| J. Williams | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Joshua Elia Williams |
| Born | 3 September 1986 Mangere, Auckland |
| Origin | South Auckland, New Zealand |
| Genres | R&B, hip hop |
| Instruments | guitar |
| Years active | 2008 – present |
| Labels | Illegal Musik Warner Music New Zealand |
| Associated acts | Prestige, Lavina Williams, Emily Williams |
| Website | myspace.com/jwilliamsmusik |
Joshua Elia Williams (born 3 September 1986), known by his stage name J. Williams, is a New Zealand R&B recording artist and professional hip-hop dancer. He made his musical debut in 2008 with the hit single "Blow Your Mind" which gained him success on the RIANZ Chart, peaking at number 13. In early 2009 Young Love his debut album was released with the single "You Got Me" featuring Scribe reaching number one. The single was certified platinum and was the #1 selling single of 2010 in New Zealand.
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Williams was born on 3 September 1986 in Mangere, Auckland. He is of Samoan and Fijian descent. He attended Weymouth Intermediate School in Weymouth, South Auckland. He compares his upbringing to that of the Jackson 5 family, as his father was very strict when it came to devoting yourself to religion and music.[1] Williams' has two older sisters, Emily Williams and Lavina Williams, who have both entered Australian Idol.
Williams is a member of the hip hop street dance group originally called Dziah, but now known as Prestige. In 2006 Dziah represented New Zealand at the World Hip Hop Dance Championships, held in Los Angeles, U.S.. They came in second place to the current champs, the Philippine All Stars and took home the silver medals. In 2008 at the same competition, this time under the name Prestige, they came in fourth place, narrowly missing out on the bronze medals.
In 2011 it was revealed that Williams was physically assaulting his partner, stylist Larissa Brown. The pair ended their two-year relationship shortly before the birth of their child Ryder. Friends had noticed bruises on Brown, and many had noted Williams assaulting Brown in public. Police had been called around to their Mount Wellington home because of the abuse, and had noted injuries including fractures. Women's Refuge condemned his behaviour and the fact he was not accepting responsibility, instead blaming it on alcohol abuse.[2] Williams stepped down from his post as Rugby World Cup ambassador.[3]
From 2008 to March 2011 Williams received over $100,000 dollars in funding from the taxpayer-funded New Zealand on Air. This included $50,000 to produce the album, and multiple grants to make music videos.[4]
| Year-Month | Song/album title | Grant | Grant category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-03 | Got You Where I Want You | $5000 | Music Videos |
| 2010-08 | Night Of Your Life | $5000 | Music Videos |
| 2010-06 | Takes Me Higher (feat Dane Rumble) | $5000 | Music Videos |
| 2009-12 | Broken Love | $5000 | Music Videos |
| 2009-10 | Untitled | $50000 | Album funding |
| 2009-08 | You Got Me feat. Scribe | $5000 | Music Videos |
| 2009-06 | Your Style | $5000 | Music Videos |
| 2009-04 | Stand With You | $5000 | Music Videos |
| 2009-02 | Ghetto Flower | $5000 | Music Videos |
| 2008-10 | Set It Off | $5000 | Music Videos |
| 2008-08 | Blow Your Mind | $5000 | Music Videos |
| 2008-02 | Flavour | $10000 | New recording artists |
"Blow Your Mind" was released as the lead single from Williams' debut album in September 2008 and peaked at number 13 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. The second single, "Set it Off", was released to commercial radio stations in early 2009 and charted at number thirty six on the New Zealand Singles Chart. In March 2009, Williams' released his third single, "Ghetto Flower", which peaked at number 5 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. The song was certified Gold in New Zealand on June 9, 2009, selling over 7,500 copies.[5] and was written by his sister, Emily Williams. The fourth single, "Stand With You", was released in June 2009, and peaked at number 6 in New Zealand, becoming his second consecutive top-10 single. It featured his sister, Lavina Williams. The song was certified Gold in New Zealand on 13 September 2009, selling over 7,500 copies.[5]
On 13 July 2009 Williams released his debut album, Young Love. The album debuted at number five on the New Zealand Top 40 Albums Chart and was certified gold. On 9 November 2009 Williams released his fifth single from the album, "Your Style" which featured New Zealand singer, Erakah. The single peaked at number 16 on the New Zealand Singles Chart.
In February 2010, Williams released his sixth single, "You Got Me", featuring New Zealand rapper Scribe. The single peaked at number one on the New Zealand Singles Chart,[6] and was certified Platinum.[5] In December 2010, it was declared that "You Got Me" was the #1 selling single of 2010 in New Zealand.[7]
On 25 May 2010 Williams released "Takes Me Higher", which features pop singer, Dane Rumble. The single only had a digital release. It peaked at number two on the New Zealand Singles Chart. In December 2010, "Takes Me Higher" was declared the #19 best seller of 2010 in New Zealand.[7] "Night of Your Life" was released on 11 October 2010 and received a gold certification.[8]
| Releases | ||
|---|---|---|
| ↙Studio albums | 1 | |
| ↙Singles | 8 | |
| ↙Music videos | 8 | |
| ↙Featured singles | 1 | |
| Year | Album details | NZ peak chart position [9] |
Certifications (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Young Love
|
5 | |
| 2011 | TBA[11]
|
To Be Released | |
| Year | Title | NZ peak chart position [9] |
Certifications (sales thresholds) |
Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Blow Your Mind" | 13 | — | Young Love (and Collector's Edition) |
| "Set It Off" | 36 | — | ||
| 2009 | "Ghetto Flower" | 5 | ||
| "Stand With You" (featuring Lavina Williams) | 6 | |||
| "Your Style" (featuring Erakah) | 16 | — | ||
| 2010 | "You Got Me" (featuring Scribe) | 1 | ||
| "Takes Me Higher" (featuring Dane Rumble) | 2 | TBA | ||
| "Night of Your Life" (featuring K.One) | 4 | |||
| 2011 | "Want to Rule the World" (featuring K.One) | 29 | ||
|
"Live It Up" |
- |
| Year | Title | NZ peak chart position |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Them Eyes" (Mareko featuring J. Williams) | 39[13] |
| 2010 | "My Love" (DJ CXL featuring J. Williams and The Gift) | — |
| 2011 | "She's a Killer" (K.One featuring J. Williams)) | 26 |
| Year | Title | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "Blow Your Mind" | |
| "Set It Off" | ||
| 2009 | "Ghetto Flower" | Ivan Slavov[14][15][16] |
| "Stand With You" | ||
| "Your Style" | ||
| 2010 | "You Got Me" | Damien Caine[17] |
| "Takes Me Higher" | Ivan Slavov[18] | |
| "Night of Your Life" | Anthony Plant |
| Year | Type | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | APRA Awards | APRA Silver Scroll ("You Got Me" with Scribe)[19] | Nominated |
| New Zealand Music Awards[20] | Vodafone Single of the Year ("You Got Me") | Nominated | |
| Best Male Solo Artist (Young Love) | Nominated | ||
| Best Urban/Hip-Hop Album (Young Love) | Nominated | ||
| Pacific Music Awards | Best Pacific Urban Artist | Nominated[21] | |
| Best Pacific Male Artist | Won[22] |
|
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