Jamie Lawson (born December 1, 1975, in St Budeaux, Plymouth) is an English… Read Full Bio ↴Jamie Lawson (born December 1, 1975, in St Budeaux, Plymouth) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. He was the first artist to be signed by Ed Sheeran's record label, Gingerbread Man Records. Lawson is best known for his hit single, "Wasn't Expecting That", and his self-titled album which peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart in 2015.
A musician and lyricist of uncommon and mature gift, and one blessed with a gloriously fluid and expressive voice, Lawson was born and raised in Plymouth in what was he says a resolutely non-musical household. “No-one sang or played anything. We didn’t have any records. My dad would listen to Radio 2 a bit but that was the extent of it. And this was back in the days before the station got really good. There was nothing in what I heard that spoke directly to me.” Then the elder of his two brothers hit adolescence and things began to change: “He got me into The Smiths, The Housemartins, the Jackson 5 ...” A disparate trio of early influences, you might think, but Jamie says not really. “They’re all very big on melody. And Morrissey and the young Michael Jackson both have a real passion to the way they sing.”
Aged eight, he asked for and received his first guitar. Early on in secondary school, he was invited to join his first band. “We were quite a dedicated little bunch, rehearsing every lunchtime when the rest of the class was out playing football. It was pretty much all covers, of course ... R.E.M., the Chilli Peppers, some Hendrix. By the time I was 15 we had quite a wide repertoire of other people’s badly-done songs.” He was writing material of his own too, “all of it terrible to start with, of course. I’d be 17 at least before I came up with anything good.” And he was singing, though mainly in unconscious impersonation of Michael Stipe. “My own voice took a while to find. I had to stop trying to replicate someone else’s tricks.”
When he did properly uncover it, that voice proved to be something very special indeed. No one who has heard him sing live would disagree (and in addition to his own regular schedule of gigging, he has played with artists including The Frames, Martha Wainwright and Damien Rice, as well as having been chosen as opening act for outdoor gigs by both Van Morrison and Katie Melua). Even-keeled, even undemonstrative offstage, he comes alive in front of an audience and in the service of his songs. “American Music Club’s Mark Eitzel has been a big influence, in the sense that he sings with his whole body and puts so much into his performance. The difference is that my voice is sweeter and more pure.”
There was a brief and half-hearted attempt at following a different career path. But unhappy and unfulfilled in his earliest weeks at Art College, Lawson sought the advice of a counsellor who then asked him, ‘So what do you want to do with your life?’ “And when I said that I wanted to be a singer she told me, ‘Then go and do it!’ which totally surprised me but which was absolutely the right thing to say. I met that woman just once and for five minutes. I don’t even know her name. But she showed me what I had to do.” And via a geographically circuitous route that has taken in Dublin, Cornwall and now London and during which both his song writing skills and stagecraft have increased by leaps and bounds, he has done it.
Lawson is not just a singer but also an exceptionally blessed and affecting one. His voice and songs have proven to work equally beautifully and well whether in a tiny indoor venue like London’s 12 Bar Club or outdoors before 10,000 people. “And the simple fact is that I love to sing,” he says. “I love the intimacy of live performance. I love drawing people into my mood. I love bringing them to where I am.”
Alan Jackson.
The Times
London.
A musician and lyricist of uncommon and mature gift, and one blessed with a gloriously fluid and expressive voice, Lawson was born and raised in Plymouth in what was he says a resolutely non-musical household. “No-one sang or played anything. We didn’t have any records. My dad would listen to Radio 2 a bit but that was the extent of it. And this was back in the days before the station got really good. There was nothing in what I heard that spoke directly to me.” Then the elder of his two brothers hit adolescence and things began to change: “He got me into The Smiths, The Housemartins, the Jackson 5 ...” A disparate trio of early influences, you might think, but Jamie says not really. “They’re all very big on melody. And Morrissey and the young Michael Jackson both have a real passion to the way they sing.”
Aged eight, he asked for and received his first guitar. Early on in secondary school, he was invited to join his first band. “We were quite a dedicated little bunch, rehearsing every lunchtime when the rest of the class was out playing football. It was pretty much all covers, of course ... R.E.M., the Chilli Peppers, some Hendrix. By the time I was 15 we had quite a wide repertoire of other people’s badly-done songs.” He was writing material of his own too, “all of it terrible to start with, of course. I’d be 17 at least before I came up with anything good.” And he was singing, though mainly in unconscious impersonation of Michael Stipe. “My own voice took a while to find. I had to stop trying to replicate someone else’s tricks.”
