Timucin Lam (born Timucin Fabian Kwong Wah Aluo; 25 July 1987), known professionally as Jax Jones, is an English DJ, record producer and remixer. He rose to prominence in 2014 by featuring on
Duke Dumont
Adam George Dyment (born 27 August 1981), better known by his stage name Duke Dumont, is an English DJ and music producer. He is best known for his hit singles "Need U (100%)", "I Got U", "Won't Look Back (song), Won't Look Back" and "Ocean Dr ...
's number-one single "
I Got U
"I Got U" is a song by English record producer Duke Dumont featuring fellow record producer Jax Jones, with uncredited vocals from singer Kelli-Leigh. It was released as the second single from his forthcoming debut studio album on 16 March 201 ...
". He followed this with his own singles, "
You Don't Know Me" featuring
Raye in 2016, and "
Instruction" featuring
Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...
and
Stefflon Don
Stephanie Victoria Allen (born 14 December 1991), known professionally as Stefflon Don, is an English rapper. She rose to fame with her 2017 single "Hurtin' Me" (featuring French Montana), which peaked at number seven on the UK singles chart, ...
in 2017. Jax's debut studio album, ''
Snacks (Supersize)'' was released in 2019.
Early life and influences
Jones was born on 25 July 1987 in London to a Turkish father and a Chinese-Malaysian mother.
His father gave him the name Timucin. After his Nigerian stepfather introduced him to
afrobeat
Afrobeat (also known as Afrofunk) is a West African music genre, fusing influences from Nigerian (such as Yoruba) and Ghanaian (such as highlife) music, with American funk, jazz, and soul influences. With a focus on chanted vocals, complex i ...
via
Fela Kuti
Fela Aníkúlápó Kútì (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) was a Nigerians, Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre t ...
, and rap with a tape of a
Notorious B.I.G. album, Jax listened to hip hop, R&B, gospel, and traditional African music.
His mother liked music ranging from
Kylie Minogue
Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...
to
Luther Vandross
Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. (April 20, 1951 – July 1, 2005) was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Over his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA certification, RIAA-certified ...
, which also influenced him. Producers like
the Neptunes
The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...
,
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer and rapper. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, he is widely acclaimed for his distinctive production work and "stuttering" rhythm ...
, and
Rodney Jerkins shaped his musical horizons and his fascination with the anatomy of a rhythm section. Having initially studied classical guitar from a young age, Jax took up beat-making at 15 after discovering
Cubase
Cubase is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed by Steinberg for music and MIDI recording, arranging and editing. The first version, which was originally only a MIDI sequencer and ran on the Atari ST computer, was released in 1989. Cut-do ...
on his friend's
Atari
Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French holding company Atari SA (formerly Infogrames) and its focus is on "video games, consumer hardware, licensing and bl ...
.
Career
Beginnings
Performing at
open mic clubs around London, Jax met Ripperman, a
grime producer from
Mitcham
Mitcham is an area within the London Borough of Merton in South London, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross. Originally a village in the county of Surrey, today it is mainly a residential suburb, and includes Mitcham Common. It ...
, at
Brixton
Brixton is an area of South London, part of the London Borough of Lambeth, England. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. Brixton experienced a rapid rise in population during the 19th century ...
's Raw Materials Studio and worked on releases for
Big Narstie
Tyrone Mark Lindo (born 16 November 1985), known by his stage name Big Narstie, is a British MC, author, rapper, singer, songwriter, comedian and television presenter. He started his career in 2002 as a member of grime crew "N Double A," thoug ...
and Roadside Gs, among others in the scene. His parents encouraged him to attend university at 18. Opting to stay closer to Raw Materials, he declined an interview at the
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
to attend
Brunel University
Brunel University of London (BUL) is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It is named after Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution. It became a university ...
in
Uxbridge
Uxbridge () is a suburban town in west London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Hillingdon, northwest of Charing Cross. Uxbridge formed part of the parish of Hillingdon in the county of Middlesex. As part ...
.
Despite a two-hour trip, Jax went from lectures to the studio daily to work on his craft, posting beats regularly on
Myspace
Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
. After graduation, he rented a studio in
Sydenham Sydenham may refer to:
Places Australia
* Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
** Sydenham railway station, Sydney
* Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne
** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne un ...
after not being allowed back in the family home, bought a
Mac tower from
Gumtree
Gumtree.com, known as Gumtree, is a British-based online classified advertisement and community website based at Hotham House, in Richmond, London. Classified ads are either free or paid for depending on the product category and the geograph ...
