WHEN Blur’s Damon Albarn walked out to 75,000 adoring fans at Wembley Stadium this month, it should have been one of the happiest moments of his life.
But the Britpop legend was concealing a deep sadness at the break-up of his 25-year relationship with wildlife artist and photographer Suzi Winstanley, mother of his only child, 23-year-old Missy.
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Blur’s Damon Albarn walked out to 75,000 adoring fans at Wembley Stadium earlier this monthCredit: AFP
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The singer was secretly dealing with his heartache over his split from partner of 25 years photographer Suzi WinstanleyCredit: BackGrid
Damon and Suzi, both 55, secretly split at the end of last year, when the singer started work on Blur’s come-back album The Ballad Of Darren.
He quietly moved out of the couple’s home in Notting Hill, West London, and tried to continue as normal, so as not to dampen the euphoria surrounding the band’s huge comeback after an eight-year hiatus.
He put any pain in his personal life to the back of his mind to focus on Blur’s return.
And this month the band thrilled and delighted thousands of fans with two shows at Wembley Stadium.
But while the gigs were a seismic moment for Blur, Damon appeared to let his mask slip for a moment.
After singing the band’s 2012 hit Under The Westway he broke down and sank to his knees behind his piano.
He went on to compose himself and continue the set but it appeared he was over- whelmed.
And lyrics on the new album appear to hint at Damon’s pain at the breakdown of his relationship at the end of last year.
The ten-track album, which went straight to No1 when it was released on July 21, has telling nods to Suzi throughout, including in the opening track The Ballad.
Seeming to reference the moment he met her, on Libby Purves’s Radio 4 programme Midweek in the 1990s, Damon sings: “I fell in love with you, I met you at an early show.”
The album then appears to detail the moment their romance ended, and the pain that Damon felt while making the record after leaving their shared home and relocating to Los Angeles to write it.
In the track Barbaric, Damon sings: “Who blinks first, you’re gonna win.
“The fallen doves of lovers’ vows, in the world all around us.
“And I’d like, if you’ve got the time, to talk to you about what this break-up has done to me.”
Soulfully, he continues: “You have lost the feeling that you thought you’d never lose.
“Now where are you going, darling?” before adding: “Grow dappled, the lonely baubles on the plane tree.
“The can of soup and heating up to ten, which leads me to the part where we agreed on different dreams.”
On the song St Charles Square, Damon sings about mistakes, as if he could be hinting at what happened between him and Suzi.
He sings: “I f***ed up. I’m not the first to do it. Must forgo now, your smile.”
Other lyrics in the song include: “Call me out, but call me.
“Ooh, don’t leave me here, baby, don’t leave me completely.
“’Cause I might not get back to myself at all.”
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Damon broke down in tears on stage during the gigCredit: Twitter – @DamonUnofficial
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Damon began crying after singing the band’s 2012 hit Under The Westway at his pianoCredit: Twitter – @DamonUnofficial
In the track he also touches on where he had been staying since the split, singing: “Basement flat with window bars, Pauli’s outside.
Spare me the gloaters and the pain, I don’t want it any more.”
Painful lyrics also crop up in the track Goodbye Albert, where Damon alludes to lamenting over the loss of a relationship.
Lines include: “Goodbye to you and me, goodbye to the shallows like refugees singing.
“We crossed the world, we disappeared, and no one looks to see if we are coming back soon.
“I was not ready yet, let it go.”
Last night it was reported that Suzi was “too sad” to listen to the album.
Damon is focusing on daughter Missy, with whom he is very close.
He even credited her as the inspiration for the recent collaboration between his musical side project Gorillaz and Latin superstar Bad Bunny, after she and a friend introduced him to the rapper’s music.
Damon recalled to us: “They grew up together and went to the Spanish school at the top of our road, so they’re attuned to Latin music and into reggaeton.
“Towards the end of lockdown, when everything was opening up, we went to Jamaica to do the Gorillaz EP, Meanwhile.
“And because Bad Bunny lives in Puerto Rico, which is close by, it was the perfect place for us to meet up.
“I went with my daughter and her mates and so they got to meet him too.”
In January this year Damon’s 1990s Britpop “rival”, former Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher, announced that he and second wife Sara MacDonald were to divorce after 11 years of marriage.
Since his own break-up, Damon has been supported by his Blur bandmates Alex James, Graham Coxon and Dave Rowntree behind the scenes.
Those close to him said there was hope that one day he and Suzi may reunite, but they conceded it was off the cards for now.
Damon previously appeared to allude to difficulties in his life when talking about the new record and the inspiration behind it.
During a recent interview in France, he said: “The last few months, the last year has not been easy.
“But the music allows me to bring out all that.
“That is to say, it’s the only way I know to overcome this sort of event. And it’s cheaper than therapy.”
Earlier this year Damon opened up to The Sun about staying in Los Angeles to work on the album and said for the first time he had enjoyed his experience.
He added: “I don’t know what happened, whether Los Angeles decided it liked me or I decided I liked Los Angeles.
“I had hated it for many years.”
He also took up driving again after more than 25 years since losing his licence when he got points for speeding offences.
He said: “When I got to LA I hired a car for the first time.
“I was driving myself everywhere — upstate, downstate, into the desert, into East LA where the Latino culture I love exists.”
The group are now enjoying the fruits of their labours and triumphant comeback, with bassist Alex saying he was keen to continue working on new music with Damon — who has not been seen in public since news of the split came to light.
And it appears likely that Damon himself may be back writing again soon, as a fortnight ago he told how his troubles were eased whenever he put pen to paper.
He said: “It’s OK being lost. It’s OK being sad. There’s a panic that’s bestowed on these emotions that I don’t think is very helpful.
“Sometimes, if you’re lost, it’s exciting because you’re in a place where you could discover something new.
“I think it helps (in) writing songs.”
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Last night it was reported that Suzi was ‘too sad’ to listen to the albumCredit: Daniel Jones – The Sun
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Those close to Damon said there was hope that one day he and Suzi may reunite, but they conceded it was off the cards for nowCredit: BackGrid
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In January Noel Gallagher, announced that he and second wife Sara MacDonald were to divorce after 11 years of marriageCredit: PA:Press Association
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Damon has been supported by his Blur bandmates Alex James, Graham Coxon and Dave Rowntree behind the scenesCredit: PA:Press Association
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: tiengtrunghaato.edu.vn