Aidan James

Aidan James
Born Aidan James Laprete Powell
September 6, 2001
Honolulu, Hawaii USA
Residence Honolulu, Hawaii, US
Nationality American
Occupation musician, singer-songwriter, actor
Years active 2001–present
Height 5'2 (157.5 cm)
Website
aidanjamesmusic808.com

Aidan James Laprete Powell[1] (born September 6, 2001) is an American singer, musician, and actor. In 2010, A video was taken of James at the Ukulele Festival in Honolulu, HI and uploaded on to YouTube. The video went viral and currently has over 18 million views.

James has opened for Lisa Loeb, Jake Shimabukuro and Jack Johnson.

Aidan released his first extended play during the end of 2014 titled "Live Again". The EP has 4 tracks including "One of the Ones", his first single which came out earlier during that year, which was also featured on an episode of Hawaii Five-0.

Early life

Aidan was born on September 6, 2001 in Honolulu, Hawaii. His mother Angie Laprete, is a film producer and his father is a film accountant. James has a younger sister named Aya, who was also born in Hawaii. James started playing the ukulele at age 4, and started to sing at age 8. He started performing at age 6 in children groups at local ukulele festivals.

Music career

2010–2012

YouTube Video

At age 8, James played the song Hey Soul Sister by Train (band) by himself at the 2010 Ukulele Festival. On July 19, 2010, a video was uploaded by channel "elrollo79" of James performing. The video quickly went viral and reached millions. The video got the attention of many popular musicians.[2]

Kokua Festival 2010

Jack Johnson reached out Aidan and asked him to be a part of the 2010 Kokua Festival. James played at the keiki stage at the festival.

Hawaii Five-0

In 2010, James was approached by producer and creator of the 2010 remake of Hawaii Five-0, Peter Lenkov and was asked to be on an episode of Hawaii Five-0. James was featured on episode 5, Season 1 of Hawaii Five-0 singing Hey Soul Sister for about 10 seconds as it panned to Grace Park.

Train

James went to the Train (band) concert in Honolulu, Hawaii at the Blaisdell Center on December 20, 2010. Lead singer Patrick Monahan saw him in the crowd and said "Hey, your that kid from the YouTube video, come up here!". Then, James and Monahan sang the first verse and chorus of Hey Soul Sister together. From this, James and Pat became friends and in 2013, Train put James in the music video for their song "Mermaid)" while they were shooting in Honolulu. The video premiered on YouTube on February 27, 2013.

HAPA Tour

James went on tour with well known contemporary Hawaiian band HAPA in 2012–2013. James met the lead singer Barry Flanagan on the set of independent film Lychee Thieves. They traveled to New York, Oregon, Seattle, and Los Angeles.

2012–2014

During mid 2012, James announced that he was creating a duo that consisted of himself and percussionist Ian Wacksman. The group was simply named "Aidan James & Ian Wacksman". They played private events, public shows and festivals.

Pro Bowl

James performed at the 2013 Pro Bowl at the Aloha Stadium and played Some Nights by Fun. The performance was right before the halftime show with Henry Kapono. A day before, James and drummer Ian Wacksman played for the Aloha Day, an event that is held at the stadium.

Whisky A Go Go

n September 2013, James performed at the Whisky A Go Go with his then drummer Ian Wacksman.

"One of the Ones – EP"

In December 2013, James wrote his first single "One of the Ones", a pop anthem, with Nashville composer Jeff Dayton. The single was recorded at Island Sound Studios in Honolulu and produced by award winning producer Gaylord Holomalia. A EDM remix of the song was created by Sebastian Hughes, and then an island remix was created by local musician Johnny Helm.

All 3 versions of the songs were released on iTunes on February 24, and an EP version was sold for limited time at festivals. The club remix and original plays on local radio station Star 101.9 on Sundays apart of Unsigned Hawaii.

Shortly after One of the Ones was released, James announced that he no longer is playing music with Ian Wacksman.

2014–2015

One of the Ones Tour

In mid 2014, James went on a solo tour to the east and west coast promoting his single. In Washington, he performed on the steps of the Capitol Hill and did a private performance at the Google Headquarters. In Los Angeles, he performed at the House of Blues Voodoo Lounge. In New York, he joined HAPA once again at the Subculture NY. After the east and west coast, he did a tour in Japan at the Hard Rock Cafe, Shibuya Kokaido, and music festivals.

"Live Again" EP

James announced that he returned from his tour and that he was starting to write for an upcoming project. "You Should Let Go" was written by James & 17-year-old guitarist Brandon Nitta and was the first song to be recorded for the EP. The song was recorded at Island Sound Studios and produced by award winning producer Brandon Apeles. "Live Again" was written by James & local musician Johnny Helm. The song was recorded at Helm's home studio, Helm's Garage and produced by Helm. "See You Again" was written by James & award winning musician YOZA. The song was recorded at Island Sound Studios and produced by Yoza.

A listening party for just James' family and friends was held on December 21 at Island Sound Studios.

On December 25, 2014, The "Live Again" EP was released.

The EP was reviewed in local newspaper MidWeek, Bill Mossman saying "The four-song album represents Aidan's maiden voyage into unchartered waters as a fast-maturing artist. His voice is deeper and more refined, while his playing chops are rhythmically and tastefully on fleek (as teenagers his age might say). And although the cuteness factor is still present on the album, thanks to his pop rock-friendly melodies, Aidan's growth as a musician can be heard in his burgeoning songwriting abilities" (whole review can be read on http://www.midweek.com/hawaii-entertainment/musical-notes/cute/).

Live Performances

In live performances, James uses a Boss Corporation RC-300 to create loops LIVE on the spot.

When it is required to have a band, James has a trio called "Aidan James & The Rising Sons". The trio consists of James on ukulele, lead vocals; Logyn Okuda (11 years old) on percussion, backup vocals; & Chord Medeiros (15 years old), son of Glenn Medeiros on bass.

Sponsorships

James is sponsored by various companies including Hawaiian Airlines, Monster Headphones and Cables, Boss Corporation, 88 Tees, Jamstik, and Akakura House.

Personal life

James supports organizations including Make Em' Smile, a non-profit based in Honolulu where musicians visit hospitals and plays tunes for the sick children and adults.

James loves to connect with his fans through social media including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. His Facebook page can be found by typing in Facebook.com/AidanJamesOfficial, His instagram is @ajofficial, and Twitter username is @AidanJames.

James currently resides in Honolulu, Hawaii and is planning to write and record a full-length album by the end of 2015.

References

  1. ↑ "Adian James – Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  2. ↑ "Bio". Aiden James. Retrieved 13 April 2015.

External links