Roland Orzabal

About

Roland Jaime Orzábal De La Quintana (born 22 August 1961) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and author. He is the guitarist, co-lead vocalist, principal songwriter, co-founder, and only constant member of Tears for Fears. He is also a producer of artists such as Oleta Adams. In 2014, Orzabal published his first novel, Sex, Drugs & Opera, a romantic comedy.

Roland Jaime Orzábal De La Quintana was born on 22 August 1961 in Portsmouth, Hampshire. He was initially raised in nearby Havant. Orzabal’s father, George Orzabal de la Quintana, was a Frenchman of Argentinian and Basque/Spanish roots and was often so ill that he was rarely seen by his children. Orzabal wrote his first songs when he was seven years old. The family later moved to Bath, Somerset, where he attended Culverhay School (later Bath Community Academy) and became a member of the Zenith Youth Theatre Company.

Orzabal met Curt Smith while both were in their early teens in Bath. In the late 1970s, they formed a mod revival musical group, Graduate, along with three other members. Following the release of their debut studio album, Acting My Age (1980…