Aidan James

Aidan James

Aidan James 2016
Background information
Birth name Aidan James Laprete Powell
Born (2001-09-06) September 6, 2001
Honolulu, Hawaii, United States
Occupation(s) musician, singer-songwriter, actor
Instruments ukulele, vocals, loop pedal, guitar
Years active 2001–present
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 onto YouTube. The video went viral and currently has over 19 million views.

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

James released his first EP, entitled Live Again at the end of 2014. The EP has 4 tracks, including "One of the Ones", his first single which was released earlier in 2014, and was featured on an episode of Hawaii Five-0. He released his first full-length album, Echoes, in December 2015.

Early life

James 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 four,[2] and started to sing at age eight. He started performing at age six in children's groups at local ukulele festivals.[3]

Musical style

The ukulele, played as a rock instrument rather than in traditional Hawaiian style, is his trademark.[2] He has said, “I want to be able to show the ukulele to everybody and be able to show that you can do anything with it.”[4] In live performances, James uses a Boss Corporation RC-300 to create loops live on the spot and TC Helicon's Voicelive 3 for ukulele and singing effects.

Music career

YouTube Video

At age eight, James performed the song "Hey Soul Sister" by Train (band) at the 2010 Ukulele Festival. On July 19, 2010, a video of this performance was uploaded by "elrollo79" onto YouTube.[5] The video quickly went viral and has received nearly twenty million views.[6] The video got the attention a number of popular musicians,[7] among them Jack Johnson and Mick Fleetwood as well as Train's Pat Monahan who is reported to have called it his favorite cover version of the song.[8]

Kokua Festival 2010

Jack Johnson asked James 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 the program. James was featured in episode 5, Season 1 singing Hey Soul Sister for about ten seconds.[8]

Train

James attended the Train concert at the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii on December 20, 2010. Train's lead singer, Patrick Monahan, saw him in the crowd and said: "Hey, you're that kid from the YouTube video, come up here!". James and Monahan then proceeded to sing the first verse and chorus of "Hey Soul Sister" together. James and Monahan became friends and in 2013, Train put James in the music video for their song "Mermaid", which they were filming in Honolulu. The video premiered on YouTube on February 27, 2013.

HAPA Tour

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

2012–2014

In mid-2012, James announced that he was forming a duo consisting of himself and percussionist Ian Wacksman. The duo was named James James & Ian Wacksman. They played at 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. A day before, James and drummer Ian Wacksman played for the Aloha Day, an event that was held at the stadium.

Whisky A Go Go

On 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 was produced by award winning producer Gaylord Holomalia. An EDM remix of the song was created by Sebastian Hughes, and an island remix was created by local musician Johnny Helm. All three versions of the song were released on iTunes on February 24, and an EP version was sold for a limited time at festivals. The club remix and the original play on a local radio station Star 101.9 on Sundays as a part of "Unsigned Hawaii."

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

2014–2015

One of the Ones Tour

In mid 2014, James went on a solo tour independently 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 tour, he did another tour in Japan, playing at the Hard Rock Cafe, Shibuya Kokaido, and several music festivals.

Live Again EP

Towards the end of 2014, James announced that he had returned from his tour and that he was starting to write for an upcoming project. "You Should Let Go" was written by James and 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 was produced by award winning producer Brandon Apeles. "Live Again" was written by James and a local musician, Johnny Helm.[3] The song was recorded at Helm's home studio, in Helm's garage, and was produced by Helm. "See You Again" was written by James and award winning musician YOZA. The song was recorded at Island Sound Studios and was produced by Yoza.

A listening party for James's 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, with Bill Mossman saying: "The four-song album represents James's maiden voyage into unchartered waters [sic] 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, James's growth as a musician can be heard in his burgeoning songwriting abilities".[3]

Live Again was nominated for EP of the Year at the Na Hoku Hanohano Awards, the Hawaii equivalent to The Grammys.[9]

MidWeek Cover Story

A Hawaiian magazine, MidWeek, did a cover story on James titled "How Aidan James Became One of Earth's Mightiest Heroes,". The story was about him being featured in HBO's documentary Saving My Tomorrow.[8]

"The Girl On the TV Screen"

On August 17, 2015, James released the single "The Girl On the TV Screen", which was written by Tommy Cecil, James, Jay Brunswick, and Matt Alderman. It was written and recorded at Horipro's headquarters in Nashville.

Echoes

James' debut album Echoes was released on December 1, 2015 with eleven tracks produced by Imua Garza, Brandon Apeles, and Gaylord Holomalia.[6] The release party for the album was held at Doris Duke Theatre on November 29, 2015 with appearances by Jake Shimabukuro, the Hawaii Five-0 cast and crew, and others.

2016

Train's Sail Across The Sun Cruise

James announced that Train has asked for him to join the lineup for the 2016 Sail Across the Sun cruise which includes American Idol winner Phillip Phillips, Michael Franti, Andy Grammer, and Shaggy.[10]

Sponsorships

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

Personal life

James supports organizations including Make Em' Smile, a non-profit based in Honolulu that organizes musicians' visits to hospitals to plays tunes for children and adult patients.[11]

James currently resides in Los Angeles, CA.

References

  1. ↑ "Aidan James – Biography". IMDb. Retrieved 2015-03-03.
  2. 1 2 "Teen sensation Aidan James makes Kona debut at book signing". West Hawaii Today. March 6, 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 "More Than Cute". MidWeek. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  4. ↑ Berger, John (December 6, 2015). "Teenage ukulele player is a talented songwriter". Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  5. ↑ "Aidan James - 8 year old covers Train, Hey Soul Sister!". YouTube, LLC. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  6. 1 2 "Fourteen-Year-Old Local Singer-Songwriter Aidan James Releases First Full-Length Album ‘Echoes’". Hawaii News Now. November 27, 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "Bio". Aiden James. Retrieved 13 April 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 "How Aidan James Became One Of Earth’s Mightiest (And Cutest) Heroes". MidWeek. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  9. ↑ "Aidan James and the Rising Sons perform at Ala Moana Center on July 4th". KHON-2. July 3, 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "Aidan James - Sail Across The Sun".
  11. ↑ "Make 'em Smile". Make 'em Smile. Retrieved 12 March 2016.


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