James William Marriott (born 7 July 1997) is an English musician, YouTuber and Twitch streamer. Born in Switzerland, Marriott grew up in Buckinghamshire, England and first became interested in music after attending an ABBA tribute concert as a child. After uploading videos of his instrumental acoustic music, he attracted attention after diversifying into caustic YouTube commentary videos and Twitch livestreams. A debut single, "Slow Down", was released in May 2020, followed by the extended plays (EPs) No Left Brain and Bitter Tongues. He released his debut album Are We There Yet? in 2023, which charted at number 17 on the UK Albums Chart. Marriott cites Foals and the Strokes as major influences, and his music is generally described as indie rock.
Life and career
Early life and social media
James William Marriott[2] was born in Switzerland on 7 July 1997 but grew up in Buckinghamshire, England.[3] Marriott was interested in music from a young age and his father was a pianist.[4] In 2008, he began attending Bishop Wordsworth's School[5] and uploading animations online; by 2012, he had diversified into uploading videos of his instrumental acoustic work.[3][6] He went on to study modern languages at University College London, spending six months of the course in Granada, Spain, to foster a trilingual proficiency in Spanish and Portuguese alongside his native language, English.[3]
While at university, Marriott attracted attention for his YouTube channel as a commentator on popular culture and music,[3] for which he attracted over two million subscribers; in an interview with Dork, he described his content during this period as "taking the piss out of other YouTubers' music".[4] In 2020, during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Marriott took part in a YouTube group, "the Eboys", including youtubers WillNE, Memeulous and ImAllexx. They hosted a podcast of the same name,[7] and Marriott later gained a following as a live streamer on Twitch.[4][8]
No Left Brain, Bitter Tongues and Are We There Yet?
Marriott released his first single, the yacht rock-inspired, "Slow Down", in May 2020,[3] though he later expressed his disdain for the song[4] and even called it "horrendous".[9] He then released the single "Him", which appeared on his January 2021 extended play (EP) No Left Brain,[10] which was more guitar-based.[3] In July 2021, Marriott released the single "Wake Up!", which GoldenPlec described as a combination of "angsty alt-rock" and indie rock,[11] and in 2022 he released the single "Grapes", a take on developing into young adulthood,[12] and then his second EP, Bitter Tongues.[4] The EP depicts his experiences with heartbreak, sexuality, love, and his creative persona on social media.[13]
James Marriott, performing with Lovejoy, 2023 at Electric Brixton
Thereafter, Marriott performed at the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August,[20][21] at which he debuted "Don't Blame Me", which was released officially in October 2023.[22] That month saw Marriott perform his first ever Australian tour dates; two shows in Sydney and Melbourne.[23] In November, he announced dates for a UK and European tour,[24] and released Are We There Yet?,[14] whose name was taken from a regular utterance of his during family road trips and which narrates a hypothetical return to Spain.[25] It charted at number 17 on the UK Albums Chart[26] and was produced and written in close collaboration with guitarist and keyboardist Jono Suter of Marriott's live band, as well as Aleksi Kiiskinen.[6][27]
In February 2024, Marriott was announced to be playing at the annual Reading and Leeds Festivals on the BBC Radio 1 stage,[28] as well as performing on the Big Top stage at the Isle of Wight Festival later in June 2024.[29] That December, Bitter Tongues entered the UK Albums Chart Update at number 26.[30]
Artistry
Marriott initially "fell head over heels in love with music" after attending an ABBA tribute concert with family as a child.[31] His early guitar work was inspired by Rodrigo y Gabriela, a flamenco and metal music duo. Marriott later deemed the guitar in his music as a "priority", and said he often sits down with an Epiphone Casino whenever emotions hit.[14] In an August 2023 interview with Dork, Marriott cited the Strokes, Bloc Party, Foals, and Kelly Clarkson as influences, the latter for her "in your fucking face" vocal production, and stated that many of his inspirations came from video games he played, describing his music as "somewhere between Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock and any FIFA soundtrack between '06 and '13".[4] He also stated that he likes "having choruses that feel Sam Fender-y",[31] a name that Clash's Robbin Murray used to describe his lyricism.[12] Marriott also cites Jacob Collier, as having "an interesting way of writing melodies" and wants crowds at his shows to feel like how he did when seeing Delta Sleep perform "The Detail".[9] Marriott also noted that a Dodie concert he attended "made [him] fall in love with having a string quartet over indie music".[31] Speaking to the Official Charts Company, Marriott compared his song "Denial" to Biffy Clyro's "Mountains" and The 1975's "Sex."[32] James Wilkinson of AllMusic wrote that Marriott produced "Foals- and Strokes-inspired indie rock."[3]
Members
James Marriott (centre), performing at The Garage, 2023, with band members (L–R) Horsley, Gavin, Shakoori and Suter
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