is "close to home" for him as he has "family members and friends" who have been homeless. On 4 December 2020, he launched a petition to urge all UK councils to stop phone charges for helplines for the most vulnerable groups of people in the North East of England in need of emergency assistance. Fender said it was "scandalous" that four of the seven councils serving its local community charged them 40 pence per minute. The petition was initiated as part of a nine-month campaign established jointly with the North East Homeless centre. By 21 December 2020, the petition reached 16,500 signatures, and as a result, six councils, including Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle City, North Tyneside, Northumberland, and South Tyneside, decided to drop phone charges for their helplines in favour of free-to-call numbers.


title: Sam Fender

text: He contributed a stripped-down, live-recorded cover of Metallica's "Sad but True" for the charity tribute album "The Metallica Blacklist", released in September 2021. Half of the proceeds went to Metallica's All Within My Hands Foundation, the other half to the Teenage Cancer Trust, which was Fender's choice. On 19 December 2021, he went to help out at the Newcastle West End Foodbank after being invited by "The Big Issue".


title: Sam Fender

text: In March 2022, Rega released a limited edition turntable signed by Fender as part of the Record Store Day event, whose sale proceeds have been donated to War Child UK, which raised funds to help children in plight amid the war in Ukraine. In the same month, Fender became the patron of the North East Homeless charity. On 24 May 2022, Fender performed an "intimate" show at Newcastle City Hall, aiming to raise money for the North East Homeless centre through a ballot ticketing system. The event raised which was given by cheque onstage to the charity's founder Brian Burridge, thus enabling the centre building renovation.


title: Sam Fender

text: Fender began a relationship with a girl at the age of 15 and formed his first band after they broke up. His mother lives in Scotland.


title: Sam Fender

text: He was asked to be in the Ariana Grande music video for "Break Up with Your Girlfriend, I'm Bored", but he turned it down as he was shooting a video for his own single "Play God" on the same day. He later covered the song in the Live Lounge. Elton John has said he considers Fender a "very close friend" and a friend of his family and supports him in his career. Olivia Rodrigo appeared at Fender's 2022 Brit Awards after-party in Peckham, South London. Fender has his 2019 and 2022 Brit Awards turned "into a beer pump" at the Low Lights Tavern in North Shields. He is a Newcastle United F.C. fan.


title: Sam Fender

text: Fender has ADHD, which he believes helped him focus on music. His immune system issues affected his touring. The Bristol and Birmingham shows scheduled for 5 and 6 December 2019 were postponed to January 2020 due to a "respiratory tract infection". Despite this, both shows were cancelled again in January 2020, as Fender accumulated chest infections, laryngitis, and tonsillitis. He supported the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes, which helped alleviate a friend's cancer symptoms.


title: Sam Fender

text: On 12 September 2022, Fender announced he was cancelling the remaining dates of his US tour to focus on his mental health. He stated, "I've neglected myself for over a year now and haven't dealt with things that have deeply affected me."


title: Sam Fender

text: Fender holds left-wing views, but has said that the British Left had "alienated their grassroots supporters" by concentrating on identity politics, leaving the working class to "being picked up by the right". He felt that "the increasing polarisation of political discourse" is a problem that makes "debate and compromise all but impossible". Fender was also a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, telling "The Big Issue": "I loved Corbyn, quite frankly. I mean, he fucked up a lot of things. But I think his heart was in the right place and that's something that we've not seen for a long time. I just think he was done a massive disservice by the British press. And I think a lot of people who he would have potentially helped, were groomed to hate him." In July 2020, he signed an open letter, along with artists including Elton John, Dua Lipa and Olly Alexander, to the UK Minister for Women and Equalities, Liz Truss, calling for a ban on all forms of LGBT conversion therapy. In late 2021, Fender felt disillusioned by politicians and political parties, saying that his "only allegiance now is to 'people.


title: Sam Fender

text: In 2022, Fender entered the "Sunday Times Rich List" for the first time, ranking him 12th on the list of Young music millionaires in the UK, with wealth valued at £10 million ( million).


title: Sam Fender

text: Fender grew up in a family where his parents listened to soul, jazz, rock, and 1990s music through his brother. He cites Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway, Otis Redding, Joni Mitchell, Jeff Buckley, Adam Granduciel, and his father's favourite band, Steely Dan, as his early inspirations. His godfather was also a significant source of musical inspiration to him growing up; thus, visiting him, Fender would listen to songs by Mitchell and the Smiths. He also listened to 1960s rock and roll, the Spencer Davis Group, the Kinks, Joy Division, and Talking Heads growing up. Fender credited his initial interest and inspiration for songwriting to a teacher who encouraged him to enhance his writing as part of a two-year school work beginning at age 13.


title: Sam Fender

text: Fender names Springsteen as a major influence. Springsteen's 1975 album, "Born to Run", marked a turning point in his artistic development. Besides Springsteen, well-known songs from the 1980s, such as "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman and "Luka" by Suzanne Vega, as well as the Beatles, ABBA, and Kendrick Lamar use a writing style that Fender exclusively appreciates, thus finding himself integrated into their stylistic lineage through his musical orientation. Although Fender has said he is "a big Springsteen fan", he dismissed any comparisons—and likewise with Oasis, taking the path of affirming his own style instead. "There is no next Oasis. There was Oasis", said Fender. "The Irish Times" Niall Byrne echoed this view, stating that "Fender's music has retained its own sense of identity and has avoided the pitfalls of regurgitation".


title: Sam Fender

text: Fender's music falls under the broad category of rock. He has been classified as an indie rock and British rock singer. His musical style incorporates the indie rock, heartland rock, pop rock, Americana, and post-punk genres. Fender's music nonetheless adheres to the sound of 1990s Britpop, manifested in the 2019 album "Hypersonic Missiles". Classic jangle pop also defined his musical style and has been particularly recognisable on songs such as "The Borders" and the reverberant opening guitar riff of "Seventeen Going Under". "Play God" has been characterised as math rock with a dynamic groove, "Saturday" as rhythm and blues, and "That Sound" as power pop. The indie rock song "Will We Talk?", structured around abundant melodies, has been widely viewed, in essence, as rock and roll. "Last to Make It Home" has been described as an "acoustic-style ballad" with an Americana–folk rock chord structure. The motif of "Spit of You" is based on three sequences of guitar arpeggios, a Fender's trademark that he plays on the 2021 album "Seventeen Going Under" alongside Thompson and Atkinson, creating "movement" to the main chord progression. "Howdon Aldi Death Queue" displays an occasional penchant for punk rock.


