Jamie xx
James Thomas Smith[1] (born 28 October 1988), known professionally as Jamie xx, is an English musician, DJ, record producer, and remixer. He is known for both his solo work and as a member of the English indie pop band the xx.
Jamie xx | |
|---|---|
 Jamie xx in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Thomas Smith |
| Born | 28 October 1988 |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Instrument(s) |
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| Years active | 2007–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | jamiexx |
He has been described as a "driving force" behind the xx,[2] contributing to the group's significant commercial and critical success. As a solo artist, he has been recognised with a 2015 Mercury Prize nomination, and a 2016 Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album nomination for In Colour.[3]
Career
2005–2009
Smith's musical career began in 2005 when he joined the xx accompanying old schoolmates Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, and Baria Qureshi of the Elliott School in London, notable for alumni including Hot Chip, Burial, and Four Tet.[4] He first used the stage name Jamie xx in July 2009 in a promotional mix for the band's debut album xx released on the FACT magazine mix series.[5] The mixtape was compiled by Jamie Smith and featured, amongst others, four tracks credited to Jamie xx – one self-production and three remixes. The xx album went on to become platinum in the UK.[6] Afterward, Jamie Smith went on to do more remix work for artists like Florence + The Machine, Adele, Jack Peñate and Glasser.[7]
2010–present
In late 2010, a Jamie xx remix of the song "NY Is Killing Me" from Gil Scott-Heron's last album I'm New Here aired on radio stations across the UK and Europe. The remix of "I'll Take Care of U" followed in January 2011. Both singles drew the attention of the general public and the critics. They set the way for a 13-track remix album entitled We're New Here, produced entirely by Jamie xx and credited to "Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx". The album was released on 21 February 2011 on the XL Recordings label, but a full-album preview could be streamed on the website of The Guardian as early as 14 February.[8] We're New Here received critical acclaim and was named "a cohesive, considered masterpiece in its own right" by BBC's Ele Beattie.[9]
On 6 June 2011 the two-track self-produced single "Far Nearer / Beat For" was released. The song "Far Nearer" was selected Best New Track by Pitchfork,[10] and the double A-side single charted at number 128 on the UK Singles Chart.[11] Later the same year, Smith produced the title track off Drake's second album, Take Care, which features Rihanna. In addition, Smith helped create several reworks for Radiohead's song "Bloom" which were released on a remix album entitled TKOL RMX 1234567. He also co-produced the song "When It's All Over" with Alicia Keys on her Girl on Fire album. In 2014, he announced an upcoming collaboration with John Talabot on Tim Sweeney's Beats in Space online radio show. In 2014 he released the singles "Girl/Sleep Sound" and "All Under One Roof Raving".
On 27 March 2015 he released two singles. "Loud Places", featuring the xx's Romy Madley Croft, and "Gosh". On the same day he also announced that his debut album, In Colour, would be out on 1 June 2015.[12] Ahead of its release, In Colour was streamed on iTunes as a preview with album-spanning visuals that 'reacted' to each sound.[13]
Jamie xx composed the score for a ballet, Tree of Codes, commissioned by Manchester International Festival for its 2015 edition. Based on a novel of the same name by Jonathan Safran Foer, the ballet was choreographed by Wayne McGregor and had a set created by Olafur Eliasson.[14]
In 2020, he released his first single in 5 years, "Idontknow", which received positive to lukewarm reception from critics.[15][16] He was credited on Tyler, the Creator's 2021 album Call Me If You Get Lost as a co-producer on the track "RISE!".[17]
In 2022, Jamie xx was enlisted to produce fellow bandmate Oliver Sim's debut album, Hideous Bastard.[18]
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [19] |
AUS [20] |
BEL (FL) [21] |
CAN [22] |
FRA [23] |
GER [24] |
IRE [25] |
NED [26] |
NZ [27] |
US [28] | |||||
| We're New Here (with Gil-Scott Heron) |
|
33 | — | 44 | — | 38 | — | 42 | — | — | — | |||
| In Colour |
|
