James Walsh

Born in 1980 in Wigan and raised in Chorley, James Walsh first became known as the singer, guitarist and principal songwriter of Starsailor, an English band that emerged in the early 2000s amid the wave of melodic British rock. His writing, centered on voice, guitar and piano, sits within a rock and singer-songwriter idiom often leaning toward acoustic arrangements, with restrained melodies and an introspective tone. Alongside the band, Walsh launched a solo path from 2009 and first released the Live at the Top of the World EP in 2010, recorded in Tromsø with a Norwegian chamber orchestra. He then worked with Suzanne Vega on his first solo album, Lullaby, released in 2012, followed by Turning Point in 2014, Tiger On The Bridge in 2019, the albums Small Illusions and Everything Will Be Ok in 2021, and Coming Good in 2023. Walsh has also performed in more stripped-back settings and solo on stage, notably opening for Simple Minds in 2011 and for Mike + The Mechanics in 2015, while continuing his work with Starsailor.