Paul Heaton at OVO Hydro, Glasgow, 30 October 2026

He was the lead singer and main lyricist of the Housemartins, whose 1986 single "Caravan of Love" reached UK number one. Heaton then formed the Beautiful South with the Housemartins' drummer, Dave Hemingway. Their debut single was "Song for Whoever", and their debut album, Welcome to the Beautiful South, came out in 1989.

The band's 1990 single "A Little Time" reached number 1 on the UK chart, and the group split in 2007. In 2014 Heaton released What Have We Become?, a collaboration with former Beautiful South vocalist Jacqui Abbott. He has since recorded four more albums with her, the most recent being N.K-Pop in 2022.