title: Sam Fender

text: "The Guardian"s Alexis Petridis opined that the second album is rooted in contemporary times and closely connected with the early 1980s period of the Jam and the Specials. Max Winkler of the "Hamburg Evening Newspaper" wonders if Fender is "the future of rock'n'roll", whilst Neil McCormick of "The Telegraph" writes that through his music, he "continues his crusade to keep Britain safe for rock'n'roll". "Financial Times" critic Ludovic Hunter-Tilney felt a musical approach leaning towards "classic rock" and considered Fender to have established his "authentically British version" of heartland rock as Dire Straits had done in the 1980s. "The Times" critic Will Hodgkinson agreed, calling it "Fender's nostalgia set to a classic rock sound". He has been dubbed "The British heartland rocker" by WFPK's Kyle Meredith.


title: Sam Fender

text: He is a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, bass, piano, synthesizer, Hammond organ, glockenspiel, harmonica, and mandolin. The characteristic features of Fender's music include the jangly guitar tone of Jazzmasters, solos, saxophone, and also horns and strings. MusicRadar has described the pulsating rhythmic sounds of Michael's drum beats as "huge" and explained that he displays "discipline and respect" for Fender's anthemic songs. Michael's drumming style has been characterised by motorik beats.


title: Sam Fender

text: Fender is known for his high tenor voice and strong Geordie accent (North East England). His manager said he was "totally struck by this incredible voice" when Fender, then 18, began singing under the encouragement of his boss at Low Lights Tavern. Moon described his voice as "earnest" with keening harmonies. Fender has stated that he tends to sing at the top of his vocal range when writing and performing; he said, "I'm always belting." Ellie Harrison of "The Independent" regarded Fender's voice as "big and sonorous" and expressing "moments of vulnerability". "The Telegraph"s James Hall wrote that his live vocals were "rich and vibrant" in the upper register, particularly on medium tempo songs like "Mantra". Petridis observed that in ascending pitch on the song "Aye", Fender's voice "takes on the keening quality" of John Lydon.


title: Sam Fender

text: Fender has been praised for his storytelling style of songwriting. Byrne argued that Fender distinguished himself as "an artist interested in expressing lived emotion" when releasing his series of singles from 2017. In 2019, "Rolling Stone" music columnist Tim Ingham discussed songwriting processes and reviewed the "Top 10 biggest tracks in the U.S." of recent years, saying it illustrated the "near-complete decline of the solo singer-songwriter pop hit" over the past decade, with the trend emphasising creative partnerships. He said Fender "is a rarity in the modern music industry: a major label priority act ... who entirely writes all of his own material". He told "Billboard" in 2019 that he was entering a phase where he was writing lyrics first: "because I really enjoy just writing poetry or just writing freeform". Fender writes most of the songs on the piano and converts them to the guitar, and then he continues the creative development to find slight variations of chords on the latter. Furthermore, he may optionally write and record songs in Elton John's house.


title: Sam Fender

text: ABC Triple J's Al Newstead wrote that "Hypersonic Missiles" "introduced him as a songwriter with skill, honesty, and a great love for anthemic rock". Newstead further said that Fender "embrace the voice-of-a-generation mantle thrust upon him" on the first two albums' politically-charged songs but, by contrast, is more effective at addressing mental health-related topics and personal experiences. Moon deemed his lyrics as "powerful, poetic, personal stufftraditional songwriting with a modern edge". Fender's songwriting leans towards a direct style which he called "descriptive", imbued with reality and details, rather than a metaphorical style, exemplified in the lyrics of "The Dying Light", "This town is a world of waifs and strays, comedy giants, penniless heroes/Dead men at the bar, I drank with them all." Petridis felt he moved away from Springsteen's influence on the second album and noted a significant improvement in the lyrical department through an approach to songwriting that placed greater autobiographical emphasis with the addition of romantic, novelistic aspects.


title: Sam Fender

text: The urban environment and local pubs' atmosphere often serve as a thematic framework for his songs. Songs provide the narrative of his personal experiences and those of his friends, ranging from "troubled childhoods", working class life in North Shields, to male suicides. "The New York Times" Alex Marshall wrote that through the theme of social classes depicted in his songs, Fender continues in the tradition of the Clash, Sex Pistols, Pulp, and the "Britpop battles of the 1990s"citing Oasis and Blur. His songs also addressed communication, romantic failures, and relationships—including "complicated" ones between fathers and sons. Some lyrics were about self-esteem and growing up in England, whilst others chronicled the country's political spectrum and the ensuing tensions. Others thematically refer to teenage life, friendship, mental health, poverty, "toxic masculinity", social media addiction, and "faceless" politicians. "Seventeen Going Under" was described as Fender "turning the mirror on himself; his adolescence and the trials and tribulations of growing up", with North Shields as "the ever-present backdrop".


title: Sam Fender

text: In 2022, some of his lyrics are being used for English teaching to Year 9 pupils as part of the Key Stage 3 National Curriculum for England at Whitley Bay High School due to the quality of their writing and "certain messages" conveyed that "resonate with young people".


title: Sam Fender

text: Fender plays guitars of the same name. He began playing a Les Paul in his early days, and then the Fender brand offered to provide him with free equipment. He subsequently developed an interest in the sound of the Jazzmaster. He also uses a powder blue Stratocaster and a Takamine acoustic guitar; both are gifts from Elton John. Although his guitar was previously tuned to Eb standard, he adjusted it to his belt voice and switched to C standard. He recorded the second album tuned to C standard and Nashville tuning and used light gauge strings.


title: This Is Us (season 6)

text: The sixth and final season of the American television series "This Is Us" continues to follow the lives and connections of the Pearson family across several time periods. The season is produced by Rhode Island Ave. Productions, Zaftig Films, and 20th Television, with Dan Fogelman, Isaac Aptaker, and Elizabeth Berger serving as showrunners.


