James Smith

Born to a taxi driver mother and a market trader father, James grew up in East London. By the age of 14, he was already a regular on the local pub and club scene, playing two sets or more every week across the East End, with his parents sneaking him into venues where he was far too young to be allowed.

James had been singing since he was very little. At nine, after seeing Elvis perform Jailhouse Rock on television, he picked up a guitar in a charity shop. He taught himself to play through YouTube videos and quickly began covering songs by Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. While his peers were listening to current pop hits, James was grooving to Girl From The North Country.

But in his early teens, the family left London to settle in Upminster, Essex.

After a difficult period at his new school, James ended up being expelled. It was at that moment that music became even more essential to him, offering a true escape. Headphones glued to his ears, he immersed himself in soul classics like Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder, later discovering Paolo Nutini, Mark Ronson, and Michael Kiwanuka.

Later, James left home and moved to West London to pursue his musical training at a performing arts school. He also built his own DIY studio at his parents' house in Upminster, where he still lives today, building an extension above the garage with his uncle.

Since then, James has accumulated over 200 million streams across all platforms worldwide, sold out venues such as Dingwalls and Omeara, and packed out his first European headline tours in Berlin, Hamburg, and Amsterdam.