Mark Owen was born on January 27, 1972, in England, and is a renowned singer and songwriter, best known for his association with the iconic pop group Take That. As of 2019, the group has sold an impressive 14 million albums and 11.4 million singles in the UK.
In his solo career, Mark Owen has released five studio albums, including Green Man, In Your Own Time, How the Mighty Fall, The Art of Doing Nothing, and his most recent album, Land of Dreams, which debuted at number 5 on the UK Official Albums Chart in September 2022.
Growing up in a small council house in Oldham, Mark Owen was the youngest of four children to Mary and Keith Owen, with siblings Daniel and Tracey. His father, Keith, worked as a decorator and later at a police station, while his mother, Mary, was a supervisor at a local bakery.
Mark Owen's early life was marked by a lack of interest in music, and he instead pursued his passion for football, playing briefly for Chadderton F.C. and even having trials at Manchester United and Rochdale. Before joining Take That, he worked at Barclays in Failsworth.
The journey to fame began when Mark Owen, along with Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, and Robbie Williams, was selected by Nigel Martin-Smith to form the group Take That. The group was signed to RCA records and went on to achieve numerous top 40 hits, including their first number one single, "Pray," which was led by Gary Barlow's vocals.
The band's debut album, Take That & Party, was released in 1992 and reached number two on the UK Album Chart. The following year, their second album, Everything Changes, went straight to number one on the UK Albums Chart and spawned four number-one singles, as well as two other hits that peaked at number two and three, respectively.
Mark Owen sang lead vocals on several tracks, including "Babe," which was released in December 1993. The group's third album, Nobody Else, went straight to number one and was their last studio album of the '90s. The album featured three number-one singles, including "Back for Good," which peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was released six weeks earlier than planned due to overwhelming demand.
After the group's initial run, Mark Owen's vocal contributions were limited, but he remained a fan favorite, earning awards such as Smash Hit's "Most Fanciable Male in the World" and "Best Haircut" due to his boyish good looks and sweet demeanor.
