Alex Turner

As a youngster Alex Turner had dated Johanna Bennett from his college days. Following their breakup, he became involved in a four-year relationship with writer Alexa Chung. He was also once engaged to American actress, Arielle Vandenberg, which was later called off. In 2015, he began dating model Taylor Bagley.

Alexander David ‘Alex’ Turner was born on January 6, 1986, in Sheffield, UK. He is the only child of Penny and David Turner. His mother taught German, and his father taught physics and music at Rawmarsh Community School.

He took piano lessons till the age eight. Since his father was a member of big bands, Turner was exposed to different kinds of music at home. He listened to records by The Beatles, Frank Sinatra, The Carpenters, The Beach Boys, and The Eagles.

Turner attended Stocksbridge High School. He excelled in sports, particularly basketball. His teachers remember him as a quiet boy, bright and clever, but “laid-back" in studies.

He met Matt Helders in his primary school and became friends. The duo met Andy Nicholson at secondary school, and the three teenagers listened to rap artists such as Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill, Dr. Dre, Outkast, and Roots Manuva.

In 2001, Turner's parents bought him a guitar following which he started writing songs, using a bass guitar and some microphones. Soon he was deep into music and got serious about making a career in this field.

In 2003, Alex Turner played seven gigs in York and Liverpool as a rhythm guitarist for the band Judan Suki; he knew its lead singer Jon McClure who had offered him the opportunity. The experience made him more confident. In August 2003, Turner recorded a demo with Judan Suki.

In 2005, Arctic Monkeys self-released their first EP, ‘Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys’. Things picked up fast from there. In June, Domino Records offered them a recording contract, and in January 2006, their first album ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not’ was released. Their debut album became the fastest-selling album in the history of British music. About 118,000 copies were sold on the first day, and 360,000 copies by the end of the week!

In 2006, a five-track EP was released. The same year, Andy Nicholson left the band, and bassist Nick O'Malley replaced him.

In 2007, they released the second album, ‘Favorite Worst Nightmare’. By this time, Alex Turner had started collaborating with other artists like Reverend and the Makers, Dizzee Rascal, and Tony Christie. In 2008, Turner and Miles Kane, a popular musician, released an album, ‘The Age of the Understatement’. The album topped the charts in its first week.

In October 2008, Turner made his debut as a short story writer, and performed a spoken word track ‘A Choice of Three’ on Matt’s compilation ‘Late Night Tales: Matt Helders’. He also worked with Dizzee Rascal on the song ‘Temptation Greets You Like Your Naughty Friend’.

Alex Turner and the band achieved tremendous success with their first single ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’ which reached No. 1 spot on the UK singles chart.

The band’s first album ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not’, registered a record-breaking sale and made history in British music, selling over 360,000 copies in its first week. It has since been accredited quintuple platinum in the UK.

The band's second album, ‘Favorite Worst Nightmare’, sold over 225,000 copies in its debut week, and was nominated for the 2007 Mercury Prize.