Nate James facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nate James
James performing at the 2006 Digital Music Awards ceremony
Background information
Birth name	Nathaniel James Speas
Born	(1979-09-15) 15 September 1979 (age 45) Lakenheath, Suffolk, England
Genres	Soul, R&B
Years active	2005–present
Labels	Frofunk

Nathaniel James Speas, known as Nate James, was born on September 15, 1979, in Lakenheath, Suffolk, England. He is an English singer and songwriter. Nate James released his first soul album, Set the Tone, in 2005. This album earned him two nominations for the MOBO Awards, for Best Newcomer and Best R&B Artist.

Nate James released his music through his own company, Frofunk, working with independent labels around the world. This helped him become one of the most successful independent soul artists globally. He has sold over 1,000,000 albums and his songs have been played a lot on the radio in Europe and Japan.

In 2006, he won the Festivalbar, which was a popular Italian singing contest held in famous city squares like the Piazza del Duomo in Milan. In 2007, Nate James won two Urban Music Awards: Best Album for Kingdom Falls and Best Neo-Soul Artist. He also performed on the BBC show Later... with Jools Holland in 2008. Later, in 2013, Nate was a contestant on the BBC's TV show The Voice UK.

About Nate James

Early Life and Music Journey

Nate James has dual citizenship, meaning he is a citizen of both the UK and the US. He was born in England in 1979 on a U. S. Air Force base because his father was American and his mother was English.

Before he even released his own songs, Nate was recognized for his songwriting skills and signed with Universal Publishing in 2004. Unlike many young artists, he chose to keep the rights to his own recordings. This means he owns his music videos and makes his own decisions about his music. He released his songs through his own company, Frofunk, working with different independent labels worldwide. This helped him become a very successful independent soul artist. He has sold over 1,000,000 albums and his music has been very popular on the radio in Europe and Japan. In April 2013, he appeared on The Voice UK, and two of the judges wanted him on their team.

Set the Tone Album (2005–2007)

Nate James released his first album, Set The Tone, in 2005. This album was greatly inspired by famous soul artists like Marvin Gaye, Prince, and Stevie Wonder. The album received excellent reviews and earned Nate two MOBO nominations for Best Newcomer and Best R&B Artist.

Nate wrote most of the songs on Set The Tone. The album shows off many different music styles. It includes the strong R&B sound of Set The Tone, the upbeat pop of Universal, the classic soul feel of The Message, the beautiful ballad sound of Justify Me, and the rock vibe in I'll Decline. The album also features a duet with Dawn Robinson from the group En Vogue.

Nate also worked with several talented co-writers on this album. Some of them include David Brant, Eg White (who wrote Adele's "Chasing Pavements"), David Sneddon (who worked with Lana Del Rey), and Jake Gosling (who worked with Ed Sheeran).

Nate James has performed many sold-out shows at the Jazz Café in London and other places across the UK. His big concert at Shepherd's Bush Empire had to be moved because of the 7 July 2005 London bombings, but it happened in October 2005. Nate and his band also played at Fruitstock in 2005. He became very successful in Europe and Japan. In 2006, he won the Festivalbar in Italy. This Italian singing competition takes place in important Italian city squares during the summer, like the Piazza del Duomo, Milan.

Kingdom Falls Album (2007–2008)

Nate James paid for the recording of his second album, Kingdom Falls, using the money he earned from his first album. This album features a live orchestra on many songs and has more studio production than Set The Tone.

The album's title song, "Kingdom Falls", was inspired by Nate's trip to Rwanda in 2006. He went there on a charity mission and saw a mix of happiness and sadness. He saw the country and its many orphans recovering after the terrible events of the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The album was mixed in Los Angeles by Neal H Pogue, who has won a grammy award. It was first released in Japan, then in the UK and Italy.

In 2007, Nate James won the Urban Music Awards for Best Album (Kingdom Falls) and Best Neo-Soul Artist.

In February 2008, Nate James and his band performed two songs from the album, "Choke" and "Back To You", on the BBC show Later... with Jools Holland.

In spring 2008, Nate went on his first tour in North America. He played live shows in New York City, Toronto, San Diego, and Los Angeles. On July 4, 2008, Nate James was the main performer on the outdoor stage of the Montreal Jazz Fest. He played for a huge crowd of over 120,000 people in Quebec City.

Revival Album (2009)

While working on his next album, Nate James recorded a collection of cover versions, which are his versions of other artists' songs. These were released as the album Revival on March 30, 2009. The album was produced by David Brant, who also produced Nate's Set The Tone album.

SugaSmak! (2010)

In 2010, Nate James started a group called SugaSmak! Nate was the lead singer, known as 'SugaJack', and Matt Gooderson from the band Infadels was 'Clyma'. The duo had a new ElectroSoul sound. Their first song, "We Are", was released on November 22, 2010.

"Back Foot" (2012)

In 2012, Nate worked with the duo HeavyFeet from Manchester to record the song "Back Foot". This song was released on March 25, 2012.

The Voice UK (2013)

In 2013, Nate James appeared on the popular UK TV show The Voice UK. He sang "Crazy", and two judges, Jessie J and Danny O'Donoghue, turned their chairs for him. He chose Jessie J as his coach, even though he thought about joining will.i.am's team. He was eliminated during The Battle Rounds.

The Voice of Holland (2018)

In 2018, Nate James appeared on the TV show The Voice of Holland in the Netherlands. He sang "Issues" and all four judges turned their chairs for him! He chose Waylon to be his coach.

Discography

Albums

EPs

• 2007: Funkdefining EP

Singles

As solo artist

With SugaSmack!

• "We Are" (2010)

With Heavyfeet

• "Back Foot" (2012)

Collaborations

• 2005: Poker Pets featuring Nate James - "Lovin' You" No. 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)
• 2012: HeavyFeet & Nate James – "Back Foot"
• 2024: John Galea & Nate James – "Old School Love"

Also features on

• 2004: Shapeshifters "Lola's Theme" No. 1 (UK single)
• "Funkdefining" is featured in the Hollywood movies Run, Fat Boy, Run and How to Lose Friends & Alienate People

Awards and Nominations

• 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

See also

In Spanish: Nate James para niños