The boxer with the name Nate James is listed under Nathaniel James Nathaniel James Harold Speas , commonly known as Nate James , (born 15 September 1979, Lakenheath) is a British soul singer-songwriter.

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Music career

As a recognised songwriter, he was signed by Universal Publishing in 2004, prior to him releasing any material as a performer. Unlike many young artists he did not sign away the copyright in his recordings in the fast pursuit of fame. He owns his own music videos, does his own A&R and releases on his own Frofunk imprint via various deals with independent labels around the world.

Set The Tone (2005-2007)

James released his debut album, Set The Tone in 2005 which is heavily influenced by soul artists such as Marvin Gaye, Prince and Stevie Wonder. It subsequently won James widespread critical acclaim and two MOBO nominations for Best Newcomer and Best R&B Artist. The album, penned almost entirely by James, spans a wide variety of music styles, from the bassy R&B of Set The Tone and the upbeat pop of Universal to classic ballad Justify Me and the rocky influences in I'll Decline - a duet with Dawn Robinson of En Vogue.

James has worked with several noted co-writers, including Eg White (Adele's Chasing Pavements) on Universal , David Sneddon on "The Message", Andreas S. Jensen (Writer of Armand Van Heldens: MyMyMy), Peter-John Vettese (Annie Lennox' Walking On Broken Glass), Jamie Hartman (Will Young's All Time Love) on "Justify Me" and Emily Friendship (Sarah Connor's "You're the Kinda Man"). He has sold out numerous live shows at the Jazz Café in London and at other venues across the UK. His headline gig at Shepherds Bush Empire had to be rescheduled due to the 7 July 2005 London bombings but went ahead in October 2005. Nate and his band also performed at Fruitstock 2005. He has travelled abroad, finding great success in many European countries (winning Festivalbar 2006 in Italy) and Japan in particular.

Kingdom Falls (2007-2008)

The recording of James' second album Kingdom Falls was entirely self-funded out of the profits from his debut. The album features a live orchestra on many tracks paired with more studio based production than that featured on Set The Tone. The album was mixed in LA by grammy winning Outkast collaborator Neal H Pogue and was released first in Japan and subsequently in the UK & Italy.

In February 2008 James & his band performed two tracks from the album on Later... with Jools Holland - Choke & Back To You.

The album title track was influenced by James' experiences on a charity mission to Rwanda in 2006, where he witnessed a mix of joy and sadness, seeing the country and its many orphans recovering from the atrocities committed during the genocide of 1994

In Spring 2008 James embarked on his first tour of North America playing live shows in New York, Toronto, San Diego & Los Angeles. He has joint UK/US citizenship having been born on a U.S. Air Force base in England to an American father.

On 4 July 2008 James headlined the outdoor stage of the Montreal Jazz Fest, performing to an audience of over 120,000 in the Quebec city.

Revival (2009)

In between writing sessions for the next 'proper' album, James recorded a selection of cover versions. These were released as Revival on 30 March 2009.

Discography

Albums

Album information

Set The Tone Release Date: 8 August 2005, re-released 12 June 2006 UK Chart peak: #11 (UK R&B) IMPALA Sales Certification: Gold (30,000) Worldwide sales: 125,000 (according to artist myspace) Singles: "Set The Tone", "Universal", "The Message" / "Get This Right", "Pretend", "Justify Me".

Kingdom Falls Release Date: 18 June 2007 Singles: "Kingdom Falls", "High Times", "Choke" / "Back to You".

Revival Release Date: 30 March 2009 Singles: "Because I Love You"

EPs

• 2007: "Funkdefining EP"

Singles

• 2005: "Set The Tone" #69 (UK), #11 (UK Indie), #17 (UK RnB)
• 2005: "Universal" #72 (UK), #6 (UK Indie), #3 (JAP Airplay)
• 2005: "The Message" / "Get This Right" #4 (Italia Airplay)
• 2006: "Pretend" (Download Only Single packaged with b-side 'Cut A Rug')
• 2006: "Justify Me" Top 5 (Belgium Airplay), Top 20 (Italia Airplay)
• 2007: "Back To You" Top 10 (JAP International Airplay)
• 2007: "Kingdom Falls" ^[1]
• 2007: "High Times"
• 2008: "Choke" / "Back to You"
• 2009: "Because I Love You"

^[2]

Collaborations

• 2005: Poker Pets featuring Nate James - "Lovin' You" #43 (UK)
• 2005: Natalie Williams featuring Nate James - "Conversation"
• 2006: Sway feat. Nate James "Still On My Own"
• 2006: Pe'z v Nate James - "Live For The Groove EP" Top 40 (JAP sales chart)
• 2007: Paolo Meneguzzi & Nate James 'Music' / 'Musica' Top 30 (Italia Airplay)

Also features on

• 2004: Shapeshifters "Lola's Theme" #1 (UK single)
• Funkdefining is featured in the Hollywood movies Run, Fat Boy, Run and How to Lose Friends & Alienate People

Accolades

• 2005: MOBO AWARD Best Newcomer nominee
• 2005: MOBO AWARD Best R&B Artist nominee
• 2005: CHANNEL U Best of British nominee
• 2005: SCREEN NATION AWARDS Best Video nominee
• 2006: MOBO AWARD Best UK Male nominee
• 2006: BT DIGITAL MUSIC AWARDS Best Urban Artist
• 2006: FESTIVALBAR Best International Artist WINNER!
• 2007: URBAN MUSIC AWARDS Best Album (Kingdom Falls)
• 2007: URBAN MUSIC AWARDS Best Neo-Soul Artist WINNER!

References

1. Kingdom Falls Video
2. British Hit Singles & Albums