Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley (born 20 March 1972) is a Scottish musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and author. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist of Scottish rock band Franz Ferdinand. He has also been a part of the supergroups FFS and BNQT. Early life Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley was born on 20 March 1972 in Almondsbury, South Gloucestershire, the son of an English mother and Greek father. As a two-month-old he moved to Sunderland, moving to Scotland when he was 7. He attended the University of Aberdeen to study Theology. After dropping out, he continued studying at the University of Strathclyde, gaining a BA. In 2005, he was awarded Strathclyde's Alumnus of the Year. Kapranos worked as a chef, barman, music promoter, driver, welder and IT lecturer prior to his success in music. From the early 1990s, he was a fixture of the Glasgow music scene, running live nights at The 13th Note Café, most notably The Kazoo Club. While working at the city's Anniesland College, he played in some of Glasgow's popular bands, including The Blisters (later known as The Karelia), The Amphetameanies and The Yummy Fur. He is also known to have contributed to the noise act Urusei Yatsura and Lung Leg recordings. Career Performing After dropping "Huntley" from his name, Kapranos formed Franz Ferdinand in 2001. The band was composed of Kapranos, Nick McCarthy (guitar, keyboard, backup vocals), Paul Thomson (drums, backup vocals, sometimes guitar) and Bob Hardy (bass). The band saw chart success after their second single "Take Me Out" was released on 12 January 2004 and reached Number 3 in the UK Charts followed by their debut album Franz Ferdinand (released 9 February 2004), which debuted on the UK album chart at Number 3. The band went on to win the 2004 Mercury Music Prize and two Brit Awards in 2005 for Best British Group and Best British Rock Act. In 2015, the band collaborated with American band Sparks to form a supergroup named FFS. Producing Kapranos produced Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever – the third album by British indie rock group The Cribs in Vancouver, B.C., released on 14 May 2007. He also produced their single-only track "Don't You Wanna Be Relevant?", which was featured with "Our Bovine Public" (from Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever) as a double A-side. Kapranos makes a cameo appearance in the video for "Our Bovine