, and worked daily to hone his craft.
2014: Breakthrough
After meeting
Duke Dumont
Adam George Dyment (born 27 August 1981), better known by his stage name Duke Dumont, is an English DJ and music producer. He is best known for his hit singles "Need U (100%)", "I Got U", "Won't Look Back (song), Won't Look Back" and "Ocean Dr ...
, he developed an interest in
house music
House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...
; they co-wrote and produced "
I Got U
"I Got U" is a song by English record producer Duke Dumont featuring fellow record producer Jax Jones, with uncredited vocals from singer Kelli-Leigh. It was released as the second single from his forthcoming debut studio album on 16 March 201 ...
", "
Won't Look Back" and "
Ocean Drive".
Jones features on the single "
I Got U
"I Got U" is a song by English record producer Duke Dumont featuring fellow record producer Jax Jones, with uncredited vocals from singer Kelli-Leigh. It was released as the second single from his forthcoming debut studio album on 16 March 201 ...
"; the song peaked at number one on the
UK Singles Chart in March 2014, leading to his breakthrough as a musical artist.
2015–2019: ''Snacks''
On 24 July 2015, he released the single "Yeah Yeah Yeah". In July 2016, he released the single "
House Work".
Jones said of the track, "At the end of the day, I started making beats on a four-track, so it feels right to put that DIY energy into my music".
In December 2016, he released the single "
You Don't Know Me" based on the sampling of the
bassline
Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...
of M.A.N.D.Y. vs.
Booka Shade's 2005 hit "Body Language". The song became his biggest success, reaching number three in the UK and achieving top-five status in several European countries, including Germany, Ireland, Belgium, and Norway. Jones continued to release songs wherein he collaborated with
Demi Lovato
Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...
and
Years & Years. He released his debut
extended play
An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...
, ''
Snacks'', on 28 November 2018. The EP was later expanded into Jones' first album, ''
Snacks (Supersize)'', which was released on 6 September 2019.
2020–present: Europa, Deep Joy and other singles
Jax also collaborated with DJ
Martin Solveig to create the musical duo
Europa. Their first song together, "
All Day and Night" (featuring
Madison Beer
Madison Elle Beer (born March 5, 1999) is an American singer and songwriter. Beer first gained substantial media coverage when Justin Bieber posted a link to one of her covers she posted on YouTube. In 2013, she released her debut single "Melo ...
) was included on Jones' 2018 EP ''Snacks'' and was released as a single in March 2019. They released their next single, "
Tequila
Tequila (; ) is a liquor, distilled beverage made from the blue agave plant, primarily in the area surrounding the city of Tequila, Jalisco, Tequila northwest of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Guadalajara, and in the Jaliscan Highlands (''Los Altos (Jal ...
" (featuring
Raye), in February 2020. Their third collaboration, "Lonely Heart", features English singer
GRACEY, and was released on 2 June 2022.
On 9 October 2020, Jones released the single "
I Miss U" alongside Antiguan-German singer
Au/Ra
Jamie Lou Stenzel (born 15 May 2002), known professionally as Au/Ra, is a German singer and songwriter. She released her first single "Concrete Jungle" in 2016, which quickly gained 15 million streams worldwide. She rose to prominence in 2018 wi ...
. The song peaked at Number 25 on the UK Singles Chart, and a subsequent acoustic version followed. Upon its release, Jones tweeted about the song's message in relation to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, and an inability to see family and friends due to national lockdown. He said, "We all miss something right now, and 'I Miss U' is supposed to highlight that and remind ourselves that it's ok to feel this way sometimes."
In January 2021, Jones promoted Irish music producer Emmet Glascott & singer Molly Morgans remix of Jones' song '100 Times' on his Instagram story.
On 4 June 2021, Jones announced the launch of his record label WUGD, in partnership with Polydor Records. The label's first song was "Feels", the lead single off his second EP ''Deep Joy'', which was released on 2 July 2021.
13 August 2021 saw the release of "
Out Out", a collaborative single with English DJ
Joel Corry, featuring the vocals of singer
Charli XCX
Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer and songwriter. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Re ...
and rapper
Saweetie
Diamonté Quiava Valentin Harper (born July 2, 1993), known professionally as Saweetie (; also pronounced as simply "sweetie"), is an American rapper and singer. Her 2017 debut single, "Icy Grl", received RIAA certification, double platinum cer ...
