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Here in North America, there might not be a lot of people that know the name James Righton outside of the fact that he’s married to a very famous actress. However, Righton has achieved a lot of success in the European independent music scene, which includes genres like psychedelia and new rave. Righton, who is in his late 30s, has played with multiple bands during his career while also having some solo work to establish a long career in the music business.

Righton was born on August 25, 1983 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, where his father was a musician. Wanting to be like his dad, Righton started picking up the art himself, and learned how to play guitar when in high school. Afterward, Righton became a teacher and during that time had met two other musicians (Jamie Reynolds and Simon Taylor-Davis) that formed the band Klaxons. Not too long after they had formed, Righton’s group was able to secure a deal with Polydor Records.

As a member of Klaxons, Righton released an album for the first time in 2007 with “Myths of the Near Future”. The album was a big heat in the United Kingdom, achieving platinum status while also hitting number two on the charts. The group had a top 30 hit prior to the album with “Magick”, but “Myths” helped to put them on the map thanks to the top 15 songs “Golden Skans” and “It’s Not Over Yet”.

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For their sophomore campaign, Klaxons released the album “Surfing the Void”, which released in 2010. It was another top 10 album for the group, the most notable songs from this album were “Echoes” and “Twin Flames”. Though it didn’t do quite as well as their debut, Klaxons were still big names in the U.K.

In early 2011, Righton began a relationship with actress Keira Knightley, who has starred in films such as the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, “Atonement” and “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit”. The couple would end up getting married about two years after their relationship started, and have been together ever since.

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As a gift for their wedding, Righton wanted to get something special for Knightley. With that, he purchased a 100 year old olive tree for an estimated $4,000. “James had it planted in the back garden of her home in France on the day of the wedding,” a source close to the couple said. “He had carved their initials in a heart and showed her in front of everyone. She collapsed into fits of giggles, it was very sweet.”

The source added that “The ring he gave her was a family heirloom, too. He really did think it all through. It was an amazing wedding, the whole thing was really sweet and down to earth.”

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Since his relationship with Knightley began, Righton has released a few more albums. In 2014, Klaxons released their final (to this point) album with “Love Frequency”. Their most recent singles came from that album with “There is No Other Time” and “Show Me a Miracle”. Three years later, Righton would work with the band Shock Machine, releasing their lone self-titled album in 2017. The most recent album for Righton came as a solo act, calling it “The Performer” and releasing the album in 2020.

On top of his work as a musician that’s out in the forefront, Righton has also worked behind the scenes. He’s worked in theater with plays such as “The Life of Galileo” and “Benjamin” and the television series “Set Free”. Righton has done writing and backup sounds for other bands, too, including The Chemical Brothers and Arctic Monkeys.

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Righton stays busy with his home life alongside his actress wife. The two have had a pair of daughters since marrying, with their oldest being born in May of 2015 and the youngest in September of 2019. Things seem to be going well for the couple, too. “It was the greatest day ever,” Righton said about when they got married. “It was fantastic. We’re still high from it...I just fell in love with someone who happens to be amazing. We had a beautiful wedding and there was a lot of love.”

These days, Righton isn’t in a huge rush to get back into recording, enjoying life as it is. “I’m not chasing anything,” he said. “It’s a different experience to (you) when you’re young, 22 and the next big thing and you’ve only written two songs. You’re riding a wave of momentum. I’m not a nostalgic person, but when I look back and think of it, it’s with fond memories of this craziness. It was my dream...It felt like I’ve done my youth training and schooling.”