James Vincent McMorrow

Starting 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 number 22 in his native Ireland and number 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, utilizing synthesized drums and ebullient brass. The LP proved popular, peaking at number 2 in Ireland and number 76 on the US Billboard 200. Three years later, his career again ballooned with the release of a cover of Chris Isaak’s "Wicked Game," 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 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." All three tracks were included in his highly experimental 2021 release Grapefruit Season, recorded between London, Los Angeles, and Dublin before the COVID-19 pandemic. The Less I Knew, released in June 2022, found the singer-songwriter returning to his folk roots. In 2024, he delivered his seventh LP Wide Open, Horses, preceded by its lead single and album opener "Never Gone."