James Nicholas Commons (born 22 October 1988) is a British singer and songwriter, based in

New Cross New Cross is an area in south-east London, England, south-east of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Lewisham and the London_postal_district#List_of_London_postal_districts, SE14 postcode district. New Cross is near St Johns, London, St Jo ...

, London.

Early life and education

Commons was born in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, England, but was raised, in part, in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, United States. At age six, Commons' family moved to Chicago, which would lead to his appreciation of American blues, folk and swamp rock music, and of artists, notable among which are

The Allman Brothers Band The Allman Brothers Band was an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969. Its founding members were brothers Duane Allman (slide guitar, lead guitar) and Gregg Allman (vocals, keyboards), as well as Dickey Betts ( ...

. Commons returned to the English

West Country The West Country is a loosely defined area within southwest England, usually taken to include the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Bristol, with some considering it to extend to all or parts of Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and ...

at the age of 16. Aged 18, Commons relocated to London and commenced reading

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

Goldsmiths College Goldsmiths, University of London, formerly Goldsmiths College, University of London, is a Member institutions of the University of London, constituent research university of the University of London. It was originally founded in 1891 as The G ...

, alongside contemporaries including James Blake and Katy B.

Career

His second EP, ''Rumble and Sway'', was released in March 2013 with

Interscope Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

, produced by Alex da Kid, who early signed him to his label KIDinaKORNER. The title song would later be used in the trailer for the

Coen Brothers Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, together known as the Coen brothers (), are an American filmmaking duo. Their films span many genres and styles, which they frequently subvert or parody. Among their most acclaimed works are '' Blood Simple'' (198 ...

film Hail, Caesar!, season three of American

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

teen drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...

television series '' Teen Wolf'' and season three of American

legal drama Legal drama, also called courtroom drama, is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in wh ...

television series '' Suits'' as well as making appearances in commercials for '' Levi's'' in 2014 and for '' Butterfinger'' in 2020. In June 2013, Commons opened for

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

Nijmegen Nijmegen ( , ; Nijmeegs: ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and the ninth largest of the Netherlands as a whole. Located on the Waal River close to the German border, Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the ...

. He is featured on

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

's eighth studio album '' The Marshall Mathers LP 2'', in the track "Desperation" which is only included in the deluxe edition bonus disc. His song with X Ambassadors, "

Jungle jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅgala'' ...

", is featured in the trailers for Season 2 of '' Orange Is the New Black'', the video game '' Battlefield Hardline,'' season 4 of American

television series '' Teen Wolf'' and the film '' Pitch Perfect 2''. In addition, the song also appeared in the advertisements for Beats by Dre, which ran during the

2014 FIFA World Cup The 2014 FIFA World Cup was the 20th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for list of men's national association football teams, men's national Association football, football teams organised by FIFA. It took place in Brazil fr ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, and the film ''

Horrible Bosses 2 ''Horrible Bosses 2'' is a 2014 American crime comedy film directed by Sean Anders and written by Anders and John Morris (filmmaker), John Morris. A sequel to 2011's ''Horrible Bosses'', the film features Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeiki ...

''. WWE used the song in the commercial for WWEShop.com and as the theme song for the PPV

WWE Battleground WWE Battleground, known as NXT Battleground for 2023 and 2024, is a professional wrestling event produced by WWE, a Connecticut-based promotion. The event was established in 2013 and was held annually until 2017 for WWE's main roster. It was t ...

. "Jungle" played in the end credits for the 2014 film ''

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

'' as well as Project Almanac and the Hitman: Agent 47. This song also plays during an end scene in the TV series The Blacklist. The most recent version of ''Jungle'' has been used by Boston, American beer company Sam Adams for their beer. He is also featured on

Big K.R.I.T. Justin Lewis Scott (born August 26, 1986), known professionally as Big K.R.I.T. (a backronym for King Remembered in Time), is an American rapper and record producer. Born in Meridian, Mississippi, he began his musical career in 2005. He was sign ...

's second studio album ''

Cadillactica ''Cadillactica'' is the second studio album by American rapper Big K.R.I.T. It was released on November 10, 2014, by Cinematic Music Group and Def Jam Recordings. The album features guest appearances from Raphael Saadiq, E-40, Wiz Khalifa, Kenn ...

,'' in the track "Saturdays = Celebration." This song is featured in the Sicario - 'Welcome to Juarez' Trailer. His track 'Not Gonna Break Me' was used in the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

's trailer for the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

. He wrote and produced the title track for the film ''

Skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

''. In 2018, he started a project called "The Fever Dreams", a series of singles released leading up to his debut studio album scheduled for release in 2019. In 2019 Commons co-wrote "Hold Me While You Wait" the lead single to

Lewis Capaldi Lewis Marc Capaldi (born 7 October 1996) is a Scottish singer-songwriter and musician. In March 2019, his single "Someone You Loved" (2018) topped the UK Singles Chart where it remained for seven weeks, and in November 2019, it reached number ...