3 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 26 | 15 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 21 | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [30] |
UK Indie [31] |
AUS [32] |
BEL (FL) [21] |
BEL (WA) [33] |
FIN [34] |
FRA [23] |
MEX [35] |
NED [26] |
US Dance [36] | ||||
| "NY Is Killing Me" | 2010 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | We're New Here (with Gil-Scott Heron) | |
| "I'll Take Care of U" | 2011 | — | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Far Nearer / Beat For" | 128 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | non-album single | ||
| "Girl / Sleep Sound" | 2014 | 152 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | In Colour | |
| "All Under One Roof Raving" | 123 | 10 | — | — | — | — | 199 | — | — | — | non-album single | ||
| "Loud Places" (featuring Romy) |
2015 | 62 | 3 | 103 | 53 | 86 | — | 55 | 46 | — | — | In Colour | |
| "Gosh" | — | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 46 | |||
| "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" (featuring Young Thug and Popcaan) |
115 | 7 | 90 | 55 | 85 | 65 | — | — | —[upper-alpha 1] | — | |||
| "Idontknow"[40] | 2020 | —[upper-alpha 2] | — | — | —[upper-alpha 3] | — | — | — | — | — | 26 | TBA | |
| "Let's Do It Again"[42] | 2022 | —[upper-alpha 4] | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25 | — | 31 | ||
| "Kill Dem"[44] | —[upper-alpha 5] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Other charting songs
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Indie [31] |
BEL (FL) [21] | |||
| "SeeSaw" (featuring Romy) |
2015 | 21 | — | In Colour |
| "Obvs" | 25 | — | ||
| "Just Saying" | 42 | — | ||
| "Stranger in a Room" (featuring Oliver Sim) |
29 | 60 | ||
| "Hold Tight" | 38 | — | ||
| "The Rest Is Noise" | 35 | — | ||
Other tracks
| Year | Title | Date | Info |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Progress" | 7 October 2011 | RizLab Permance live |
| "Touch Me" (with Yasmin) | 20 February 2011 | Jamie XX mix on BBC 6 Music | |
| 2012 | "Touch Me" (Instrumental) | 31 January 2012 | Young Turks Takeover on FBi Radio |
| 2014 | "Continuum" (with Four Tet, Koreless and John Talabot) | 22 November 2014 | Continuum (Soundtrack) |
| "Sunrise" | |||
| 2016 | "Oh Gosh" (with Elf Kid) | 13 May 2016 | Vocal version of "Gosh" |
| 2020 | "Idontpiano" | 25 April 2020 | Piano version of "Idontknow" |
Remixes
| Year | Artist | Song | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Florence and the Machine | "You've Got the Love" | Jamie xx Re-work featuring the xx |
| Jack Penate | "Pull My Heart Away" | Jamie xx Remix | |
| The xx | "Basic Space" | Jamie xx Space Bass Mix | |
| "Blood Red Moon" | Jamie xx Bootleg | ||
| "Hot Like Fire" | Jamie xx Edit | ||
| "Islands" | Jamie xx Remix | ||
| 2010 | Eliza Doolittle | "Moneybox" | Jamie xx Remix |
| Glasser | "Tremel" | Jamie xx Remix | |
| Nosaj Thing | "Fog" | Jamie xx Remix | |
| 2011 | Adele | "Rolling in the Deep" | Jamie xx Shuffle |
| FaltyDL | "Hip Love" | Jamie xx Rework | |
| Holly Miranda | "Slow Burn Treason" | Jamie xx Remix | |
| Radiohead | "Bloom" | Jamie xx Rework Jamie xx Rework Pt. 3 | |
| Rui da Silva | "Touch Me" | Jamie xx Remix | |
| 2012 | Four Tet | "Lion" | Jamie xx Remix |
| The xx | "Reconsider" | Jamie xx Remix | |
| "Sunset" | Jamie xx Edit | ||
| 2013 | "Missing" | Jamie xx Remix | |
| 2017 | The xx | "On Hold" | Jamie xx Remix |
| 2022 | Oliver Sim | "GMT" | Jamie xx Remix |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Awards | Work | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | BT Digital Music Awards | Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx: Album Transmitter | Best Artist Promotion | Nominated |
| Rober Awards Music Prize | Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx | Best Soul/R&B[46] | Nominated | |
| 2012 | The Music Producers Guild Awards | Himself | Remixer of the Year[47][48] | Won |
| 2013 | Nominated | |||
| 2014 | Q Awards | "Sleep Sound" | Best Video | Won |
| 2015 | In Colour | Best Album | Nominated | |
| MOBO Awards[49] | Nominated | |||
| Rober Awards Music Poll[50] | Himself | Best Male Artist | Nominated | |
| Best Electronica | Nominated | |||
| "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" (featuring Young Thug and Popcaan) |
Song of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Floorfiller of the Year | Nominated | |||
| AIM Independent Music Awards[51] | "Loud Places" | Independent Video of the Year | Nominated | |
