Grant is also known for his collaborations with varied musicians such as Budgie, CMAT, Elbow, Elton John, Goldfrapp, GusGus, Hercules and Love Affair, Kylie Minogue, Midlake, Robbie Williams, Sinéad O'Connor, Tracey Thorn and Linda Thompson.

[2] He moved to Germany in 1988 to continue his study of languages,[4] and began listening to artists such as Siouxsie and the Banshees, Ministry, Scritti Politti, Skinny Puppy, and the Cocteau Twins.

[5] Although he was pained for a long time by the fact that his mother called him a "disappointment" on her deathbed and then died soon after, he later came to terms with the experience and said it reminded him of something he would see in his favorite British dark comedy shows.

[7][8] With Grant as its lead singer, pianist, keyboardist, and primary songwriter, the band enjoyed critical success and released six studio albums, but commercial recognition proved elusive.

[9] Grant then took a four-year hiatus, which he spent working in New York City as a waiter at the Gramercy Tavern, a medical interpreter for Russian patients in a hospital, a record store clerk, and a flight attendant.

[10] During his hiatus in New York City, Grant had a chance encounter with members of the Texas-based folk rock group Midlake, who eventually persuaded him to return to music.

[19] He also received a nomination for Best International Male Solo Artist at the Brit Awards in 2014,[20] Later that year, Grant put his linguistic skills to effect by translating Ásgeir Trausti's album Dýrð í dauðaþögn.

[22] That night, he duetted with English singer Alison Goldfrapp on the Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood song "Some Velvet Morning" at the Royal Albert Hall.

Accompanied on stage by a band including several backing singers and guest drummer Budgie,[28] he delivered a show at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, receiving a five-star review in the national press.

Also guesting were Cate Le Bon, who duetted on "Torn Between Two Lovers" (a song made famous by Mary MacGregor) and Kylie Minogue in a performance of "Glacier".

[34] In 2017, Grant appeared at the Hay Literary Festival in conversation with Cosey Fanni Tutti to discuss her autobiography Art Sex Music, which had been named Book of the Year by Sunday Times, Telegraph, and Rough Trade Records.

Highlights of the festival included performances from Susanne Sundfør, GusGus, Tonik Ensemble, Nils Bech, Adelle Stripe, Wrangler, and Grant, who also gave a two-hour Q&A session.

[37] In July 2017, Grant returned to the Royal Albert Hall to contribute to a fundraising event on behalf of Stonewall, for a conversation with Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins; the evening marked the 50th anniversary of the Sexual Offences Act 1967.

[42] In 2018, Grant formed a side project called Creep Show, described as an "experimental pop" and "surreal funk" collaboration with Wrangler members Stephen Mallinder, Phil Winter, and Benge.

[45] In a 5/5 star review, The Independent described the record as "sardonic wit and heart-stopping drops of sheer honesty",[46] and NME hailed it as an album of "arch brilliance that also makes room for quiet introspection".

[52] In 2022, Grant recorded a cover of the folk song "God's Gonna Cut You Down" to be used as the opening theme for the BBC One thriller series Inside Man.

[53] In October 2024 Grant released a single "Stay Down, Lazarus", with Big Special, a punk duo from the Black Country, ahead of their UK and European Tour together.

[1][56] He is a noted polyglot; in addition to his native English, he is fluent in German, Icelandic, Russian, and Spanish, and can hold basic conversations in French and Swedish.

[58] He lived in New York City during his hiatus from music between 2006 and 2010, working as a waiter at the Gramercy Tavern,[1] a medical interpreter for Russian patients in a hospital,[2] a record store clerk, and a flight attendant.

[60] While on tour in 2011, Grant lost his passport and was not allowed to board a flight from London to Verona; after remembering that the day's edition of The Times newspaper featured his image and details of an interview on the front page, he used a copy of the newspaper as a form of ID and obtained an emergency passport from London's American embassy, which allowed him to board a later flight.