Tyler James (English musician)

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Tyler James
Birth nameKenneth Gordon
Born (1982-01-05) 5 January 1982 (age 42)
London, England
Genres
Years active
  • 2001–2005
  • 2012–present
Labels

Kenneth Gordon (born 5 January 1982),[1] better known by his stage name Tyler James, is an English singer and songwriter signed to Island Records.[2]

James's debut single, "

UK Singles Chart in 2004, peaking at number 25.[3] His debut studio album, The Unlikely Lad, was released digitally through Island Records on 29 August 2005.[4]

In 2012 James appeared as a contestant on the first series of The Voice UK, making it through to the live final of the show, eventually finishing as the joint runner-up behind series winner Leanne Mitchell.[5] Following his success on The Voice UK, James released his second album, A Place I Go, which peaked at number 47 on the UK Albums Chart.[6]

Music career

2001–2005: The Unlikely Lad

After guesting house on the underground

pubs and clubs; evolving his sound and performance, James had garnered enough reputation to be hailed as "The British answer to Justin Timberlake" by The Face magazine, whilst NME hailed him as "one to watch".[citation needed
]

Tyler James was signed to

UK Singles Chart at No. 25.[7] In early 2004, James toured the UK with best friend Amy Winehouse.[8]

In early 2005, James toured with

hit for White Town in, James covered "Your Woman". "Your Woman" reached No. 60, whilst his album The Unlikely Lad was released as a digital download in August 2005. The album includes three songs co-written with Amy Winehouse
, who also features on the track "Best for Me".

In August 2005, James was supposed to perform at the V Festival, but cancelled due to 'unforeseeable circumstances'.[10] Later that year he toured with McFly,[11] but due to the disappointing chart performance of "Your Woman", James was dropped by Island Records and his debut album was only released digitally at the time. The album was later released on CD on 2 July 2012, following his success on The Voice.[12] The album later peaked at number 34 on the UK Album Downloads Chart in June 2012.[13]

2012–: The Voice UK, A Place I Go and My Amy: The Life We Shared

Main article:
The Voice UK (series 1)

In 2012, James auditioned for

Usher) with will.i.am and "Higher Love" (James Vincent McMorrow) for a second time.[21] Alongside singer Bo Bruce, James was announced as the series' runner-up behind Leanne Mitchell.[5]

Performances

Performed Song Original Artist Result
Blind Audition "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" Otis Redding Default Team Will
Battle Rounds "Yeah 3x" (against Heshima Thompson) Chris Brown Winner
Week 1 "Higher Love" Steve Winwood Safe
Week 3 "Sign Your Name" Terence Trent D'Arby Safe
Semi-final "Bohemian Rhapsody" Queen Safe
Final "I'll Be There" The Jackson 5 3rd Place
"OMG" (with will.i.am) Usher & will.i.am
"Higher Love" Steve Winwood

On Monday 10 December 2012 Tyler achieved a lifelong ambition by featuring on the Ken Bruce show on Radio 2. The segment of the show is "Tracks of My Years" where the guest is usually a legend of the popular music world and they choose two tracks each day of the show that have huge meaning to themselves.

It was confirmed in July 2012 that James had signed a new joint record deal with

Fraser T Smith and Guy Chambers who wrote and produced "Single Tear".[22] The album charted at number 47 on the UK Albums Chart.[6]

In 2015, James starred in the documentary film, Amy that was released in theatres on 3 July about his late friend Amy Winehouse. In 2021, he published My Amy: The Life We Shared , a memoir of his relationship with Winehouse.[23]

Personal life

James grew up in the Canning Town area of London and moved to Camden Town with Amy Winehouse in his late teens where they lived together until her death. James met Winehouse at the age of 13 when they both trained at the Sylvia Young Theatre School.

Discography

Main article: Tyler James discography

Studio albums

Filmography

Bibliography

  • My Amy: The Life We Shared (2021)

References

  1. ^ "Tyler James – Celebrity News – Digital Spy". Digital Spy. Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  2. ^ a b "The Voice star, Tyler James, signs new record deal". BBC. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  3. ^ "The Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  4. ^ "Tyler James – The Unlikely Lad (UK Edition) – Digital Download". iTunes. Retrieved 15 June 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Leanne Mitchell wins The Voice UK". Digital Spy. 2 June 2012.
  6. ^ a b "TYLER JAMES | Artist". Official Charts. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
  7. ^
    ISBN 1-904994-10-5
    .
  8. ^ "Tyler James Interview". BBC. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  9. ^ "Tyler James touring with Natasha Bedingfield". Popdirt. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  10. ^ "Tyler James cancels V Festival". Virtual Festivals. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
  11. ^ Langdon, Nicole (11 August 2005). "McFly go wild at The Kent Music Festival 2005". BBC. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  12. ^ "Amy Winehouse's pop star friend Tyler James auditions for The Voice". Metro. 24 January 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
  13. ^ "Tyler James > UK Charts". 21 April 2024. Retrieved 21 April 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ "The Voice UK, Blind Auditions: Week 3". imediamonkey. 7 April 2012. Archived from the original on 21 April 2012.
  15. ^ "Tyler James emerges victorious in The Voice UK battle rounds". tellymix. 21 April 2012.
  16. ^ "The Voice UK live show song choices revealed". Digital Spy. 27 April 2012.
  17. ^ "Sam Buttery and Sophie Griffin first to leave competition". Digital Spy. 29 April 2012.
  18. ^ "Jessie J propositions Tyler James after 'Sign Your Name' performance". unrealitytv. 12 May 2012. Archived from the original on 17 May 2012.
  19. ^ "The Voice UK results: Jaz Ellington and Tyler James through to the semi-final". huffingtonpost. 13 May 2012.
  20. ^ "Leanne, Tyler, Bo and Vince make The Voice UK final". BBC. 28 May 2012.
  21. ^ "The Voice UK – Final songlist revealed". Digital Spy. 2 June 2012.
  22. ^ a b "Tyler James talks new single and album". Digital Spy. 22 August 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  23. ^ Carpenter, Louise. "My life with Amy Winehouse, by her best friend Tyler James".
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