's debut album Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent, which debuted at #1 on the UK Album chart and went on to achieve Gold status after just 8 days. In May that year, he covered Soul Asylum's Runaway Train along with fellow artists

Skylar Grey Holly Brook Hafermann (born February 23, 1986), known professionally as Skylar Grey, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. In 2004, Grey signed a publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group and a recording contract w ...

and Gallant in collaboration with

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a private, nonprofit organization established in 1984 by the United States Congress. In September 2013, the United States House of Representatives, United States Senate, and the Pre ...

. Commons co-wrote "Testify", the lead track of Conrad Sewell's album "Life" was released the same week, this album debuted at #1 on the Australian charts.

Artistry

Voice

Commons'

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

vocals, influenced by

Gregg Allman Gregory LeNoir Allman (December 8, 1947 – May 27, 2017) was an American musician, singer and songwriter. He was known for performing in the Allman Brothers Band. Allman grew up with an interest in rhythm and blues music, and the Allman B ...

, are notable for their authenticity of the blues genre, reflected through his Americanised accent and deep, "raspy" and "gritty" singing voice, earning him comparisons with

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian songwriter, singer, poet, and novelist. Themes commonly explored throughout his work include faith and mortality, isolation and depression, betrayal and redemption, soc ...

Nick Cave Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...

, Greg Dulli and

Mark Lanegan Mark William Lanegan (November 25, 1964 – February 22, 2022) was an American singer and songwriter. First becoming prominent as the lead singer for the early grunge band Screaming Trees, he was also known as a member of Queens of the Stone Age ...

Influences

In a ''

BBC America BBC America is an American basic cable network that is owned by AMC Networks. The channel primarily airs sci-fi and action series and films, as well as selected programs from the BBC (such as its nature documentary series). Unlike the BBC's ...

'' interview, Commons said

, the soundtrack for ''O Brother, Where Art Thou?'' and

Moby Richard Melville Hall (September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, disc jockey, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "amo ...

's ''Play'' were important, early influences.

Personal life

During his childhood, Commons attended church with his religious mother, while his father, an atheist, stayed at home. These experiences informed him of religion, which is a theme explored in his music.

Discography

EPs

*''The Baron'' (2011) *'' Rumble and Sway'' (2013) *''Jamie N Commons'' (2016) *''Fever Dreams'' (2019)

Singles

* "Devil in Me" (2012) * "Rumble and Sway" (2013) #163 SNEP French Singles Chart * "

" with X Ambassadors (2013) #87 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 * "Immigrant Song" (

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

cover) (2014) on ''

Game of Thrones ''Game of Thrones'' is an American Fantasy television, fantasy Drama (film and television), drama television series created by David Benioff and for HBO. It is an adaptation of ''A Song of Ice and Fire'', a series of high fantasy novels by ...

'' Season 4 OST * "Karma (Hardline)" (2014) on '' Battlefield Hardline'' OST * "Marathon" (2015) * "Let's Do It Till We Get It Right" (2016) * "Paper Dreams" (2018) * "Won't Let Go" (2019) * " Runaway Train" (with

featuring Gallant) (2019) * "Start Again" (2019) * "Heartbreak" (2019) * "Feels Like Forever" (with Kygo) (2020)

Music Videos

* "Devil in Me" (2012) * "Rumble and Sway" (2013) #163 SNEP French Singles Chart * "

" with X Ambassadors (2013) #87 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 * "Immigrant Song" (

cover) (2014) on ''

featuring Gallant (2019) * "Start Again" (2019) * "Heartbreak" (2019)

Other appearances

*"Lead Me Home" on '' The Walking Dead: Original Soundtrack – Vol. 1'' (2013) *"Rumble and Sway" in '' Teen Wolf'' 3x01 (2013), '' Suits'' 3x02 (2013), '' The Catch'' 1x02 (2016) and the official trailer for '' Hail, Caesar!'' (2016) *"Marathon" in '' FIFA 14'' OST (2013) *”‘TV Now’ ft. Ellie Goulding” in The CW promo (2013) *"Desperation" on

's '' The Marshall Mathers LP 2'' (2013) *"Saturdays = Celebration" on

's ''

'' (2014) *"Jungle" in ''Teen Wolf'' Season 4x01 and end credits for ''Hercules'' (2014) *"All Along the Watchtower" in '' Need for Speed'' (2014) *"The Preacher" in '' Justified'' Season 6x07 (2015) *"In My Arms" Grizfolk (2017) *"Walls" in ''

'' End credits (2018) *”Gallows” ft.

The Score The Score may refer to: Films and television * The Score (1978 film), ''The Score'' (1978 film), a 1978 Swedish film, released in Sweden as ''Lyftet'' * The Score (2001 film), ''The Score'' (2001 film), a 2001 crime drama film starring Robert De Ni ...

Carry On (2020)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Commons, Jamie N Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London English folk musicians English rock musicians Fiction Records artists Singers from Bristol Singers from Chicago Musicians from the London Borough of Lewisham Singers from the London Borough of Lewisham 1988 births Living people British expatriate musicians in the United States English people of Swedish descent English people of Finnish descent