# Eliot Sumner
**Eliot Sumner** (born 1990 in Pisa, Italy) is an English singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actor who first performed as Coco, the frontperson of the band I Blame Coco, before releasing music under their birth name from 2014 onward. Sumner is the child of the musician Sting (Gordon Sumner) and the film producer [Trudie Styler](https://www.edgepedia.org/trudie-styler), and their work spans electro-pop, synth-rock, and darker new wave and Krautrock-influenced material.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eliot-sumner-mn0001521862/biography) • [2](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/eliot-sumner-16-faces-of-2016)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1990 in Pisa, Tuscany, Italy; grew up in Wiltshire, England[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eliot-sumner-mn0001521862/biography) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/oct/07/coco-sumner-sting-the-constant) |
| Parents | Sting and Trudie Styler; named after the poet T.S. Eliot, with the childhood nickname Coco[2](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/eliot-sumner-16-faces-of-2016) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/oct/07/coco-sumner-sting-the-constant) |
| First band | I Blame Coco, formed in the late 2000s; debut album *The Constant* released on Island Records in 2010[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eliot-sumner-mn0001521862/biography) • [4](https://www.ladygunn.com/music/eternal-sumner-catching-up-with-eliot-sumner/) |
| Solo debut | *Information*, released January 22, 2016 on Cherrytree/Interscope (AllMusic lists January 29, 2016), produced by Duncan Mills[2](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/eliot-sumner-16-faces-of-2016) • [5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/information-mw0002896807) |
| Label history | Signed at 17 by Darcus Beese of Island Records, without a demo[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/oct/07/coco-sumner-sting-the-constant) • [6](https://www.musicconnection.com/signing-story-eliot-sumner/) |
| Acting | Recurring role in Showtime's *Ripley*; role as Laura Pressfield in a Guy Ritchie film; cast in the Amazon MGM romantic comedy *Hello & Paris*[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1091393/news/) |
| Identity | Has said they do not identify with any specific gender[8](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/i-don-t-identify-as-any-specific-gender-but-i-m-very-happy-the-way-i-am-a3128886.html) |
## Early life
Sumner was born in Pisa in 1990, while their father's band [The Police](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-police) was already over, and grew up in a small village in [Wiltshire](https://www.edgepedia.org/wiltshire), England, largely removed from the publicity of Sting's career.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eliot-sumner-mn0001521862/biography) • [9](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/30934241465) The birth name Eliot Pauline (or Eliot Paulina, in French and German label biographies) honors the poet T.S. Eliot, and the nickname Coco was given in infancy.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/oct/07/coco-sumner-sting-the-constant) • [9](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/30934241465) Sumner started playing guitar at age four, and at about ten received five formative CDs for a birthday, including [Pink Floyd](https://www.edgepedia.org/pink-floyd)'s *The Dark Side of the Moon*, the Sex Pistols, Prodigy, and Jimi Hendrix.[2](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/eliot-sumner-16-faces-of-2016) Between the ages of about 11 and 13, Sumner trained with a French stunt group, performing vaulting and Roman riding on horses.[2](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/eliot-sumner-16-faces-of-2016)
In May 2009, at a Los Angeles restaurant, Sumner blacked out and fractured their skull; the accident cost them their sense of smell, and Sumner has said they woke up "a different person."[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/oct/07/coco-sumner-sting-the-constant) • [2](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/eliot-sumner-16-faces-of-2016)
## I Blame Coco
At 16 Sumner formed a first band, Coco and the Ladyboys, playing unusual London venues such as barber's shops. Record-label interest followed quickly: Darcus Beese of Island Records, who had signed the [Sugababes](https://www.edgepedia.org/sugababes) and [Amy Winehouse](https://www.edgepedia.org/amy-winehouse), attended a gig and signed Sumner at 17, though the contract was dated a year later.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/oct/07/coco-sumner-sting-the-constant) Sumner then traveled to Stockholm, met the producer Klas Ahlund at a [Gnarls Barkley](https://www.edgepedia.org/gnarls-barkley) show, and recorded with the Swedish singer Robyn, a favorite artist.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/oct/07/coco-sumner-sting-the-constant)