title: This Is Us (season 6)

text: The series was renewed for a fourth, fifth, and sixth season in May 2019. The season stars an ensemble cast featuring Milo Ventimiglia, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, Justin Hartley, Susan Kelechi Watson, Chris Sullivan, Jon Huertas, Caitlin Thompson, Chris Geere, Niles Fitch, Logan Shroyer, Hannah Zeile, Eris Baker, Faithe Herman, Lyric Ross, Asante Blackk, and Griffin Dunne. On May 12, 2021, it was announced that the sixth season would be the show's last.


title: This Is Us (season 6)

text: The sixth season premiered on January 4, 2022 and concluded on May 24, 2022. The season consisted of 18 episodes.


title: This Is Us (season 6)

text: On May 12, 2019, NBC renewed the series for its fourth, fifth and sixth seasons, at 18 episodes each, for a total of 54 additional episodes. The season was confirmed to be the final season in May 2021. The sixth season featured the directorial debuts of actors Chris Sullivan and Mandy Moore. Cast member Susan Kelechi Watson co-wrote the episode "Our Little Island Girl: Part Two", which focused on her character, Beth. Watson felt that she was writing the end of Beth's emotional arc, and that it was "beautiful" to have that opportunity.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas (born October 13, 1980) is an American actress, singer and songwriter. She was first discovered as a teenager and later signed to Murder Inc. Records in 2002. That year, she was featured on Fat Joe's "What's Luv?" and Ja Rule's "Always on Time", both of which became two of the biggest hit songs of 2002. She became the first female artist to occupy the top two positions on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100 chart simultaneously with "Foolish" and "What's Luv?" at numbers one and two, respectively.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: In 2002, Ashanti released her eponymous debut album, which sold over 505,000 copies throughout the U.S. in its first week of release. The album earned her many awards, including eight "Billboard" Music Awards, two American Music Awards, and a Grammy Award in 2003 for Best Contemporary R&B Album. The album has since been certified triple platinum in the United States and sold six million copies worldwide by the end of 2003. The lead single for the album, "Foolish", was a critical and commercial success; it reached number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100. With "Foolish", she became the second artist (after The Beatles) to have their first three chart entries in the top ten of the "Billboard" Hot 100 simultaneously. Ashanti wrote and provided background vocals for Jennifer Lopez's "Ain't It Funny (Murder Remix)", which also reached number one on the "Billboard" Hot 100.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: In 2003, Ashanti released her second album, "Chapter II", which debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200, with first-week sales of 326,000 copies in the U.S. The album went platinum, selling over 1.5 million copies in U.S. since its release. The album's singles, "Rock wit U (Awww Baby)" and "Rain on Me", were both commercial successes, peaking at number two and number seven on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart, respectively. "Chapter II" was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album, and "Rock wit U (Awww Baby)" and "Rain on Me" were each nominated in the categories of Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. In November 2003, Ashanti released a Christmas album titled "Ashanti's Christmas", which was a modest commercial success.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: In 2004, Ashanti released her third studio album, "Concrete Rose", the title of which took on Tupac Shakur's pseudonym "The Rose That Grew from Concrete". The album debuted at number seven in the U.S., with first-week sales of 254,000 copies, and became her third platinum certified album. The first single, "Only U", reached number thirteen on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and became her biggest hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number two. A second single, the ballad "Don't Let Them", garnered little chart success after Def Jam refused to fund a music video due to Irv Gotti's legal troubles during his money laundering trial. Her subsequent albums include "The Declaration" (2008) and "Braveheart" (2014), the latter of which was released independently, on Ashanti's record label, Written Entertainment.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: Aside from music, Ashanti has also acted in various productions. In 2005, she made her feature film debut in "Coach Carter" alongside Samuel L. Jackson. She also starred as Dorothy Gale in the made-for-television film "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz", which attracted nearly 8 million viewers when it premiered. She has since appeared in the films "John Tucker Must Die" (2006) and "" (2007). Throughout her career, Ashanti has sold nearly 15 million records worldwide.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: Ashanti Douglas was born on October 13, 1980 in Glen Cove, New York. Her mother, Tina Douglas, is African-American and a former dance teacher, her father, Ken-Kaide Thomas Douglas, is also African-American and a former singer. She is the oldest of her parents' children, with a younger sister named Kenashia "Shia" Douglas. Ashanti's mother named her after the Ashanti Empire in Ghana; in this nation, women had power and influence, and Tina wanted Ashanti to follow that model. Her grandfather, James, was a civil rights activist who was associated with Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: Ashanti's mother discovered her full singing potential when she overheard Ashanti singing Mary J. Blige's "Reminisce" at age 12 (after the song was released on Ashanti's birthday). While attending high school, she began to write songs. As a teenager, she performed in a local talent show and at several small festivals. She got her first taste of acting as a child extra in Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" (1992) and in Ted Demme's "Who's the Man?". She also had a couple of minor appearances in music videos, such as KRS-One's "MC's Act Like They Don't Know" as well as 8-Off's "Ghetto Girl".


