Biography

Terry's debut novel, Becoming Nancy, was published by Transworld in 2012. Described by The Independent as "a deliciously camp rites of passage novel", the book was shortlisted for The Polari First Book Prize. In 2013, Terry sold rights to the book to Tony-winning Broadway director Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots, Hairspray) who turned Becoming Nancy into a major new musical which had its world premiere at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in 2019. Terry has since joined the creative team, writing new songs for the show with Elliot Davis and George Stiles, ready for its 2024 UK premiere.

 A South London boy, Terry began his career in 1990 when he was signed to MCA records with a top ten single around Europe, Calm the Rage, and an acclaimed album, Roma, recorded in New York. His 1991 #1 club hit, What The Child Needs became a soul classic. As a songwriter and producer, he’s scored hits for Dannii Minogue, Geri Halliwell, Kim Wilde, Sheena Easton and S-Club Juniors. Other production credits include Kylie Minogue, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Girls Aloud, Bananarama, and Atomic Kitten.

As a vocal arranger and coach, Terry has worked on The Voice, The X Factor, Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway, The Voice Kids,  All Together Now, Let's Sing & Dance For Comic Relief, The Brits, Children In Need, Eurovision,  and numerous other TV music events. He's also worked with artists as diverse as Pharell Williams, Jax Jones, Kylie Minogue, Bimini, The Wanted, Girls Aloud, St  Etienne, Neon Jungle, Westlife, All Saints, The Saturdays and Cheryl Cole. He appeared as a special guest judge alongside Dannii Minogue on the Judges’ Houses section of The X Factor in 2007.

In 2007, Terry wrote and produced musical numbers and original songs for stars such as Elaine Paige and Olivia Coleman for the BBC TV series, Beautiful People, alongside Ian Masterson. He was the vocal arranger on the 2007 West End revival of Jonathan Larson’s Rent at The Duke Of York’s Theatre, starring Denise Van Outen and Luke Evans. And along with William Baker , Steve Anderson and Miss Polly Rae created The Hurly Burly Show, which enjoyed three West End runs plus tours in South Africa and Australia.

In October 2012 Terry was book writer and vocal arranger on Orchid, a musical, circus extravaganza that played for four months in Miami. He was also both book writer and vocal arranger on Viva La Drag, the fictional, musical tale of an all-male ‘girl group’, which toured major UK theatres between 2013-15.

Terry’s first play, Some Girl I Used To Know, a bittersweet one-woman play with music starring Denise Van Outen, completed a successful UK tour followed by a West End run at The Arts Theatre in 2014. In 2021, the show re-emerged as a filmed-as-live performance for streaming, directed by Tamsin Outhwaite.

Terry has collaborated on fourteen best-selling celebrity memoirs and co-authored YouTuber Oli White's debut YA novel, Generation Next and the #1 Sunday Times Bestseller sequel, The Takeover. His most recent collaborations are with Bananarama, Paddy McGuinness and Girls Aloud singer Sarah Harding, whose memoir made the Times bestseller list in its first week of release.

He's currently working the Becoming Nancy musical, a second novel, and a brand new musical ‘The Most Beautiful Man In New York’, with Ian Masterson and Steve Anderson.