. The song peaked at #6 on the UK Singles Chart.
On 4 February 2022, Jones released the song "
Where Did You Go?" featuring
MNEK. The track became Jones' 8th UK Top 10 hit and MNEK's 5th, peaking at #7 on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks.
On 18 March 2022, Jones collaborated with
Mabel and
Galantis on the song "Good Luck".
On 4 June 2022, he participated in the
Platinum Party at the Palace, performing with
Nandi Bushell
Nandi Lily Bushell ( ; born 28 April 2010) is a South African-born British musician, singer, songwriter, and social media personality. She became known for her drumming skills by posting cover versions of popular rock songs to her YouTube and In ...
and
Stefflon Don
Stephanie Victoria Allen (born 14 December 1991), known professionally as Stefflon Don, is an English rapper. She rose to fame with her 2017 single "Hurtin' Me" (featuring French Montana), which peaked at number seven on the UK singles chart, ...
, as well as
Mabel and
John Newman to mark the
Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II
The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II was the international celebration in 2022 marking the Platinum jubilee, 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. It was the first time that any History of monarchy in the U ...
.
On 10 March 2023, Jones released "
Whistle
A whistle is a musical instrument which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. It is a type of Fipple, fipple flute, and may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a s ...
" featuring vocals from English singer
Calum Scott.
On 11 August 2023,
Big Hit Music released a Jax Jones remix version of "
Do It Like That" by
Tomorrow X Together (TXT)/
Jonas Brothers
The Jonas Brothers () are an American pop rock band formed in 2005 comprising brothers Kevin Jonas, Joe Jonas, and Nick Jonas. Raised in Wyckoff, New Jersey, the Jonas Brothers moved to Little Falls, New Jersey, in 2005, where they wrote thei ...
.
Personal life
On 18 September 2020, Jones announced on
Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
that his wife had given birth to their first daughter, Lawana. On 5 March 2023, his second daughter Ariyah was born.
Discography
* ''
Snacks (Supersize)'' (2019)
Awards and nominations
{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
, -
! scope="col" , Award
! scope="col" , Year
! scope="col" , Nominee(s)
! scope="col" , Category
! scope="col" , Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable",
, -
!scope="row",
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
,
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
, "
I Got U
"I Got U" is a song by English record producer Duke Dumont featuring fellow record producer Jax Jones, with uncredited vocals from singer Kelli-Leigh. It was released as the second single from his forthcoming debut studio album on 16 March 201 ...
"
(with Duke Dumont
Adam George Dyment (born 27 August 1981), better known by his stage name Duke Dumont, is an English DJ and music producer. He is best known for his hit singles "Need U (100%)", "I Got U", "Won't Look Back (song), Won't Look Back" and "Ocean Dr ...
)
,
Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording (formerly known as Best Dance Recording) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists f ...
,
,
, -
!scope="row" rowspan=4,
Brit Awards
, rowspan=2,
2015
2015 was designated by the United Nations as:
* International Year of Light
* International Year of Soil __TOC__
Events
January
* January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
, rowspan=2, "
I Got U
"I Got U" is a song by English record producer Duke Dumont featuring fellow record producer Jax Jones, with uncredited vocals from singer Kelli-Leigh. It was released as the second single from his forthcoming debut studio album on 16 March 201 ...
"
(with Duke Dumont
Adam George Dyment (born 27 August 1981), better known by his stage name Duke Dumont, is an English DJ and music producer. He is best known for his hit singles "Need U (100%)", "I Got U", "Won't Look Back (song), Won't Look Back" and "Ocean Dr ...
)
,
British Video of the Year
,
, rowspan=2,
, -
, rowspan=2,
British Single of the Year
,
, -
,
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, "
You Don't Know Me"
(with Raye)
,
,
, -
,
2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
, rowspan=2, "
Breathe"
(with Ina Wroldsen)
,
British Video of the Year
,
,
, -
!scope="row",
Ivor Novello Awards
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...
, 2019
, Most Performed Work
,
,
, -
!scope="row" ,
Global Awards
, 2024
, Best Male
,
,
,
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Jax
1987 births
DJs from London
English electronic dance music DJs
English house musicians
English male songwriters
English multi-instrumentalists
English people of Chinese descent
English people of Malaysian descent
English people of Turkish descent
Living people
Musicians from London
English remixers
English record producers
Polydor Records artists