Rat Boy (musician)
| Rat Boy | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jordan Cardy |
| Also known as | Rat Boy |
| Born |
21 February 1996 Chelmsford, Essex, England |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2013–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website |
ratboy |
| Notable instruments | |
| |
Jordan Cardy (born 21 February 1996), known by his stage name Rat Boy, is an English musician from Chelmsford, Essex. His touring band include, Liam Haygarth (bass), Harry Todd (guitar) and Noah Booth (drums).
Early life
Cardy was born in Chelmsford, England on 21 February 1996. He studied at Chelmer Valley High School in Chelmsford and went on to study Art at Colchester Institute. Despite being dyslexic,[1] he began writing songs in his spare time, releasing songs on SoundCloud under the name "Rat Boy", a name given to him by his school friends who claimed he looked like a rat.[1] After college Cardy was hired and subsequently fired from Wetherspoons, which provided inspiration for his first release on SoundCloud, The Mixtape.[2]
Career
Rat Boy produced "The Mixtape", a 5 track mix on which they provided vocals, keyboard and bass. They sent "The Mixtape" to various record companies and in response Drew McConnell (bassist for Babyshambles) arranged for Rat Boy to have a meeting with him, Rat Boy was subsequently signed to Parlophone records in early 2015. In addition to this "The Mixtape" was featured in NME Magazine and played by radio stations including BBC Radio 1, Radio X (formerly XFM) and BBC Radio 6.[3]
Rat Boy was added to the BBC Sound Of 2016 Longlist, an annual poll in which over 100 Music Specialists select artists they believe will be successful within the next 12 months.[4] In December 2015, MTV released its Brand New for 2016, an annually released article and webseries containing artists to watch out for during the upcoming year. Rat Boy was shortlisted along with 10 other artists including Bonkaz, Jack Garratt and Rationale. He was also nominated for the Best New Artist 2016 by NME magazine, which he subsequently won, along with performing his single "Move" at the awards ceremony.[5]
In April 2017, Cardy's song "Knock Knock Knock" was sampled on Kendrick Lamar's song "LUST.", taken from his fourth studio album, DAMN.
Musical style
Rat Boy's music is an amalgamation of several styles, most notably hip hop and indie rock. He has cited his main musical influences as English bands The Clash and The Streets and has been compared to artists such as Jamie T and The Beastie Boys. He is also a fan of Kendrick Lamar and Kasabian.[6] Cardy has a DIY approach to his art and music, generally recording and producing his own tracks at home and creating all his own album art. Many of Cardy's songs consist of narratives and stories within the lyrics, as well as samples recorded of sounds and conversations from his daily life.[7]
Discography
Studio albums
- SCUM (2017)
EPs/Mixtapes
- The Mixtape (2014)[8]
- Neighbourhood Watch (2015)
- Get Over It (2016)
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Vinyl[9] | ||||||
| "Sign On" | 2015 | 1 | SCUM | |||
| "FAKE ID" | 4 | |||||
| "Move" | 2016 | 5 | ||||
| "Get Over It" | - | |||||
| "Cash In Hand" | - | Get Over It EP | ||||
| "Lovers Law" | - | non-album single | ||||
| "Revolution" | 2017 | - | SCUM | |||
| "Laidback" | - | |||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||
Touring members
Cardy is joined by his band during live performances:
- Jordan Cardy - Vocals, Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Bass Guitar, Keyboard, Songwriter, Mixer/Producer
- Harry Todd - Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Sampler & Keys
- Liam Haygarth - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
- Noah Booth - Drums
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | BBC Sound Of 2016 | Best New Act | Rat Boy | Won |
| MTV Brand New | Best New Act | Won | ||
| NME Awards[10] | Best New Artist | Won | ||
| 2017 | NME Awards[11] | Best Video | Rat Boy | Won |
References
- 1 2 "Self-proclaimed "loud and annoying" singer-songwriter RatBoy is bringing back nineties music". Independent UK. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ↑ "The Mixtape". Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ↑ "Bestival 2016 : Home". Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ↑ NME.COM. "BBC Sound of 2016 longlist revealed: Jack Garratt, Rat Boy and more - NME.COM". Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ↑ NME.COM. "NME Awards Voting Closed - NME.COM". Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ↑ "NME Awards 2016: Rat Boy Soundcheck". Youtube. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
- ↑ NME.COM. "Rat Boy Interview: British Indie's Cheekiest New Upstart Is Busy Making A Riot Of Life’s Tribulations - NME.COM". Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ↑ Lester, Paul (21 November 2014). "New band of the week: Rat Boy (No 32)". Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ↑ "Official Vinyl Singles Chart Top 40 - Official Charts Company". Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ↑ NME.COM. "NME Awards 2016 with Austin, Texas full winners list - NME.COM". Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ↑ "VO5 NME Awards 2017 - full winners' list". NME. 2017-02-15. Retrieved 2017-03-01.