Jimmy Napes
Jimmy Napes (* 1984 in London , actually James Napier ) is a British songwriter , music producer and singer . He was best known for his collaboration with Sam Smith , which earned him a Grammy in 2015 .
Life
James Napier grew up in a family of artists in the London Borough of Camden . Already in his youth he was interested in music, learned piano, drums and guitar. At 18, he decided against university and moved to Los Angeles , where he worked for a friend's advertising agency that produced music for commercials. After a while he returned to London and set up a small studio in a basement on Old Street in London. At first he tried his hand at DJing . However, it was relatively unsuccessful. His first professional production was the song So High by Eliza Doolittle . Then he met Sam Smith know. The two worked together on the track Lay Me Down , which would become Smith's debut single and which marked his first big hit. He was then hired as a songwriter for the UK garage duo Disclosure , including the hit Latch . Napier was also involved in the songwriting of several tracks on Smith's debut album In the Lonely Hour . 2013 and 2014 he was an author of three number one hits in the British charts involved: La La La by Naughty Boy faet. Sam Smith, Stay with Me by Sam Smith, and Rather Be from Clean Bandit .
For Stay With Me , he and Smith won a Grammy for Song of the Year 2015 . The two also wrote the James Bond title track Writing's on the Wall for James Bond 007: Specter , for which the two received the 2016 Oscar for Best Song .
Jimmy Napes also produced for Mary J. Blige , Madonna and Ellie Goulding, among others . In 2015 his debut EP The Making of Me was released , on which he also acts as a singer.
Discography
Albums
- 2015: The Making of Me (EP, Method Records)
Songwriting
- 2010: So High by Eliza Doolittle
- 2013: Nirvana by Sam Smith
- 2013: Latch , White Noise and Voices for Disclosure
- 2013: La La La by Naughty Boy
- 2014: When You're Gone , Right Now , Nobody but You , Follow , Worth My Time for Mary J. Blige
- 2014: I Can't Keep Up for Tourist
- 2014: Extraordinary , Dust Clears , Rather Be for Clean Bandit
- 2014: I'm Not the Only One , Lay Me Down . Make It to Me for Sam Smith
- 2014: Pieces for Jessie Ware
- 2014: Unmissable for Gorgon City
- 2014: You're On for Madeon
- 2015: Writing's on the Wall for Sam Smith
- 2015: Best Night for Madonna
- 2015: Heal for Ellie Goulding
Individual evidence
- ↑ Joe Allen: Sam Smith - The Biography . John Blake Publishing, 2015, ISBN 978-1-78418-861-0 .
- ↑ Aimee Cliff: Meet The Singer Who's Secretly Behind The UK's American Pop Takeover. The Fader, accessed January 26, 2016 .
- ↑ Tim Jonze: Grammys 2015 - Sam Smith's Stay With Me wins song of the year. The Guardian , February 9, 2015, accessed January 26, 2016 .
- ↑ Jimmy Napes shares title track from debut EP. DIYmag.com, February 10, 2015, accessed January 26, 2016 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Napes, Jimmy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Napier, James (real name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British songwriter, record producer and singer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1984 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | London |