What Is Jimmy Somerville's Net Worth?
Jimmy Somerville is a Scottish pop singer and songwriter who has a net worth of $10 million. Jimmy Somerville is the co-founder of the 80s synth-pop group Bronski Beat. The group had a number of hit songs in the UK throughout the '80s, including "Smalltown Boy." In 1985, Jimmy formed the group The Communards. The group's cover of "Don't Leave Me This Way" became the top-selling single of 1986 in the UK. After three years with The Communards, he decided to go solo. Since then, he has enjoyed a number of solo hits, including "Heartbeat" and "Hurts So Good," and has released seven solo studio albums, with the most recent being 2012's "Solent." In addition to his music career, he has also appeared in several films and television series, including "Orlando," "Looking for Langston," and "Lexx." He is well-known for his powerful and soulful countertenor/falsetto singing voice, and many of his songs contain messages about politics and gay-related issues.
Early Life
Jimmy Somerville was born James William Somerville on June 22, 1961, in Glasgow, Scotland. His father worked as a roofer, while his mother worked in a chemical factory. He grew up in Ruchill, a neighborhood of northern Glasgow. After finishing high school, Jimmy moved to London in 1980, where he lived in a number of apartments as a squatter. He immersed himself in gay culture during this time, as he had not been able to explore this part of himself as much while growing up in Scotland. He also got involved in the music and arts scene in London. He eventually also started working at the department store Heal's and worked there for five years. He was also involved in the London Gay Teenage Group as an early gay rights activist.
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Career
In 1983, Somerville co-founded the synthpop group Bronski Beat with Steve Bronski and Larry Steinbachek. The band experienced several hits in the British charts, including their biggest hit, "Smalltown Boy." The song reached the third spot on the UK charts. In the music video for the song, Jimmy plays the song's titular character, who leaves his small hometown to move to a friendlier city. The song and video reflected Somerville's own experiences as a young man when he moved to London.
In 1985, Jimmy left Bronski Beat and formed a new group called The Communards. He formed the group with classically-trained pianist Richard Coles. The group had several hits, including a cover version of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes' "Don't Leave Me This Way," which spent four weeks at the number one spot on the UK charts. The track became the biggest-selling single of 1986 in the UK. While in The Communards, Somerville also worked with Fine Young Cannibals and sang backing vocals on their version of the track "Suspicious Minds."
In 1988, The Communards split up. Somerville then launched his solo career in 1989. He released his debut solo album, "Read My Lips," in November of that year. The album included three songs that would land in the UK Top 30 hits charts. One of the songs was a cover of Sylvester's disco song "You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)." Another of his popular songs was a cover of "Comment te dire adieu?" which was a duet he sang with June Miles-Kingston. The same year, he also sang on the second Band-Aid project, a charity supergroup featuring English, Scottish, and Irish artists.
In 1990, Somerville released a greatest hit album called "The Singles Collection 1984/1990." The album featured his solo material as well as his hits with Bronski Beat and The Communards. The album reached the fourth spot on the UK Album Chart. It also included a reggae cover of the Bee Gees' hit song "To Love Somebody," which landed in the UK Top 10 chart. The same year, Jimmy contributed the song "From This Moment On" to the Cole Porter tribute album "Red Hot + Blue." The album was produced by the Red Hot Organization, and the proceeds from the sales benefitted AIDS research.
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In 1991, Somerville provided backing vocals to a track called "Why Aren't You in Love With Me?" from the album "Ripe" by the Communards offshoot band, Banderas. After this contribution, Jimmy disappeared from the spotlight for several years before returning in 1995 with the album "Dare to Love." The album included the tracks "Heartbeat," "Hurt So Good," and "By Your Side." After this release, his contract with London Records came to an end.
In 1997, Somerville released the single "Dark Sky" and also provided vocals on "The Number One Song in Heaven" for the album "Plagiarism" by the group Sparks. In 1999, he released the album "Manage the Damage," which failed to chart. He released a companion remix album, "Root Beer," in 2000. In 2004, he released a dance-oriented solo album called "Home Again," which also did not chart.
In 2009, Jimmy returned to the spotlight with the release of the album "Suddenly Last Summer." The album included acoustic interpretations of other people's songs. In 2010, he released a dance EP called "Bright Thing." The EP was the first in a series of three and was followed by "Momentum" and "Solent."
In 2015, Somerville released a disco-inspired album called "Homage." His most recent release was in 2021 when he teamed up with producer Sally Herbert to record a cover of "Everything Must Change" by Benard Ighner as a charity record for End Youth Homelessness.
Personal Life
Somerville has kept his personal and love life quite private over the years. He is openly gay but has not discussed his relationships in public. On his social media accounts, he primarily posts content related to his professional singing and performing career, but he has also largely escaped public life. Jimmy continues to involve himself in gay rights activism.