| International Dance Music Awards | Himself | Best Indie Dance/Underground DJ[52] | Nominated | |
| Mercury Prize | In Colour | Album of the Year | Shortlisted | |
| 2016 | Grammy Awards | Best Dance/Electronic Album | Nominated | |
| Ivor Novello Awards | Album Award | Nominated | ||
| Elle Style Awards | Album of the Year | Won | ||
| Brit Awards | British Album of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Himself | British Male Solo Artist | Nominated | ||
| International Dance Music Awards | Best Indie Dance/Underground DJ[53] | Won | ||
| "Loud Places" | Best Alternative/Indie Rock Dance Track | Nominated | ||
| UK Music Video Awards | "Gosh" | Video of the Year | Won | |
| Best Alternative Video - UK | Won | |||
| Best Color Grade | Won | |||
| Best Styling | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Nominated | |||
| Camerimage | Best Music Video | Nominated | ||
| Rober Awards Music Poll[54] | Best Promo Video | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | Berlin Music Video Awards | Best Cinematography | Won | |
| Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity[55] | Gold Lion for Cinematography | Won | ||
| Silver Lion for Production Design / Art Direction | Won | |||
| Silver Lion for Direction | Won | |||
| D&AD Awards | Best Music Video[56] | Yellow Pencil | ||
| Best Direction[57] | Graphite Pencil | |||
| Best Cinematography[58] | Graphite Pencil | |||
| Grammy Awards | Best Music Video | Nominated |
Notes
- "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)" did not enter the Netherlands' Single Top 100 but peaked on the Netherlands' Single Tip Chart at number 1.[38]
- "Idontknow" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 48 on the UK Singles Sales Chart Top 100.[41]
- "Idontknow" did not enter the Flanders Ultratop 50, but charted as an "extra tip" on the Ultratip chart.[21]
- "Let's Do It Again" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 94 on the UK Singles Sales Chart Top 100.[43]
- "Kill Dem" did not enter the UK Singles Chart, but peaked at number 84 on the UK Singles Sales Chart Top 100.[45]
References
- "ASCAP Ace Search - James Thomas Smith". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Archived from the original on 6 January 2017. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- Ian Gittins (16 October 2015). "Jamie xx review – unremittingly joyous DJ set from a club alchemist". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
- Medved, Matt (7 December 2015). "Grammy Nominations 2016: Dance Nominees Are Deserving, But Can't Catch a Major Category Break". Billboard. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- Saxelby, Ruth (14 July 2009). "The xx: "It started as a joke"". Dummy. Archived from the original on 19 July 2009. Retrieved 23 August 2009.
- FACT mix 70: The xx FACT Magazine
- Certified Awards Search Archived 2009-09-24 at the Wayback Machine British Recorded Music Industry
- Jamie xx discogs.com
- The Guardian Music Blog (14 February 2011). "New album stream: Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx – We're New Here". The Guardian. Music Blog. Retrieved 18 February 2011.
- Beattie, Ele (17 February 2011). "Gil Scott-Heron and Jamie xx We're New Here Review: A cohesive, considered masterpiece in its own right". BBC Music. BBC. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- "Jamie xx". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
- "Chart statistics" (TXT). Zobbel.de. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- "Jamie xx Details In Colour, Shares "Loud Places" Video". Pitchfork. 27 March 2015. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
- "See Jamie xx's visual album preview for 'In Colour'". Never Enough Notes. Never Enough Notes. 28 May 2015. Archived from the original on 30 May 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
- Jeremy Gordon (9 June 2015). "Jamie xx Previews Score to Ballet Tree of Codes". Pitchfork. Retrieved 3 July 2015.
- Daniel Kreps (15 April 2020). "Jamie xx Returns With Bustling New Single 'Idontknow'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- Hubert Adjei-Kontoh (15 April 2020). ""Idontknow" by Jamie xx Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- Madison Bloom (25 June 2021). "Tyler, the Creator Releases New Album Call Me If You Get Lost". Pitchfork. Retrieved 29 August 2021.
- "The xx's Oliver Sim Details Debut Album, Shares Video for New Song "Hideous"". Pitchfork. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 10 September 2022.
