Throughout his illustrious career, George Harrison drew inspiration from a wide range of individuals, including his son.
The late Beatles vocalist Dhani was born on August 1, 1978, to his then-fiance (soon-to-be wife) Olivia Harrison. Harrison, a devotee of the Hare Krishna school of Hinduism, called his son “dha,” after the sixth note, and “ni,” after the seventh note.
Despite The Beatles dissolving years before Dhani was born, his father’s solo career ensured he was exposed to music throughout his childhood. Harrison described his then-9-year-old son to PEOPLE in 1987, saying, “He’s lovely.” “He makes for enjoyable company. On the piano, he can perform “When We Was Fab.”
Over the years, Harrison composed a number of songs for Dhani, including “Unknown Delight” from 1982. “What should I write about?” he was asking himself. What topic ought to I create a song about? In a 2004 interview, Olivia talked about her spouse with NPR. “Write a song about Dhani,” I instructed. And he composed this lovely song, which was actually rather prophetic.
Dhani, who is 45 years old, is pursuing a career in music similar to Harrison’s while also trying to carry on his father’s legacy after his tragic death in November 2001.
Here’s all you need to know about George Harrison’s son, from his career as an aerodynamicist to his Grammy Award recognition.
He was born in August 1978
Dhani was raised on his father’s estate, Friar Park, after being born in Berkshire, England, on August 1, 1978. Eight years after The Beatles split up and Harrison moved to a more sedate existence on his 62-acre estate, he was born.
In the 2011 documentary George Harrison: Living in the Material World, directed by Martin Scorsese, Dhani stated, “My earliest memory of my dad is probably of him somewhere in a garden covered in dirt, somewhere hot, a tropical garden, in jeans, khakis covered in dirt, just continuously planting trees.” “I believe that for the first seven years of my life, that is what I believed he did.”
He went to military school
Dhani joined in a military school as a teenage rebel to irritate his openly pacifistic father.
In my family, attending a semi-military school entailed rebelling. In 2011, he told TIME magazine, “We completed one day of CCF [Combined Cadet Force] every week.” “Me going around in an Air Force uniform used to annoy him.”
He studied physics and industrial design
Dhani relocated to the US in 1997 in order to enroll at Brown University. He studied industrial design and physics at Brown, however he also tried his hand at music.
In 2018, he admitted to failing a music and computer course to the Brown Alumni Magazine. In addition, he became a coxswain on the school’s rowing squad.
Dhani told the Daily Mail in 2012 that he worked as an aerodynamicist for British sports car manufacturer McLaren after graduating in 2001 before deciding to pursue music.
He “freaked out” when he found out his dad was a member of The Beatles
Harrison didn’t reveal to Dhani that he was a member of The Beatles until elementary school, despite his widespread celebrity.
In the 2011 documentary on his father, Dhani stated, “I had no idea that he had anything to do with music.” One day, I couldn’t understand why I was being chased by children singing “Yellow Submarine” when I got home from school. It simply appeared bizarre.
When Dhani returned from school that day, he “freaked out” at his dad, Dhani continued. He asked, “Why didn’t you tell me you were in The Beatles?” in the moment’s documentary. “Oh, I’m sorry,” he said. probably ought to have informed you of it.
He helped his dad make music
Dhani used to frequently watch his father record sessions when he was younger. “My dad taught me how to make records at a young age and treated me like an adult. I got involved.” In a recording studio, I grew up,” he said to the Daily Mail.
Dhani began collaborating with Harrison on songs in 2001, co-writing “Horse to the Water” and providing lead guitar to accompany his father’s vocals. In 2002, over a year after his father’s passing, Dhani assisted him in creating Brainwashed, his last album.
51 years after the song’s release, in 2021, Dhani served as executive producer for Harrison’s star-studded “My Sweet Lord” music video. Along with Ringo Starr, another member of Harrison’s Beatles band, Mark Hamill, Darren Criss, and other actors, he and his mother also appeared in the video.
He’s a Grammy-winning musician
Even though he studied physics, Dhani soon discovered that, after working on Brainwashed, he wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and pursue music. In 2009, he formed the rock group thenewno2, and they published their debut album, You Are Here.
“I tried my hardest not to be a musician,” he admitted to Billboard at the time. “I guess it’s in the DNA.”
In 2010, Dhani and Ben Harper formed Fistful of Mercy, their second band. IN///PARALLEL, his debut solo album, was published in 2017.
At the 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, Dhani paid tribute to his father, who was inducted posthumously, by joining Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, and Prince in a rendition of “As My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
Dhani’s remastering of Harrison’s record All Things Must Pass for its 50th anniversary brought him his first Grammy Award in 2022.
He loves Star Wars
Dhani has made no secret of his passion for the Star Wars movies, claiming to have “grown up” with the series and to amass toys and collectibles from it.
“Jedi training” is a pretty familiar thing in my family, Dhani joked in a 2017 interview with StarWars.com, adding that his dad was also a fan of the show. “I’ve always done martial arts, and I’ve done meditation since I was a kid,” he said.
He’s been married
Dhani wed former model Sólveig Káradóttir in 2012. According to Vogue, Stella McCartney, the daughter of Beatle Paul McCartney, who accompanied Starr to the wedding, created Káradóttir’s outfit. E! Online reports that Clive Owen and Tom Hanks were among the other famous attendees.
Regular attendees of red carpet events, Dhani and Káradóttir even went to Stella’s 2013 Paris Fashion Week Ready-to-Wear show. The pair split up in 2016, according to TMZ. Dhani is currently seeing Mereki Beach, a British musician.
He says he’s similar to Stella McCartney
Stella and Dhani are close friends who encourage each other. She asked him to sing at her fall 2016 showcase in Los Angeles, and he has supported her from the front row at fashion events.
Dhani stated in a 2012 interview with the Daily Mail that both Stella and he had put a lot of effort into building successful careers for themselves apart from their well-known fathers.
He compared himself to Stella and Mary McCartney the most out of all the Beatles kids, he claimed. “I really identify with how they’ve handled their situation; to me, they’re like big sisters.”
