James Vincent McMorrow

Starting out as a drummer before finding his feet as a full-fledged singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Dublin’s James Vincent McMorrow (born January 14th, 1983) soon traded in his rugged, punk-inspired sonics for tender indie folk, steeped in vintage R&B flavour. By 2008, he had bagged a deal with Faction Records, with whom he released a string of critically acclaimed EPs before moving to Believe Recordings. McMorrow’s debut album, Early in the Morning, landed in 2010, reaching #22 in his native Ireland and #68 in the UK. His popularity surged in the following months after his stripped-back rendition of Steve Winwood’s “Higher Love” appeared in a prominent LOVEFiLM advert, prompting the label to include the cover in a promptly repackaged deluxe edition of the LP. Following a period of low-profile songwriting activity, McMorrow reemerged in 2013 with his sophomore album, Post Tropical, which marked a departure of sorts from his earlier work, utilising synthesised drums and ebullient brass. The LP proved popular, peaking at #2 in Ireland and #76 on the US Billboard 200. Three years on, his career again ballooned with the release of a cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game”, which featured in a Game of Thrones trailer. The same year, he topped the Irish charts with his third album, We Move, and went on to lend his vocals to high-profile songs by Drake, Kygo and dvsn. Opting for a more downtempo, electronic direction on his fourth effort, 2017’s True Care, McMorrow garnered critical acclaim but found his chart performance dwindling outside of his home country. Following a quiet spell in which he focused on raising his newborn child, he returned in 2020 with three genre-defying new singles: the breaks-infused “Headlights”, the poppy Kenny Beats collaboration “I Should Go”, and the dembow-driven “Gone”.

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