Har Mar Superstar

Sean Matthew Tillmann (born February 6, 1978), better known by his stage names of Har Mar Superstar and Sean Na Na, is an American singer.

Life and career

Known in his home country's independent music community for being a genre-hopping singer-songwriter (other projects include Calvin Krime & Sean Na Na), Sean Tillmann found fame in the UK indie rock/dance scene recording and performing as R&B alter ego Har Mar Superstar. Har Mar Superstar is a character who bears several physical and behavioral similarities to porn star Ron Jeremy; he is chubby (though he has slimmed down considerably as his stage shows and frequent touring have become more physically demanding), he often performs his shows nearly nude, and appears obsessed with his own sexual prowess. His musical genre is R&B, pop music.

He originally claimed to be Sean Tillman's twin brother, Harold Martin Tillman, from which he claimed his name originated. The name actually comes from a shopping center in Roseville, Minnesota called the Har Mar Mall.

Sean Tillman was born in Marshall, Minnesota on February 6th, 1978. In 1987, his family moved to Owatonna, Minnesota. He graduated from the Perpich Center for Arts Education in Golden Valley, Minnesota. His family is still based in Owatonna, Minnesota, where his mother and father work as educators.

After playing in a number of garage bands throughout high school, Sean moved to Saint Paul, Minnesota, and joined three-piece noise band Calvin Krime as bassist and lead vocalist. Over the span of three-and-a-half years, they recorded two albums and an EP and regularly toured the country. When Calvin Krime disbanded in 1998, Sean explored his softer pop side in Sean Na Na, but, while the music was often pretty and upbeat, the lyrics were often unexpectedly dark. Tellingly, Sean Na Na performances often ended with dead-on renditions of popular Reflecting on what led to the creation of the Har Mar Superstar character, Sean said, "I kinda always thought that (I was going to do R&B), I just had to figure out how to do it. ... I just had to figure out how to make beats and write songs in that style." In 2000, Sean enlisted the help of several Saint Paul musician friends and the result was the self-titled album that appeared on Kill Rock Stars in 2001.

If the music during this initial phase could be characterized as often tongue-in-cheek hip-hop, it was the sweaty, profane, and naked live shows that inspired the curious to see what others were talking about. Soon, Sean was touring all over the United States as Har Mar Superstar. Initially, he appeared onstage in a choir robe and was accompanied solely by prerecorded beats emanating from his MiniDisc player. After his follow-up album, You Can Feel Me, elevated Har Mar's popularity in the United States and put him on the map in the United Kingdom, the stage outfits became more theatrical and several live shows featured female dancers. By the time the third album -- The Handler -- was released in 2004, Har Mar Superstar regularly toured with a drummer and a bassist to fortify the prerecorded material. Shows have ranged from club dates to festival engagements (Reading and Leeds Festivals).

In addition to his own headlining tours, Har Mar has opened for The Strokes, Incubus, and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. In 2007 Har Mar Superstar supported the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their tour of Australia and New Zealand. Fabrizio Moretti (The Strokes) and Tony Bevilacqua (ex-Distillers) have served as Har Mar's rhythm section, playing drums and bass guitar respectively. Har Mar supported Sia Furler on her 2008 tour with Denver Dalley on bass and Nick Slack on drums. Other bassists have included Jenni Tarma, Jeff Quinn, and John Fields, while Bert Thomas, Jeff Brown & Michael Bland have manned the drum stool.

As well as being a solo artist, Har Mar Superstar is a songwriter. He has written songs for artists including The Cheetah Girls, Jennifer Lopez, Kelly Osbourne, and Ben Adams. While "Tall Boy" was rejected by Britney Spears's management, Har Mar decided to record the song for his own album, Dark Touches.

Over the years, Har Mar has performed on several television shows, including The Sharon Osbourne Show and Jimmy Kimmel Live! in the United States. In the United Kingdom, he has appeared on Channel 4 music programme Born Sloppy and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross. In 2003, he was a guest on Never Mind the Buzzcocks.

Har Mar has been spokesperson for Vladivar Vodka, who produced a series of television commercials that gained an underground cult appreciation for their blatantly sexual content. Har Mar has also been a spokesperson for Lynx brand deodorant in the UK. He has been involved in the promotion of the new scent, 'click'. He was chosen since his image fits very well with the 'Lynx effect' marketing campaign which have portrayed the deodorant as being a major factor in attracting potential partners. Advertisements for Lynx bear vague sexual innuendo; some advertisements directly state that using the product will assist the consumer in seducing women.

He made a cameo in the 2004 movie Starsky and Hutch as 'Dancin' Rick', a disco dance champion who faces off in a contest with Ben Stiller's character.

In 2008, Har Mar Superstar was part of the touring live set-up of Neon Neon: the band created by Super Furry Animals' Gruff Rhys and producer/solo artist Boom Bip. Har Mar sings plus plays percussion during live shows and features on the recorded version and video of "Trick for Treat": a song on the band's debut album, Stainless Style, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize in 2008. Har Mar also performed backing vocals and appeared in the video for "Catch My Disease" by Ben Lee.

Har Mar's fourth studio album, Dark Touches, will be released on October 12, 2009, in the U.K. and on October 13, 2009, in the U.S. He will also appear in Whip It!, a film by Drew Barrymore.

Discography

Discography (Har Mar Superstar)