John Newman was born in Settle, North Yorkshire on June 16, 1990, making today his 26th birthday!
John first rose to fame in 2012 when he featured as a vocalist on Rudimental’s smash hit ‘Feel The Love’. In 2013, he made his solo breakthrough with ‘Love Me Again’ before releasing his number one album Tribute.
Since then, John has released a second successful album, Revolve, featuring the songs ‘Come and Get It’ and ‘Tiring Game’. He has also collaborated with a number of artists including Charlie Wilson, Sigala, Nile Rodgers and Calvin Harris.
Earlier this year, the singer toured across the UK as a support act on Ellie Goulding’s Delirium World Tour. He has an extremely busy summer ahead of him, and will spend it performing at gigs and festivals across the UK and beyond!
To celebrate John’s 26th birthday, we’ve decided to share our love for the singer and pinpoint five of the many reasons why John Newman is one of the best musicians in the industry right now.
1. His voice
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first – John has a truly distinctive voice which oozes soul. In all honesty it would be very difficult to mistake his powerful vocals for anyone else’s. John sings with an intense passion, which comes from his drive to make music that he believes in. He writes from the heart, using personal experiences to fuel his music. As the songs are meaningful to him, he also has the ability to draw out raw emotion through his voice, whether it be elation or heartbreak.
2. His collaborations
Not content with giving us his own soulful music, John has also blessed us with some incredible collaborations since he first burst onto the music scene in 2012. He has collaborated with Rudimental twice, for ‘Not Giving In’ and ‘Feel The Love’, which is still being used on adverts in the UK. Additionally, John collaborated with Calvin Harris for the monster hit song ‘Blame’. Their partnership was perfect, and it excites us to know that they’ve been working together again for a reggae inspired track. Speaking of the track, John told Digital Spy: “It’s just chilled, and I know Calvin’s really, really proud of it as well. He says it’s one of his favourite songs he’s ever written.”
John has also collaborated with some music legends; Charlie Wilson featured on his track ‘Tiring Game’, whilst John’s latest feature is DJ Sigala’s summer bop ‘Give Me Your Love’, which also features Chic star Nile Rodgers!
3. His personality
It’s very rare to see ‘humble’ and ‘popstar’ in the same sentence, but those words most definitely apply to John. He is an honest artist that has stayed loyal to his Yorkshire roots. He doesn’t take his success for granted, and has proven to be an extreme grafter for many years.
John’s book Revolve, an inspiring read which was released the same time as his album of the same name, gives you an insight into his world and lets you get to know the singer better. His deep love for music is evident, which makes him all the more charming. He’s here to make music – the benefits he reaps are just a bonus.
Although he comes across as an intense human being, there is no doubt that John is full of fun too. His Snapchat updates keep fans laughing, as he displays his kooky personality by experimenting with the different filters and sharing snippets of his day.
credit: @ripper_newman
4. His artistry
John has extraordinary artistic ability – he is a perfectionist who takes control of all creative aspects regarding his music. It’s refreshing to see someone put their heart and soul into every element of their production. From his self-penned lyrics, to hand designing artwork, stage layout and costumes, John continuously works from a ‘bucket of influence’ to express his musical vision.
In his Revolve book, he said: “Throughout my work, whether I am designing the set for my live shows, designing my album covers, my website, book layouts or producing music, it all comes from my ‘bucket of influence’. My bucket of influence is constantly being added to; musical influences, architechture, design or even just the colours I see every day. The benefit of using this bucket technique, is that it creates a sense of continuity when progressing projects or ideas.”
His sound is heavily influenced by retro soul and funk and exudes plenty of gospel choirs, strings and brass. In order to convey the sound as best as possible at live gigs, John has a strong band behind him. Of his band, John said: “I take great pride in my band because I have searched and worked hard to get my crew together, to create a family filled with such inspiring people.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BDZBXnNJOf3/?taken-by=johnnewmanmusic
5. His stage presence
John Newman has the ability to command an audience. Whether it be a crowd of 80 or 80,000, he always has the audience in the palm of his hand. Having had the pleasure of seeing John live at Summertime Ball and whilst supporting Ellie Goulding, we are testament to this. Baring in mind that he was a guest at both gigs and not the headline act, he received a rapturous reception, even if some of the audience may not have been fans.
John is a true showman and knows how to make the most of every inch of the stage. His passion is evident as he often loses himself in the music. He’s also got some seriously fancy footwork – we want to see him on Strictly one day! If you’ve yet to see John live, make it a goal of yours. You won’t regret it!
CelebMix would like to wish John Newman the happiest of birthdays! We hope you’ll have the superb day that you deserve.