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: Ashanti struggled to find success as a singer after being courted by several record labels, including Bad Boy and Jive. Despite this, she continued to perform in and around New York and began hanging out at the Murder Inc. recording studio, hoping for a big break.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: Ashanti was first noticed by Irv Gotti because of her vocal skills. He asked her to pen hooks for his rap artists and to perform with them in duets. Ashanti provided the melodic response to their call. Ashanti was first featured as a background vocalist on rapper Big Pun's song "How We Roll". In the same year, Ashanti was featured on fellow labelmate Cadillac Tah's singles "Pov City Anthem" and "Just Like a Thug". She also appeared on the 2001 "The Fast and the Furious" soundtrack as a featured artist on Vita's 2001 hip hop remake of Madonna's "Justify My Love" and on the solo track "When a Man Does Wrong". She was then featured on Fat Joe's "What's Luv?" and Ja Rule's "Always on Time". "What's Luv?" and "Always on Time" were released simultaneously and became two of the biggest hit songs of 2002. Ashanti became the first female to occupy the top two positions on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100 chart simultaneously when "Always on Time" and "What's Luv?" were at numbers one and two, respectively.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: Following the success of her collaborations with Ja Rule and Fat Joe, Ashanti released her debut single, "Foolish", which contains a sample of the 1983 song "Stay with Me" by DeBarge (also used by The Notorious B.I.G. in his 1995 single "One More Chance", and by Big L in "MVP"). This is her biggest success to date, spending ten weeks atop the "Billboard" Hot 100. She became the second artist (after The Beatles) to have their first three chart entries in the top ten of the Hot 100 simultaneously. Ashanti's self-titled debut album, "Ashanti", was released on Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. record label in April 2002. It debuted at number one on the U.S. "Billboard" 200 albums chart. The album has been certified triple platinum in the United States and sold six million copies worldwide. Ashanti wrote the album's twelve tracks, most of which were written on the spot in the studio. Ashanti's follow-up singles, "Happy" and "Baby", were not as successful as her debut single but peaked inside the top ten and top twenty in the U.S., respectively. Ashanti's debut album earned her many awards, including eight "Billboard" Music Awards, two American Music Awards, and a Grammy Award in 2003 for Best Contemporary R&B Album. Ashanti was the first artist to win Best Contemporary R&B Album before the category was last awarded in 2011. She was nominated as Best New Artist and "Foolish" was nominated in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance category. She also received a Comet Award and two Soul Train Music Awards that same year.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: Ashanti became the subject of controversy when it was announced that she would receive the Soul Train Aretha Franklin Award for "Entertainer of the Year", a high school student took offense and started an on-line petition against her, explaining to "The Seattle Times" that she was too new to deserve the award. Nearly 30,000 people agreed with him, signing the petition. Many said that established artists such as Mary J. Blige and Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott or critically acclaimed singers like Alicia Keys and India.Arie were more deserving of an award that carries the name of a musical legend. Despite the petition, the Soul Train committee and Don Cornelius stuck by their decision. Ashanti was applauded by her musical peers as she entered the Pasadena Civic Auditorium to accept her award and she was supported onstage by Patti LaBelle, who stated "she's a baby and we have to support our babies."


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: Just before the release of her second album, Ashanti headlined "VH1 Divas Duets" alongside Whitney Houston, Chaka Khan, Beyoncé and Lisa Marie Presley. During the concert, she performed duets with the Isley Brothers and Stevie Wonder, and participated in the all-star finale performance of Wonder's "Higher Ground."


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: In July 2003, Ashanti released her second album, "Chapter II", which debuted at number one on the "Billboard" 200, with first-week sales of 326,000 copies in the U.S. The album went platinum, selling over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. "Chapter II"'s first single, "Rock wit U (Awww Baby)", became a hit, peaking at number two on the "Billboard" Hot 100. Its video, which showed Ashanti in a bikini frolicking on a beach and riding an elephant, was nominated for two 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. A remix of the song contains interpolations of Michael Jackson's "Rock with You". The second single, "Rain on Me", reached the number-seven spot on the Hot 100 and number two on the Hot 100 R&B Songs chart. "Chapter II" was nominated for a 2004 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album, and "Rock wit U (Awww Baby)" and "Rain on Me" were nominated in the categories of Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, respectively. In the "Rain on Me" mini-movie music video—directed by Hype Williams and co-starring Larenz Tate—Ashanti portrays a troubled young woman in an abusive relationship. She received a Lifetime Channel Achievement Award for her message speaking out against domestic violence. That same year, she began dating rapper Nelly.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: In November 2003, Ashanti released a Christmas album titled "Ashanti's Christmas". It contained 10 Christmas songs and was a modest commercial success and sold just around 100,000 units in the U.S. The album peaked at No. 160 in the Billboard charts.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: Before "Concrete Rose" was released, Ashanti did some major promotion for her single "Only U", when she premiered it at the 2004 Vibe Music Awards. She featured on "Wonderful"—with Ja Rule and R. Kelly—that year, which peaked at number five in the U.S. and at number one in the UK. In December 2004, Ashanti released her third studio album, "Concrete Rose", the title of which took on Tupac Shakur's pseudonym "The Rose That Grew from Concrete". The album debuted at number seven in the U.S., with first-week sales of 254,000 copies, and eventually became her third platinum certified album. The first single, "Only U", reached number thirteen on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and became her biggest hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number two. A second single, the ballad "Don't Let Them", garnered little chart success after Def Jam refused to fund a music video due to Irv Gotti's legal troubles during his money laundering trial. The single was released only in the U.S., where it failed to chart, and the UK, where it reached the lower end of the top forty. After the release of "Concrete Rose", Ashanti released the DVD "Ashanti: The Making of a Star", which was available only for a limited time. The deluxe DVD includes exclusive photo and video shoot footage, music from the albums "Ashanti", "Chapter II" and "Concrete Rose", special concert footage, unreleased childhood school performances and behind-the-scenes interviews with family, friends, and fans.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: In 2005, Ashanti focused more on her acting career, making her feature film acting debut in the film "Coach Carter" alongside Samuel L. Jackson, as well as starring as Dorothy Gale in the made-for-television film "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz", which pulled in nearly 8 million viewers when it premiered. She sung "When I'm with You" for the film which was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in the Outstanding Music and Lyrics category. In "Coach Carter," she played a pregnant teenager named Kyra who has to decide whether or not to abort her unborn child. The movie opened at number-one at the U.S. box office, eventually grossing $67 million domestically. Later in 2005, Ashanti was invited to Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball, which honored some of the most influential and legendary African American women of the twentieth century in the fields of art, entertainment, and civil rights. In December 2005, Ashanti released a remix album of "Concrete Rose" titled "Collectables by Ashanti". The album was an opportunity for her to fulfill her contract with Def Jam (and have the option of working with another label). It did not fare well on the charts.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: In 2006, she starred in the teen comedy "John Tucker Must Die", which opened and peaked at number three at the U.S. box office (competing with "" and "Miami Vice") and grossed $68,818,076 worldwide. In 2007, she played a supporting role in the action film "" (2007).


