James TW

A British singer/songwriter known for his romantic ballads and thoughtful acoustic pop songs, James TW earned international notice and some chart success with his 2016 single "When You Love Someone." Over the next few years he continued to amass solid streaming numbers with songs like "Please Keep Loving Me" and "You and Me" from his 2019 debut album, Chapters. Heading into the next decade, TW issued a series of EPs including 2022's Heartbeat Changes.

Born James Taylor-Watts in 1997, the Warwickshire native began his career as a drummer, filling in with his father's wedding band at the age of ten. By the time he was in his early teens, he'd added guitar and piano to his résumé. He began uploading cover songs to YouTube and playing acoustic gigs in local pubs. Citing John Mayer and Ed Sheeran as influences, his soulful delivery fell into a similar pop singer/songwriter style. TW had already self-released an EP, Just a Number, in 2014 when Canadian pop star Shawn Mendes helped him land a deal with the latter's label, Island.

TW found some success right out of the gate when the heartfelt single "When You Love Someone" from his 2016 EP First Impressions charted in several countries including the U.K., U.S. and Sweden. Over the next two years, TW busied himself with a barrage of singles including a cover of Gnarls Barkley's hit "Crazy," and other standalone songs like "Ex" and "Please Keep Loving Me." While his 2019 full-length debut, Chapters, didn't make much of an impact back home, it charted in other parts of Europe and was particularly well received in Scandinavia.

TW returned in 2021 with a series of EPs: Romance, Crazy Love, and Stronger Together all appeared in the first months of the year. The percussive "Butterflies" found some streaming success later that year and appeared on his 2022 EP Heartbeat Changes. ~ Timothy Monger, Rovi