Biography, albums and best songs of the Irish songwriter »TONSPION

Glen Hansard is one of the best living musicians of our time. Whether solo, as The Frames, The Swell Season or with Eddie Vedder. Here are the Irish songwriter’s best songs.

Glenn Hansard, born April 21, 1970 in Dublin, Ireland, began his musical career early. At the age of thirteen he left school to roam the streets of Dublin. This marked the beginning of his musical journey, which he soon expanded by forming his own band, The Frames, in 1990. He released six studio albums with his band, four of which reached the top ten in the Irish album charts.

Hansard gained wide fame in 1991 when he played guitarist Otsbahn Foster in the film “The Commitments”. Although this performance brought him worldwide recognition, Hansard later regretted the role because he felt it distracted from his actual musical career.

In 2006, Hansard ventured into a solo album and released “The Swell Season” in collaboration with Markéta Irglová, Marja Tuhkanen and Bertrand Galen. Meanwhile, he played the lead role in the musical “Once,” which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for “Falling Slowly.”

The relationship between Hansard and Irglová ended in 2009 and Hansard toured under his name. He participated in Eddie Vedder’s American tour, performed solo shows and released his first solo album, Rhythm and Repose, in 2012. This album paved the way for his second solo album, Didn’t He Ramble, of 2015, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album. It contains some of his strongest songs.

Over the course of his career, Hansard has worked on numerous film soundtracks, performed in concerts, appeared in the TV series Parenthood, and contributed to charity albums such as The Cake Sale. His influences range from Leonard Cohen to Van Morrison to Bob Dylan, whom he supported in Australia and New Zealand.

In 2023, Hansard toured extensively in Europe and also stopped in Berlin.

Glen Hansard’s discography

Tires

Another Love Song (1991)

Fitzcarraldo (1996)

For the Birds (2001)

Devil’s Dance (1999)

Breadcrumb Track (2002, published only in the Czech Republic)

Roads Over (2003)

Burn Maps (2004)

Cost (2006)

Swelling season

Swell Season (2006): The Swell Season’s debut album in collaboration with Markéta Irglová.

Once: Music from the Motion Picture (2007): The soundtrack to the film “Once”, which also includes the Oscar-winning song “Falling Slowly”.

Strict Joy (2009): The second and final album to date by The Swell Season.

Glen Hansard solo

Rhythm and Rest (2012): Hansard’s first solo album after the Swell Season.

Pain Wandering (2015): Their second solo album, nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Folk Album.

Between Two Shores (2018): Hansard’s third solo album.

This Wild Is Ready (2019): The fourth solo album takes a more experimental direction.

Everything that was East is now West to me (2023): Hansard takes on a more mellow tone once again on his new album.