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: Her fourth studio album, "The Declaration", was released on June 3, 2008 and sold 86,000 units its first week of release, which were the lowest first week sales for any of Ashanti's studio albums. In mid-2007, MTV News reported that the first single from "The Declaration" was "Switch", which was produced by Shy Carter and released digitally in the United States on July 24, 2007. It was later reported that "Switch" may not be included on the album's track listing, and that the first single would be "Hey Baby (After the Club)" it was released to radio and digital outlets on October 16. The song, which does not appear on the U.S. editions of the album, peaked at number eighty-seven on the "Billboard" Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. "The Way That I Love You", was released to radio and digital outlets in January 2008, was referred to as the "first single" in press material and media reports. It reached number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number thirty-seven on the "Billboard" Hot 100, becoming Ashanti's first song to reach the top forty since "Only U" in 2004. "Body On Me" was recorded not only for Ashanti's "The Declaration", but also for Nelly's fifth studio album "Brass Knuckles". The track is produced by Akon and Giorgio Tuinfort. It went to number one on Billboard's Hot Videoclip Tracks chart in its first week, becoming the first number one single from Nelly's album."Good Good" was released to urban radio stations on July 16, 2008. The song contains elements of Elton John's 1974 single "Bennie and the Jets", and has the same melody arrangement as Michael Jackson's "The Girl Is Mine". In July 2008, Ashanti was named an ambassador of tourism for Nassau County, Long Island.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: In May 2009, Irv Gotti announced that he was officially releasing Ashanti from The Inc. Records, stating that "The relationship has run its course. The chemistry of what's needed — we're in two totally different places. You're talking to somebody that took her and shaped and molded her and put her out there for the world, and it blew up. We [hold the record] for the [fastest] selling debut by a female R&B artist — 503 [thousand]. We did it! My views and philosophies and her views and philosophies are not meeting up." Gotti also admitted that he and Ashanti have not spoken to each other in a long time. A representative for Ashanti did not respond. On September 24, 2009, Ashanti announced her fifth studio album would be released from her new label, Written Entertainment.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: Ashanti headlined the cast of "The Wiz" in the New York City Center Encores! Summer Stars staging from June 12 to July 5, 2009. Ashanti's role as Dorothy has since received mixed reviews from critics as most praised her vocals but was less pleased with her acting ability. BET and Entertainment Weekly both praised the singer's performance as The New York Post and New York Times gave lukewarm reviews. Though the first night was sold out, some of the other shows were unable to follow its success. On October 27, 2008, Ashanti took part in "The Yellow Brick Road Not Taken", a one night only concert to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Wicked, featuring songs written by Stephen Schwartz, that were cut from the show.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: After a four-year hiatus, Ashanti released the song "Never Too Far Away", which was featured in Morgan Creek's film "Dream House" starring Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz with Naomi Watts. The lead single from her fifth studio album, "The Woman You Love" featuring American rapper Busta Rhymes, was released online on December 15, 2011. Ashanti teamed up with Meek Mill and French Montana for the second single "No One Greater", which was produced by 7 Aurelius, Irv Gotti and Chink Santana. In April 2013, she released another single called "Never Should Have", which later won "Best Independent R&B/Soul Performance" at the 2013 Soul Train Awards. A music video for the track was also released.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: In November 2012, it was reported that she had landed her first series regular role in the seventh season of "Army Wives", playing Latasha Montclair. The series was cancelled on September 24, 2013. In the fall of 2013, she appeared in a guest spot on "" alongside Clay Aiken and Taylor Hicks. She also starred in the Lifetime film "Christmas in the City" which premiered on December 7, 2013.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: In August 2013, Ashanti announced her plans to once again work with Ja Rule, who'd been released from prison in July of that year following a six-year sentence stemming from a gun charge. On January 8, 2014, she revealed the official cover art and release date for "Braveheart", her fifth album, which was released on March 4, 2014. In January 2014, Ashanti shot the video for the official first single from "Braveheart" titled "I Got It" featuring Rick Ross. The video was shot in Miami, Florida, and was directed by Eif Rivera. In July, Ashanti announced that the second official single from "BraveHeart" would be "Early in the Morning" featuring French Montana. Upon release, the album garnered favorable reviews, with music critics describing "Braveheart"'s sound as an "evolution of R&B" and praising the themes of empowerment, but criticizing the romantic clichés and lack of interesting moments on the album. On the charts, "Braveheart" opened at number ten on the U.S. "Billboard" 200, becoming Ashanti's fifth consecutive top-ten album, as well as her first Independent Albums chart topper. It also debuted in the top-thirty of the UK R&B Albums Chart and top-forty of the UK Indie Albums Chart.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: In 2015, she announced that she had worked on new music for her seventh album, with an unknown release date. Ashanti collaborated with Michelle Obama for her #Let'sMove campaign to spread awareness of drinking water with her new video and song "Let's Go" released in 2015. In 2016, she collaborated on the song "Seven Day Love" included in the album "Inzombia" by Canadian singer Belly. She has also worked with numerous artists, including Sia, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Queen Latifah, Usher and Kelly Clarkson to interpret the songs of the Broadway musical ""Hamilton"" for the compilation "The Hamilton Mixtape".


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: In 2017, Ashanti announced her seventh studio album, revealing it would be released in 2018. She denied this in June 2018, confirming the future release of an album in collaboration with rapper Ja Rule. Between 2017 and 2018 she returned to the music scene with several collaborations including the single "Say Less" with Ty Dolla Sign, the track "The Road" by Machel Montano, and the song "Start This Shit Off Right" with Mack Maine, from the album "Tha Carter V" by Lil Wayne.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: Ashanti released the collaboration "Pretty Little Thing" with Afro B in August 2019. She also featured on the soundtrack of the film "Stuck", which she produced. In November, Ashanti guest-starred as herself in two episodes of the third season of The CW's "Dynasty" reboot: "Mother, I'm At La Mirage" and "Something Desperate".


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: On March 10, 2022, Ashanti's single "Rock wit U (Awww Baby)" was heavily sampled for British rapper Aitch's single "Baby".


