James Morrison

Born in Rugby, Warwickshire and partly formed between Cornwall and Derby’s open-mic scene, James Morrison broke through in the mid-2000s with songwriting steeped in soul, pop rock and acoustic folk, carried by a distinctively raspy voice. After starting out in pubs and as a busker, he released Undiscovered in 2006 and Songs for You, Truths for Me in 2008, where his palette widened toward a more produced pop-soul without losing its melodic grounding. His repertoire alternates between ballads, mid-tempos and rhythm-and-blues-tinged numbers, with arrangements centered on guitar, piano and vocals. Morrison continued this trajectory with The Awakening (2011), Higher Than Here (2015) and You’re Stronger Than You Know (2019). Over his career he has collaborated with artists such as Nelly Furtado, Jason Mraz, Jessie J and Joss Stone, and has written songs for other performers. Active on the UK pop circuit, both touring and at festivals, James Morrison retains a direct approach to songwriting, situated between English soul, adult pop and light rock.