IN the two years since his debut album, Panic Prevention was nominated for the Mercury Prize, Jamie T has gone about cementing his position as one of the UK’s most exciting young singer-songwriters.
His sophomore record, Kings & Queens, has won widespread praise as a snapshot of young London that’s as aware of the past as the future. His Brit-hop beats are tempered by a folky sensibility and lyrics that manage to be both fun and provocative.
But it wasn’t an easy process. After the success of his debut, the pressures of the constant touring at home and abroad took their toll and he placed himself on creative lockdown for months while he figured out what to do next. Early recordings for the second album got bogged down in a folk sound that he didn’t feel right with and he scrapped them.
Not releasing anything he and producer Ben Bones weren’t entirely happy with he says he found the perfect way to avoid the second album trap: “I didn’t do my second album, I did my third one instead.”
He starts his UK tour on Thursday and plays Southampton Guildhall on Friday (October 2).
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