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: On October 21, 2022, Ashanti was featured in Diddy’s remix “Gotta Move On” featuring Bryson Tiller and Yung Miami


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: Ashanti has a lyric soprano voice type. Critics have referred to her voice as "pretty" and her soprano as "sultry" and "sweet but slight". Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic noted her reputation for using her "swooning voice" in duets with Big Pun, Fat Joe, and Ja Rule. As a young girl, Ashanti was influenced by Ella Fitzgerald, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Prince, and Tupac Shakur, but she cites Mary J. Blige as the main reason she wanted to pursue a singing career. Further musical influences include Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Smokey Robinson, Donna Summer, and Blue Magic.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: In 2003, Ashanti partnered with LidRock and the San Francisco-based Family Violence Prevention Fund (FVPF) to raise awareness about the issue of domestic violence during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and to distribute the "Rain on Me" mini-movie using LidRock's unique platform. Proceeds from the $5 mini-disc went towards helping to stop domestic violence. Ashanti also recorded a public service announcement that appeared in more than 4,000 film screens and reached millions of people. Ashanti also gives back by raising money for sickle cell research and she is active in helping the Make-A-Wish Foundation stating, "I'll go and do just about anything for them." In 2005, Ashanti helped by recording public service announcement and raising money for the Southeast Asia tsunami disaster. Later that year, she helped raise money for the Hurricane Katrina victims and storm evacuees.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: In 2008, Ashanti, along with others celebrities, taped a PSA to help stop violence and discrimination towards the LGBT community in response to the death of Lawrence King, an eighth-grader at E.O. Green Junior High School, who was shot because of his sexual orientation and gender expression. That same year, she launched a special on-line campaign called "I Declare Me..." with Wal-Mart. The campaign's core is a very personal focus on the self-definition and empowerment of women across the United States, with its home base at Ashanti's official website. The campaign creates a safe and inclusive on-line space to for women to share testimonies on the site. Participants are able to openly declare their own breakthroughs, revelations, struggles and victories in every life area they choose: career, birth, death, relationships, and personal situations. "I Declare Me..." also invites women to a virtual discussion with Ashanti on such issues as voter registration, teen obesity, and other concerns facing women today.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: In September 2009, Ashanti, along with other artists such as Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Fergie, Sheryl Crow, Miley Cyrus, Melissa Etheridge, Natasha Bedingfield, Keyshia Cole, Ciara, Leona Lewis, LeAnn Rimes and Carrie Underwood, teamed up for the song "Just Stand Up!". The charity tune for cancer was conceived by Antonio "L.A." Reid, who produced it with longtime creative colleague Babyface. All 15 singers (along with Nicole Scherzinger) shared the stage to perform the song live on September 5, 2008, during the "Stand Up to Cancer" television special, which aired simultaneously on ABC, NBC and CBS, and helped raise $100 million for cancer research. As a result of SU2C fund raising endeavors, the SU2C scientific advisory committee, overseen by the American Association for Cancer Research, was able to award 73.6 million dollars towards novel, groundbreaking cancer research in 2009.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: In November 2009, Ashanti joined the crew of ABC's "". In the episode, which aired on January 24, 2010, the singer assisted in the rebuilding of the Powell Family home in Buffalo, New York. The efforts from the show expanded significantly to include not just the family home but the entire neighborhood surrounding it. In 2013, Ashanti featured on the 19-track compilation album "Songs for a Healthier America", a collaborative project by the Partnership for a Healthier America, whose honorary chair is Michelle Obama, and Hip Hop Public Health. Her song "Just Believe" also featured Artie Green, Gerry Gunn, Robbie Nova and Chauncey Hawkins. Additionally, she is affiliated with the Jumpstart reading program, the Tupperware Brand and the Boys and Girls Club of America.


title: Ashanti (singer)

text: On January 1, 2003, Ashanti met rapper Nelly at a press conference for the 2003 Grammy Awards, and the two later began dating. They ended their relationship after a decade together.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: Resident Evil 4 is a 2005 survival horror third-person shooter game developed by Capcom Production Studio 4 and published by Capcom. It was originally released for the GameCube on January 11, 2005. Players control U.S. government special agent Leon S. Kennedy, who is sent on a mission to rescue the U.S. president's daughter Ashley Graham, who has been kidnapped by a cult. In rural Spain, Leon fights hordes of villagers infected by a mind-controlling parasite and reunites with the spy Ada Wong.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: Development began for PlayStation 2 in 1999. Four proposed versions were discarded; the first attempt was directed by Hideki Kamiya. In a departure from the fixed camera angles and slower survival horror gameplay of previous "Resident Evil" games, the team focused on developing more dynamic shooting action.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: "Resident Evil 4" was announced as a GameCube exclusive as part of the Capcom Five, but was ported to numerous formats; it became a cross-platform hit, selling more than copies across several platforms. It garnered universal acclaim for its story, gameplay, graphics, voice acting, and characters, and is often named one of the best video games ever made, winning multiple Game of the Year awards in 2005. It influenced the evolution of the survival horror and third-person hybrid genre with popularizing the "over-the-shoulder" third-person view such as "Dead Space" and "The Last of Us".


title: Resident Evil 4

text: A sequel, "Resident Evil 5", was released in 2009. A remake of "Resident Evil 4" is set for release in 2023 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: The player controls the protagonist, Leon S. Kennedy, from a third-person perspective. Departing significantly from the series' previous games, the gameplay focuses on action and shootouts with fewer survival horror elements. The camera is placed behind Leon and zooms in for an over-the-shoulder view when aiming a weapon, or a first-person view when aiming with a sniper rifle. There is no crosshair for firearms; instead, every firearm has a laser sight. Unlike previous games where players can only shoot straight, up, or down, players have more options. For example, shots to the feet can cause enemies to stumble, and shots to the arms can make them drop their weapons. Players can also shoot down projectiles like thrown axes or scythes.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: "Resident Evil 4" adds context-sensitive controls. Based on the situation, players can interact with the environment: kicking down a ladder, jumping out of a window, dodging an attack or executing a "finishing move" on weakened enemies. There are also quick time events, in which the player must press buttons indicated on-screen to execute actions such as dodging a falling boulder or wrestling an enemy to stay alive. These are often incorporated into the game's many boss fights, in which the player must avoid instant-kill attacks.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: The main enemies are violent villagers referred to as "Los Ganados" ("The Cattle" in Spanish). Unlike the franchise's traditional zombies, "Los Ganados" can dodge, wield weaponry like chainsaws and projectile weapons, and are capable of working collectively and communicating with each other. The villagers' leaders may transform into grotesque monstrous forms to do battle with the player when encountered. Other prominent enemies include the Regenerators or "Regeneradores", a type of mutated humanoid creature with potent regenerative abilities; the troll-like "El Gigante"; and the gigantic sea creature "Del Lago".