- "Jamie XX" (select "Albums" tab for albums). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- "Discography Jamie xx". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- "Discografie Jamie xx" (in Dutch). ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- "Jamie xx - Canada Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- "Discographie Jamie xx" (in French). lescharts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- "Discographie Jamie xx" (in German). charts.de. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- "Discography Jamie xx". irish-charts.com Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- "Discografie Jamie xx" (in Dutch). dutchcharts.nl. Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- "Discography Jamie xx". charts.nz. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- "Jamie xx - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- "British certifications – Jamie xx". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 4 December 2022. Type Jamie xx in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- Peak chart positions for singles in the United Kingdom:
- All except noted: "Jamie XX". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- "Far Nearer / Beat For": Zywietz, Tobias. "CHART: CLUK Update 18.06.2011 (wk23)". Zobbel. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- "Girl / Sleep Sound": Zywietz, Tobias. "CHART: CLUK Update 17.05.2014 (wk19)". Zobbel. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- "All Under One Roof Raving": Zywietz, Tobias. "CHART: CLUK Update 5.07.2014 (wk26)". Zobbel. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
- Peak chart positions for independent singles in the United Kingdom:
- "I'll Take Care of U": "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. 27 February 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
- "Far Nearer / Beat For": "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. 12 June 2011. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
- "All Under One Roof Raving": "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. 29 June 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
- "Loud Places", "I Know There's Gonna Be Good Times", "Gosh", "Sleep Sound", "Seesaw", "Girl", "Obvs", "Stranger in a Room", "The Rest is Noise", "Hold Tight" & "Just Saying": "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. 7 June 2015. Retrieved 8 February 2021.
- Peak charts positions for singles in Australia:
- "Loud Places": bulion (20 April 2015). "ARIA Chartifacts 20-April-2015". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 June 2015.
- "I Know There's Gonna Be (Good Times)": Ryan, Gavin (6 June 2015). "ARIA Singles: Taylor Swift Bad Blood Spends Second Week At No 1". Noise11. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
- "Discografie Jamie xx" (in Dutch). ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- "Jamie Xx Feat. Young Thug & Popcaan – Finland's official list – Music producers". Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- "Jamie XX Chart History: Mexican Ingles Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- "Jamie XX - Hot Dance/Electronic Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
- "Canadian certifications – Jamie XX". Music Canada. Retrieved 11 November 2020.
- "Netherlands Single Tip Chart - July 7, 2015". Mega Charts. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2018.
- "American certifications – Jamie xx". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
- Adjei-Kontoh, Hubert (15 April 2020). "'Idontknow' by Jamie xx Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 28 April 2020. Retrieved 28 April 2020.
- "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100 - 15 May 2020 - 21 May 2020". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- "Jamie xx - Let's Do It Again". The xx shop. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
- "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100 - 22 April 2022 - 28 April 2022". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
- "Jamie xx Releases New Single 'KILL DEM' Ahead Of Dec-Jan Australian Tour". Music Feeds. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
- "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100 - 30 September 2022 - 06 October 2022". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- "Nominations 2011: Soul/R&B | Rober Awards".
- "2012 Winners". The Music Producers Guild. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- "2013 Short Lists". The Music Producers Guild. 21 January 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- "MOBO Awards 2015: See The Full Nominations List". Capitalxtra.com. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- "The Rober Awards 2015 Music Poll". Roberawards.com. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- "AIM Independent Music Awards 2015 - Nominations". Clash Magazine. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- "31st Annual International Dance Music Awards - Winter Music Conference 2017 - WMC 2017". 2 February 2017. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- "31st Annual International Dance Music Awards - Winter Music Conference 2017 - WMC 2017". 2 February 2017. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
- "The Rober Awards 2016 Music Poll". Roberawards.com. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
- "Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Award Winners Overview 2017". Fr.adforum.com. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- "Gosh - Jamie XX - Romain Gavras | Iconoclast | Young Turks Recordings Ltd | D&AD Awards 2017 Pencil Winner | Music Videos | D&AD". Dandad.org. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- "Gosh - Jamie XX - Romain Gavras | Iconoclast | Young Turks Recordings Ltd | D&AD Awards 2017 Pencil Winner | Direction for Music Videos | D&AD". Dandad.org. Retrieved 18 May 2020.
- "Gosh - Jamie XX - Romain Gavras | Iconoclast | Young Turks Recordings Ltd | D&AD Awards 2017 Pencil Winner | Cinematography for Music Videos | D&AD". Dandad.org. Retrieved 18 May 2020.