Hugo (musician)

Hugo
Hugo at VERY TV in November 2014
Background information
Birth name	Hugo Chula Alexander Levy
Born	(1981-08-06) August 6, 1981 (age 35) London, England
Genres	Country, blues rock, bluegrass
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Roc Nation

Hugo Chakrabongse Levy (born 6 August 1981), known under the mononym Hugo or Thai name Chulachak Chakrabongse (Thai: จุลจักร จักรพงษ์; rtgs: Chunlachak Chakkraphong) son of Narisa Chakrabongse and his British father, is a singer-songwriter. Based in New York City and signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation label, his musical style has been dubbed by Roc Nation as "gangsta-rock". He is best known for his bluegrass re-working of Jay-Z's "99 Problems". His debut album, Old Tyme Religion, was released on May 10, 2011. He can trace direct royal heritage back from his maternal great-grandfather, Prince Chakrabongse Bhuvanath, a son of King Rama V of Thailand, and is a second cousin, twice removed of the current King of Thailand, King Maha Vajiralongkorn.

Hugo was born in England to M.R. Narisa Chakrabongse, raised in Thailand near the Chao Praya River, and now resides in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of New York City. He is the grandson of Prince Chula Chakrabongse, the great-grandson of Chakrabongse Bhuvanath, and the great-great-grandson of King Rama V of Siam.

As a teenager, he released four studio albums with the band Siplor, which had several of its records banned on the radio. After moving to London, he became highly influenced by blues musicians such as Howling Wolf, Son House, Robert Johnson and Skip James as well as more modern musicians and bands such as Guns N' Roses, Nirvana, Dr. Dre, Jeff Buckley, MGMT, Tame Impala, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Devendra Banhart, The Big Pink and Jack White. He achieved recognition when his song "Disappear" was featured on Beyoncé's album I Am... Sasha Fierce, beginning a series of collaborations that led to a record deal with Jay-Z's Roc Nation label in 2010.