title: Resident Evil 4

text: The inventory system features a grid system, represented by an attaché case, that has each item take up a certain number of spaces. The case can be upgraded several times, allowing for more space. Weapons, ammunition, and healing items are kept in the case, while key items and treasures are kept in a separate menu. Items may be bought from and sold to a merchant that appears in various locations. He sells first aid sprays, weapons, allows for weapons to be upgraded and buys various treasures that Leon finds. The various weapons each have their own advantages and disadvantages.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: Capcom added content for the PlayStation 2 version, which was later incorporated into the PC and Wii releases. The largest addition is "Separate Ways", a side story which focuses on Ada Wong's involvement in "Resident Evil 4" and her connection to the series' villain Albert Wesker. "Ada's Report", a five-part documentary, analyzes Ada's relationship with Wesker and his role in the plot. Other unlockable content in all versions includes the minigame "The Mercenaries" and short scenario "Assignment Ada" (using Ada to retrieve "Las Plagas" samples), new costumes for Leon and Ashley, new weapons, and a cutscene browser.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: In 2004, U.S. government agent Leon S. Kennedy (Paul Mercier) is on a mission to rescue Ashley Graham (Carolyn Lawrence), the U.S. President's daughter, who has been abducted by a mysterious cult. He travels to an unnamed rural village in Spain, where he encounters a group of hostile villagers who pledge their lives to "Los Iluminados", the cult that kidnapped Ashley. The villagers were once simple farmers until becoming infected by a mind-controlling parasite known as "Las Plagas".


title: Resident Evil 4

text: While in the village, Leon is captured by its chief, Bitores Mendez, and injected with "Las Plagas". He finds himself held captive with Luis Sera (Rino Romano), a former police officer in Madrid, and former "Los Iluminados" researcher. The two work together to escape, but soon go their separate ways. Leon finds out Ashley is being held in a church and rescues her. They both escape from the church after Osmund Saddler (Michael Gough), leader of "Los Iluminados", reveals his plan to use the parasite they injected into Ashley to manipulate her into injecting the president of the United States with a "sample" once she returns home, allowing Saddler to begin his conquest of the world.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: After killing Mendez, Leon and Ashley try to take refuge in a castle but are attacked by more "Iluminados" under the command of Ramon Salazar (Rene Mujica), another of Saddler's henchmen who owns the castle, and the two become separated by Salazar's traps. Meanwhile, Luis searches for pills that will slow Leon and Ashley's infection, as well as a sample of "Las Plagas". He brings the two items to Leon but is killed by Saddler, who takes the sample, while the pills to suppress the infection remain in Leon's hands. While in the castle, Leon briefly encounters Ada Wong (Sally Cahill), a woman from his past who supports him during his mission. He battles his way through the castle before killing Salazar.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: Afterward, Leon travels to a nearby island research facility, where he continues the search for Ashley. He discovers that one of his former training comrades, Jack Krauser (Jim Ward), who was believed to have been killed in a helicopter crash two years prior, is responsible for her kidnapping. Ada and Krauser are working with Albert Wesker (Richard Waugh), for whom both intend to secure a "Plagas" sample. Suspicious of the mercenary's intentions, Saddler orders Krauser to kill Leon, believing that no matter which one dies, he will benefit. After Krauser's demise, Leon rescues Ashley, and they remove the "Plagas" from their bodies using a specialized radiotherapeutic device. Leon confronts Saddler, and with Ada's help, manages to kill him. However, Ada takes the sample from Leon at gunpoint before escaping in a helicopter, leaving Leon and Ashley to escape via her jet-ski as the island explodes.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: In 1999, producer Shinji Mikami said a "Resident Evil" sequel was in development for PlayStation 2. "Resident Evil 4" underwent a lengthy development, during which at least four versions of the game were discarded. The first version was directed by Hideki Kamiya. Around the turn of the millennium, "Resident Evil 2" writer Noboru Sugimura created a story for the game, based on Kamiya's idea to make a "cool" and "stylish" action game. The story was based on unraveling the mystery surrounding the body of the protagonist, Tony, an invincible man with skills and an intellect exceeding that of normal people, with his superhuman abilities explained with biotechnology. As Kamiya felt the playable character did not look brave and heroic enough in battles from a fixed angle, he decided to drop the prerendered backgrounds from previous installments and use a dynamic camera system. The team spent 11 days in the United Kingdom and Spain, photographing objects such as Gothic statues, bricks, and stone pavements for use in textures.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: Though the developers tried to make the "coolness" theme fit into the world of "Resident Evil", Mikami felt it strayed too far from the series' survival horror roots and gradually convinced the staff to make an independent game. This became a new Capcom franchise, "Devil May Cry", released for the PlayStation 2 in August 2001.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: Development on "Resident Evil 4" restarted at the end of 2001. The first announcement was made in November 2002, as one of five games exclusively developed for the GameCube by Capcom Production Studio 4, the Capcom Five. This revision, commonly dubbed the "fog version", was directed by Hiroshi Shibata and was 40 percent finished at that time. The game saw Leon S. Kennedy struggling to survive after having infiltrated the castle-like Umbrella's main headquarters located in Europe and featured traditional "Resident Evil" monsters such as zombies. During the course of the new story which was again written by Sugimura's scenario creation company Flagship, Leon became infected with the Progenitor Virus and possessed a hidden power in his left hand. The producer of the final version also pointed out that Ashley did not appear back then, though there was a different girl who was never revealed to the public. The game was to feature some first-person elements.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: At E3 2003, Capcom showcased a version widely known as the "hook man version". It was later titled on the "Biohazard 4 Secret DVD". During Mikami's introduction of the trailer, he assured that development was proceeding smoothly and claimed the game was scarier than ever before. The story was set in a haunted building where Leon contracted a bizarre disease and fought paranormal enemies, such as animated suits of armor, living dolls, and a ghostlike man armed with a large hook. The game had an otherworldly feel to it, containing elements like flashbacks and hallucinations that were marked by a bluish tint and a shaking camera. It also displayed various gameplay mechanics that carried over to the final release, like the over-the-shoulder camera and a laser sight for aiming in battles and quick time events. Other features, such as dialogue choices, were removed later. Five minutes of gameplay footage were released on the "Biohazard 4 Secret DVD", a Japanese pre-order bonus given out in January 2005.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: The Hallucination version had only a basic story concept, having dropped the previous scenario penned by Noboru Sugimura of Flagship. In 2012, "" scenario writer Yasuhisa Kawamura said he was responsible for this version, as he wanted to make "Biohazard 4" scarier "and suggested using a particular scene from the film "Lost Souls", where the main character [...] suddenly finds herself in a derelict building with a killer on the loose. An arranged version of this idea eventually turned into Hook Man. The idea went through several iterations as Mr. Sugimura and I carefully refined this world (which, I have to say, was very romantic). Leon infiltrates the castle of Spencer seeking the truth, while inside a laboratory located deep within, a young girl wakes up. Accompanied by a B.O.W. [an abbreviation for "Bio Organic Weapon" in the series' lore] dog, the two start to make their way up the castle. Unfortunately, there were many obstacles that needed to be overcome and the cost of development was deemed too expensive." Kawamura added he was very sorry and "even ashamed" that Mikami had to step in and scrap this version. After this attempt, the last cancelled revision featured classic zombies again. However, it was discontinued after a few months, and before it was ever shown to the public, as the developers felt it was too formulaic.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: The story of the Progenitor Virus was eventually covered in "Resident Evil 5" and the Spencer Estate became the setting for "Resident Evil 5"'s downloadable content (DLC) pack "Lost in Nightmares" (featuring Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine).


