John West (singer)
| John West | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | John West |
| Born |
11 May 1983 Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States |
| Genres | Pop, R&B, hip pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer–songwriter, rapper |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | Mercury, Island, Def Jam |
| Website |
johnwestsongs |
John West (born May 11, 1983) is an American singer–songwriter.
Biography
John West was born on May 11, 1983 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. West discovered his talent for music while in high school, where he took classical guitar lessons for a year. His musical influences stem from listening to such artists such as Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Carole King, Jill Scott and Lenny Kravitz. After graduating in 2000, he headed to Los Angeles for college and the pursuit of a bigger passion: cartooning. West later transferred to Columbia College in Chicago as an English and art major. Upon graduating college, West moved to Los Angeles to concentrate on music. While recording music, West also worked as a substitute teacher. He began to perform on Third Street Promenade. After a couple of years word spread of West, and after being invited to New York City to showcase his musical talents with an acoustic performance for Mercury Records President, David Massey, West signed with Mercury/Island Def Jam in October 2010.
In 2011, West released his self-titled debut EP John West which includes his first single "Lovely", produced by Christian Rich, it features American rapper Pusha T.[1] On September 1, 2011 West released the Mark Staubach-directed music video and on September 15, 2011 he released the video for "Loved You Tonight". John West premiered and released the cover art for his single "Already There" featuring Big Sean on November 10, 2011, the music video was released on VEVO four days later. Since being signed, West has worked with Brian Kennedy, The Smeezingtons, Kevin Rudolf, and the Stereotypes, among others.
West has been recognized by the LA Times[2] and featured in USA Today as a 'pick of the week'.[3]
Discography
Extended plays
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| John West |
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| Title | Album details |
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| John West |
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Music videos
| Title | Year | Director(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "Lovely" (featuring Pusha T) |
2011 | Mark Staubach |
| "Loved You Tonight" | TBD | |
| "Already There" (featuring Big Sean) |
Joseph Garner | |
| "Nobody" | 2012 | TBD |
References
- ↑ John West - EP by John West - United States. Amazon.com. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
- ↑ Kennedy, Gerrick (8 Jun 2011). "For John West, being a street performer doesn't mean a life in the gutter". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
- ↑ Jones, Steve (April 4, 2011). "The playlist: Soulful, smooth John West". USA Today. Retrieved 27 July 2011.