**I Blame Coco debuted in 2010.** The band, which blended pop, electronic, punk, reggae, and ska elements, began releasing songs in early 2010, including a duet with Robyn, and issued its only album, *The Constant*, on Island in late 2010.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eliot-sumner-mn0001521862/biography) Two well-received singles were "Caesar (feat. Robyn)" and "Selfmachine."[4](https://www.ladygunn.com/music/eternal-sumner-catching-up-with-eliot-sumner/) Critics noted the resemblance of Sumner's smoky, androgynous alto to their father's voice, and the album's glossy synthpop often drew comparison to The Police.[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/oct/07/coco-sumner-sting-the-constant) • [10](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-constant-mw0002021734) Sumner later described the period as pressured and commercial: "I was forced into this pop world I knew nothing about," and said they had "systematically sabotaged" their own career to regain control of the music.[11](https://www.gq.com/story/eliot-sumner-information-interview) • [12](https://www.musikexpress.de/sumner-of-sixty-nine-modestrecke-und-interview-mit-me-style-coverstar-eliot-sumner-559381/)
During this period Sumner also modeled for Burberry and had a bit part in the film *Stardust*, in which their character was killed by [Michelle Pfeiffer](https://www.edgepedia.org/michelle-pfeiffer).[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/oct/07/coco-sumner-sting-the-constant)
## Hiatus and *Information*
After touring *The Constant*, Sumner withdrew from music and fashion and moved to a remote cottage in England's Lake District for about two years, writing songs daily and drawing inspiration from [William Wordsworth](https://www.edgepedia.org/william-wordsworth) and [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://www.edgepedia.org/samuel-taylor-coleridge).[2](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/eliot-sumner-16-faces-of-2016) The songs written there were slow, around 90 BPM, and, in Sumner's words, too depressing to release; the album that became *Information* was mostly written after returning to London.[4](https://www.ladygunn.com/music/eternal-sumner-catching-up-with-eliot-sumner/) • [11](https://www.gq.com/story/eliot-sumner-information-interview) During the hiatus Sumner also worked with the composer [Clint Mansell](https://www.edgepedia.org/clint-mansell) on a cover of Radiohead's "Creep" for the 2013 film *Filth*, a collaboration Sumner accepted nervously because Radiohead is their favorite band.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eliot-sumner-mn0001521862/biography) • [2](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/eliot-sumner-16-faces-of-2016)
On returning, Sumner announced that future music would appear under their birth name rather than the Coco moniker. Three new songs appeared on the *Information* EP in August 2014, followed by a large European tour supporting [Lykke Li](https://www.edgepedia.org/lykke-li), and two further EPs in late 2015, *Information* and *Early Reflections SMPLR*.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eliot-sumner-mn0001521862/biography) • [13](https://www.universal-music.de/eliot-sumner/biografie) • [4](https://www.ladygunn.com/music/eternal-sumner-catching-up-with-eliot-sumner/)
The full-length *Information* was released on January 22, 2016 via Cherrytree/Interscope; AllMusic's album page gives the release date as January 29, 2016.[2](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/eliot-sumner-16-faces-of-2016) • [5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/information-mw0002896807) Produced by Duncan Mills, known for work with [The Vaccines](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-vaccines), Spector, and Crocodiles, the album runs about 49 minutes and includes "Dead Arms & Dead Legs," the seven-minute title track, "Halfway to Hell," "Firewood," and the closer "Species."[2](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/eliot-sumner-16-faces-of-2016) • [5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/information-mw0002896807) • [14](https://www.plattentests.de/rezi.php?show=12858) Sumner and guitarist Nick Benton cited [Krautrock](https://www.edgepedia.org/krautrock), the German psychedelic scene, and industrial drone music as influences, layered over pop song structures.[15](https://www.theaureview.com/music/sxsw-music-interview-eliot-sumner-uk-on-bringing-information-into-2016/) Reviewers heard the record as darker and more intense than *The Constant*, with AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung describing it as the sound of "a young, Krautrock-loving artist finding an identity," while noting that Sumner's full-bodied, smoky voice remains strikingly similar to Sting's.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/information-mw0002896807)