title: Resident Evil 4

text: Following that, it was decided to reinvent the series. Mikami took over directorial duties from Shibata and began working on the version that was released. In an interview with "Game Informer", Mikami explained his decision to shift to a new gameplay system is due to the feeling that the older system is "more of the same" after playing "Resident Evil Zero". He says that he only felt nervous once more when playing with the newer system. Speaking for the team, game producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi mentioned how the staff was "tired of the same thing" and how some got bored and moved on to other projects. In addition to that, the producer also felt that the older format was "stuck in a cookie cutter mold" and described it as "shackles holding us down".


title: Resident Evil 4

text: However, some of the staff members disagreed about changing the gameplay system. These members felt depressed and were hard to motivate after the game's focus shifted to be more action-oriented. Although Mikami demanded the camera system be revised, the team had reservations about making big changes to the series he had created. Eventually, he intervened, explained his proposed changes, and wrote a new story that, unlike previous installments, was not centered on the company Umbrella. Mikami wrote the entire story in just three weeks due to time constraints. Inspired by "", a game Mikami had enjoyed playing but felt could have been better with a different view, he decided to place the camera behind the playable character. To go along with the new gameplay and story, a new type of enemy called "Ganado" was created, as opposed to using the undead creatures from previous "Resident Evil" games. Furthermore, producers expended additional detail to modify and update characters that had previously appeared in the series. In a documentary explaining the conception of the characters, Kamiya stated he intended to make Leon Kennedy "look tougher, but also cool".


title: Resident Evil 4

text: Kobayashi was responsible for the design of some of the final game's enemies, such as the Regenerators. Kobayashi described the creatures' origins within universe lore as byproducts of Los Iluminados' research into bio organic weapons, malformed creations implanted with multiple "Plaga" parasites during the experimentation process. Regenerators are designed to take distinct heavy breaths before they are seen, which alerts the player to their presence. When encountered, often in small confined spaces, they would walk slowly towards the player character. The Regenerator is capable of continuously regenerating itself and cannot be dispatched unless the player is able to find the "Plaga" parasites within its body, which can only be seen with the infrared scope, and specifically target them first. During an interview with Famitsu, Mikami explained that elements like the Regenerators help maintain the survival horror aspect of "Resident Evil 4" as a balance between a "scary kind of gameplay and the challenge of overcoming that fear", with the goal of giving players a sense of achievement when they manage to overcome the monster.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: The English voice actors recorded their parts in four sessions, over three to four months. Capcom assigned Shinsaku Ohara as script translator and voice over coordinator. Carolyn Lawrence, who provided the voice for Ashley Graham, described her character as "vulnerable, because Leon has to come to her rescue all the time". She also described Kennedy's character as "more brawn, perhaps, than brain". In addition to the voice acting, the game's designer detailed each cinematic sequence so that each character's facial expressions matched the tone of their voice actor.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: Along with "" and "Resident Evil Outbreak", two side story games that did not fall under the exclusive policy, it was announced on October 31, 2004 that "Resident Evil 4" would come to the PlayStation 2 in 2005, citing increased profit, changing market conditions, and increased consumer satisfaction as the key reasons. The PlayStation 2 version included new features, primarily a new sub-game featuring Ada Wong. On February 1, 2006, Ubisoft announced that they would be publishing the game on the PC for Windows. On April 4, 2007, a Wii version was announced and was launched later in the year. The game features all of the extras in the PS2 version, along with other additions, including a trailer for "".


title: Resident Evil 4

text: The original version for the GameCube featured two different collector's editions. The first was available as a pre-order that included the game, the "Prologue" art book, and a T-shirt. GameStop offered another limited edition that was packaged in a tin box with the art book, a cel of Leon, and a soundtrack CD. Australia received an exclusive collector's edition that came with the game and a bonus disc with interviews and creator's footage.


title: Resident Evil 4

text: "Resident Evil 4" was ported to the PlayStation 2 after Capcom stated that it did not fall under the exclusivity deal with Nintendo. It was released in North America on October 25, 2005. The largest addition is "Separate Ways", a new scenario for Ada written by Haruo Murata. According to producer Masachika Kawata, the Separate Ways campaign was something thought up by the PS2 porting team and was added after getting approval from Shinji Mikami. The port was later included with "" and "Resident Evil Outbreak" as part of the compilation "Resident Evil: The Essentials". The PlayStation 2 version featured two standard and collector's bundles from pre-orders. The standard package included the game and a T-shirt, while the collector's bundle also included a figurine of Leon, and the soundtrack "Biohazard Sound Chronicle Best Track Box". This quickly sold out, and a second pressing was released that included an Ada figurine. Another, called the "Resident Evil 4: Premium Edition", was packaged in a SteelBook media case, along with the art book, a documentary DVD, and a cel art of Ada.