James Davis (musical group)

JAMESDAVIS (formerly James Davis) is an American R&B trio based in Los Angeles. It is composed of three siblings: fraternal twins Jess and Rey Reynolds and their brother Auston Reynolds. The trio has released several EPs, including most recently, Masterpeace, in May 2019. JAMESDAVIS is currently signed to Motown.

JAMESDAVIS
JAMESDAVIS in 2015
Background information
OriginLos Angeles
Genres
Years active2014–present
LabelsMotown
MembersJessika "Jess" Reynolds
Erika "Rey" Reynolds
Auston Reynolds[1]

History

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JAMESDAVIS is composed of fraternal twins and co-vocalists Jess and Rey Reynolds and their younger brother, producer and keyboardist Auston Reynolds.[2] Each member of the band also sings and plays guitar, keys, and/or percussion depending on the song.[3] Their father is a former professional baseball player and their mother a professional background singer.[4] Jess had previously been signed to Virgin Records as a teenager[3] and worked with songwriter, Harold Lilly. Likewise, Rey was mentored by Motown songwriter, Leon Ware.[5] Auston also studied sound engineering.[4]

The three began recording together as teenagers in around 2008.[3] The group's name is a combination of the common middle name of all the men on their father's side (James) and their mother's maiden name (Davis).[5] In around 2014,[1] Motown president Ethiopia Habtemariam heard the group's demo and signed them to a recording contract.[3] The trio's first Motown single, "Better Than You Are", was released in January 2015.[6] A second single, "Co-Pilot", and its accompanying music video were released the following month.[5] The group also released a cover of The Cranberries' song, "Zombie".[7] In May 2015, the trio released its self-titled debut EP (James Davis) on Motown and began opening for Seinabo Sey on her U.S. tour in support.[2][8] A second EP, Here It Go, was released in January 2016.[9]

After nearly two years, the group returned in November 2017 with a mini-EP (Not The Album) and its current name stylization ("JAMESDAVIS").[10] In September 2018, the trio released the single, "Speedboat."[11] The following month, that song would appear on the band's Lamplighter, Vol. 1 EP released via Motown.[12] JAMESDAVIS also performed "Speedboat" at the Ebony Power 100 Gala in November 2018.[13]

In 2019, the group began releasing a series of singles, including "Evergreen",[14] "Dodger Black",[15] and "Something To Talk About".[16] Those songs appeared on the trio's 7-track EP, Masterpeace, released by Motown in May 2019.[17] JAMESDAVIS also supported Leikeli47 on her North American "Acrylic" tour before playing a few shows in Europe.[18]

Discography

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List of EPs, with year released
Title Album details
James Davis[8]
Here It Go[9]
  • Released: January 25, 2016
  • Label: Motown
  • Format: Digital download
Not The Album[10]
  • Released: November 30, 2017
  • Label: Motown
  • Format: Digital download
Lamplighter, Vol. 1[12]
  • Released: October 26, 2018
  • Label: Motown
  • Format: Digital download
Masterpeace[18]
  • Released: May 10, 2019
  • Label: Motown
  • Format: Digital download

Singles

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List of singles with selected details
Title Year Album
"Better Than You Are"[6] 2015 James Davis
"Co-Pilot"[5]
"Speedboat"[11] 2018 Lamplighter, Vol. 1
"Evergreen"[14] 2019 Masterpeace
"Dodger Black"[15]
"Something To Talk About"[16]

References

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  1. ^ a b "James Davis Performs at 'Hear It Here First' Showcase". BMI. 1 December 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Smooth soul from James Davis". The San Francisco Examiner. 8 June 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d Trammell, Matthew (5 March 2015). "Meet James Davis, Three Siblings Making The R&B They Always Wanted". The Fader. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  4. ^ a b Light, Alan (30 March 2015). "James Davis: The Best Family Band Since the Sisters Haim". Elle. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d Taylor Bennett, Kim (10 February 2015). "Introducing Sibling Trio James Davis and Their Video for "Co-Pilot"". Noisey. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  6. ^ a b Trammell, Matthew (20 January 2015). "L.A. Soul Trio James Davis Premiere "Better Than You Are"". The Fader. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  7. ^ Manning, Emily (13 May 2015). "james davis might be the new jackson 5". i-D. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  8. ^ a b "Motown Trio James Davis Release Self-Titled Debut Project". Saint Heron. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  9. ^ a b Black, Adrienne (25 January 2016). "Premiere: Sibling Trio James Davis Bend Genres with Their New EP 'Here It Go'". Complex. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Motown's JAMESDAVIS Release Mini EP 'Not The Album'". ThisisRnB. 30 November 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  11. ^ a b Mahadevan, Tara (28 September 2018). "Listen to JAMESDAVIS' Ethereal Song "Speedboat"". Complex. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  12. ^ a b Clark, Trent (26 October 2018). "JAMESDAVIS Release "Lamplighter, Vol. 1 EP". HipHopDX. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  13. ^ Lyle, Ashley (3 December 2018). "Cardi B, Drake, Travis Scott & More Honored at Ebony Power 100 Gala". Billboard. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  14. ^ a b Mitchell, Gail (14 February 2019). "JAMESDAVIS Premieres 'Evergreen' Video: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  15. ^ a b James, Jesse (21 March 2019). "Watch: JAMESDAVIS – Dodger Black". Stupid Dope. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  16. ^ a b "Music: JAMESDAVIS – Something to Talk About". Singersroom. 12 April 2019. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  17. ^ Yu, Emilia (13 May 2019). "On The Scene: JAMESDAVIS MASTERPEACE Penthouse Performance". The Knockturnal. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
  18. ^ a b Samuels, Keithan (10 May 2019). "JAMESDAVIS Releases New EP 'Masterpeace'". Rated R&B. Retrieved 18 June 2019.
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