When he did properly uncover it, that voice proved to be something very special indeed. No one who has heard him sing live would disagree (and in addition to his own regular schedule of gigging, he has played with artists including The Frames, Martha Wainwright and Damien Rice, as well as having been chosen as opening act for outdoor gigs by both Van Morrison and Katie Melua). Even-keeled, even undemonstrative offstage, he comes alive in front of an audience and in the service of his songs. “American Music Club’s Mark Eitzel has been a big influence, in the sense that he sings with his whole body and puts so much into his performance. The difference is that my voice is sweeter and more pure.”
There was a brief and half-hearted attempt at following a different career path. But unhappy and unfulfilled in his earliest weeks at Art College, Lawson sought the advice of a counsellor who then asked him, ‘So what do you want to do with your life?’ “And when I said that I wanted to be a singer she told me, ‘Then go and do it!’ which totally surprised me but which was absolutely the right thing to say. I met that woman just once and for five minutes. I don’t even know her name. But she showed me what I had to do.” And via a geographically circuitous route that has taken in Dublin, Cornwall and now London and during which both his song writing skills and stagecraft have increased by leaps and bounds, he has done it.
Lawson is not just a singer but also an exceptionally blessed and affecting one. His voice and songs have proven to work equally beautifully and well whether in a tiny indoor venue like London’s 12 Bar Club or outdoors before 10,000 people. “And the simple fact is that I love to sing,” he says. “I love the intimacy of live performance. I love drawing people into my mood. I love bringing them to where I am.”
Alan Jackson.
The Times
London.
Sometimes It's Hard
Jamie Lawson Lyrics
We have lyrics for 'Sometimes It's Hard' by these artists:
Dirt Miller Sometimes it's hard just to get up to see the…
We have lyrics for these tracks by Jamie Lawson:
...But Love Me Can we locate where we went wrong? It's driving me crazy It'…
A Darkness It was only a smile but my heart it went…
Ahead of Myself Don't wanna get ahead of myself But isn't this grand? Don't …
All Is Beauty There inside a moment of time I was thinking we were…
Almost All the Time Difficult as time is, I know this will heal. I can…
Brave Jesus, do I miss her. If she were mine to miss,…
But Love Me Can we locate where we went wrong? It's driving me crazy It'…
Can't See Straight Shooting stars shining down on your face Dancing in the moon…
Cold in Ohio This city's always moving Nothing stays still Somebody's alw…
Don't Let Me Let You Go I know I make mistakes and I can let you…
Footprints in the Snow It's cold outside like I've never known I hold you knowing…
I Wasn't Expecting That It was only a smile but my heart it went…
I'm Gonna Love You From the way we often are From my hotel to the…
In Our Own Worlds We weathered the silence, weathered the storms. Weathered th…
Last Night Stars Last night stars are faded There's only a bright blue sky Co…
North Shore I go down to the North Shore Not far now from…
Oh What A Foolish Me Everthing is bound to fade if you give it time Everything…
Panic Attacks Opening Wounds that we broke are easily mended. I wrote you …
Petals I will hold your clothes, watch you as you swim. Naked…
Real Thing Call me if you need someone to hold you close You…
Seven Given the chances missed it. Given that fate must be twiste…
Some Ships Some say the day is done just as the sun…
Someone For Everyone All my friends and lovers, there's something I'd like to…
Still Yours This heart has been broken This heart has been fixed This he…
The Answer If I ask too many questions It′s cause I can't quite…
The Last Time If it's the last thing that you do If it's the…
The Only Conclusion I've been walking these streets In the finest of rain I'm so…
The Touch of Your Hand Well it bent and it bent til it finally broke And…
The Years In Between Quiet conversations Words that broke the air Distant observa…
This Is Love Well I can't hold on But I won't let go I am…
Union St Opening Sara, when did you grow up? Did you throw up over…
Use Somebody I've been roaming around Always looking down at all I see Pa…
Wasn It was only a smile but my heart it went…
Wheat for Billie Underneath near where I stand Found a brand new point of…
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Becky Millington
on I'm Gonna Love You
Marriage not memories