Tribute

John Newman, 22 years old, from Northern England. He started playing guitar and writing his own songs at just 14 and soon learned how to record and produce himself, even making his own house tracks and DJ'ing. A few years later and all the influences start to stack up to form the basis of John's sound. John's sound? Think the pure sould and groove of early Stax and Motown. Throw in some tasty James Brown and Prince, dirty it up with a bit of Black Keys, and hell, why not mix it all together with a bit of Dangermouse. But what really hits you is John's voice. At 20 he moved to London, started a band, played some gigs and got signed to Island Records. His keyboard player also happened to be one of the producers extraordinaire in Rudimental. A few beers on a sunny afternoon in a dingy studio and the number one single 'Feel the Love' and follow up hit single 'Not Giving In' were born. Born in Settle, North Yorkshire, John's mother was obsessed with Motown and Northern Soul. As a teenager, John began to realize there was a whole world beyond everything he knew. His love for house music turned into hip-hop, then Motown, then his mother's eclectic 70s and 80s vinyl. There were albums by Diana Ross and James Brown, there was Northern Soul and punk too and John loved playing them so much he began DJ'ing locally. He began listening to Damien Rice, Ray Lamontagne and Ben Harper as he taught himself guitar.