Thematically, the album is preoccupied with identity and the future. "Species," Sumner has said, is a Prometheus-inspired song about a new human species with no gender assignment, and the title track is a "break-up song" about miscommunication.[11](https://www.gq.com/story/eliot-sumner-information-interview) Sumner has also said they do not identify with any specific gender, a theme reflected in the record's lyrics.[8](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/i-don-t-identify-as-any-specific-gender-but-i-m-very-happy-the-way-i-am-a3128886.html) • [16](https://cgm.pl/recenzje/eliot-sumner-information/)
## Acting and later work
Sumner has continued to act alongside music. They appeared in the [James Bond](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-bond) film *No Time to Die*, were cast in a recurring role opposite Andrew Scott and Johnny Flynn in *Ripley*, Showtime's Steven Zaillian series based on Patricia Highsmith's Tom Ripley novels, played Laura Pressfield in a Guy Ritchie film alongside Henry Golding and Jeremy Strong, and joined the cast of the Amazon MGM romantic comedy *Hello & Paris*, loosely inspired by Deborah McKinlay's 2014 novel *That Part Was True*.[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1091393/news/) Later releases include the album *In Spirit Golden*, discussed in a track-by-track video on Sumner's Universal Music page.[17](https://www.universal-music.de/eliot-sumner/videos)
## References
1. [Eliot Sumner — Biography, AllMusic (Heather Phares)](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/eliot-sumner-mn0001521862/biography)
2. [The Self-Aware Solo Artist, Interview Magazine (Emily McDermott, December 15, 2015)](https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/eliot-sumner-16-faces-of-2016)
3. [Coco Sumner: 'I'd die for music', The Guardian (Jude Rogers, October 2010)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/oct/07/coco-sumner-sting-the-constant)
4. [Eternal Sumner: Catching up with Eliot Sumner, LADYGUNN (Jay Loyola, January 20, 2016)](https://www.ladygunn.com/music/eternal-sumner-catching-up-with-eliot-sumner/)
5. [Information — Eliot Sumner, Tracks & Reviews, AllMusic (Neil Z. Yeung)](https://www.allmusic.com/album/information-mw0002896807)
6. [Signing Story: Eliot Sumner, Music Connection Magazine](https://www.musicconnection.com/signing-story-eliot-sumner/)
7. [Eliot Sumner — News, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1091393/news/)
8. [Move over Coco: Sting's daughter Eliot Sumner opens up, London Evening Standard](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/i-don-t-identify-as-any-specific-gender-but-i-m-very-happy-the-way-i-am-a3128886.html)
9. [Eliot Sumner, Universal Music France](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/30934241465)
10. [The Constant — I Blame Coco, Tracks & Reviews, AllMusic (Heather Phares)](https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-constant-mw0002021734)
11. [We're Pretty Sure Sting's Kid Eliot Sumner Is From the Future, GQ (Maggie Lange, February 12, 2016)](https://www.gq.com/story/eliot-sumner-information-interview)
12. [Sumner of Sixty Nine, Musikexpress (May 30, 2016)](https://www.musikexpress.de/sumner-of-sixty-nine-modestrecke-und-interview-mit-me-style-coverstar-eliot-sumner-559381/)
13. [Eliot Sumner | Biografie, Universal Music Germany](https://www.universal-music.de/eliot-sumner/biografie)
14. [Eliot Sumner — Information, Plattentests.de review (Maximilian Ginter)](https://www.plattentests.de/rezi.php?show=12858)
15. [SXSW Music Interview: Eliot Sumner (UK), The AU Review (Sosefina Fuamoli, March 17, 2016)](https://www.theaureview.com/music/sxsw-music-interview-eliot-sumner-uk-on-bringing-information-into-2016/)
16. [Eliot Sumner — "Information", CGM.pl review](https://cgm.pl/recenzje/eliot-sumner-information/)
17. [Eliot Sumner | Videos](https://www.universal-music.de/eliot-sumner/videos)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › Indie and alternative pop, 2010s to present › Indie rock and alternative pop artists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license