Biography
Read Ainslie's biography during the time of Keep Me A Secret
The dichotomy of being an anti-popstar appearing on the BBC's much-criticised reality pop show, Fame Academy, wasn't lost on Ainslie Henderson, the 26 year old from Denholm in the Scottish Borders.
Along with Marli Buck, Ainslie had brought a breath of fresh air to the reality pop genre dominated by undoubtedly talented singers and instrumentalists unfortunately lacking in individuality - or in cases in which it existed, the individuality being stifled by the marketing machine.
Instead of the usual faux-indie peddled by the rest of the guitar-playing, piano-tinkling contestants, Ainslie brought fresh melodies, well-crafted songs and catchy hooks. He seemed destined to entertain a wider pop audience with his quirky and at times saucy performances for years to come.
Alas this wasn't to be. Despite collaborations with Mark Hunter and Saul Davies of 90s band James and the success of his debut single Keep Me A Secret that drew comparisons with Robert Smith of The Cure, Ainslie became plagued with self-doubt.
Of Break Me, a track on his unreleased album, Ainslie mused that it was about "self loathing, feeling like a wanker from a TV show". He found the "notion of celebrity pathetic and ridiculous. There once was a time when people had to be incredibly talented, and have achieved something, in order to be famous. Whereas now, people win fame from the back of a cornflakes packet."
Whether Ainslie's self-doubt was the primary reason for his solo album not receiving a release on Mercury Records isn't known, although it almost certainly didn't help. A conflict in artistic vision certainly existed; Ainslie wanted to create songs about minor celebrities taking cocaine in China White and then appearing on daytime TV, whereas the record company wanted an album of more disposable songs like Keep Me A Secret. The conflict resulted in the album being pushed further and further back until Ainslie was finally swept away with dozens of other artists in probably the biggest cull of acts from Mercury's roster the label has ever seen.
As Fame Academy became more and more of a distant memory in the public consciousness, so did Ainslie's ability to court the big players in the music industry. Ainslie distanced himself from Fame Academy/Keep Me A Secret by changing his image and declining press interviews. His attempts to land a publishing deal also failed.
The fan base Ainslie had attracted through Fame Academy was understandably disappointed not to have any new releases. Many discovered the back catalogue of Suburbia, the band Ainslie led prior to Fame Academy. A brief reformation of the band for a performance in Kelso ignited rumour and hope that Ainslie would work with Suburbia again, but this was not to be the case.
His passion for music remained unabated. He continued to write, collaborating with various artists including Jason Mraz, the mega-selling US-based singer/songwriter. Clearly missing performing, Ainslie joined The Last September, a band started by ex-Suburbia band mate Pete Deane, thus starting a new chapter in the tumultuous story of Ainslie's musical career.
