Holly James

The voice of an angel and the face of a star. At the tender age of 21, Holly James already has her foot firmly in the door of the music industry. Holly began to set the foundations of an enviable career at a very early age. She's already had 2 Top 40 hits, as part of girl group Tymes 4, performed across the UK, co-written tracks for an album and been asked to provide the vocal for one of dance music's most respected producers...Not bad for a girl who 3 years ago was serving behind the counter at McDonalds. Her story begins back in 1981 when she was born to the airy shores of Dorset. It wasn't long before she moved to South London where she grew up with her mother, who was a big fan of Marvin Gaye and Al Green so this love of soul soon permeated her life. As a teenager Holly discovered her own musical heroes & was addicted to the sounds of Beverly Knight and Mariah Carey, two of her biggest musical influences. A move to London was to be the first step on her road to success and to living her dream as a performer. With her love of music and glaringly obvious talent in song and dance Holly was soon enrolled in the Urdang Academy where she began training for a life on the stage. A consummate ballerina and talented singer she remained here until she was 17. With unwavering ambition she began to realise the need to be in the right place and so she began to assert her reputation and exceptional talent among the right people in the right places at the right time. Before long she was a familiar face on the London party circuit rubbing shoulders and making friends with the likes of So Solid Crew, Blue and a plethora of industry faces. It was also at this time that she met Melissa, Taymah and Natalie, with whom she formed TYMES 4. As time went on, although Holly loved being in a band, it became increasingly apparent that she had her own dreams to pursue as a solo artist. So in an amicable split with Tymes4 she left the band to fulfil her dream and a solo career. Holly decided to head Stateside to invest in some quality studio time. It was here that a chance meeting with legendary dance producer Jason Nevins would determine the next step in her career. Unknown to her, Nevins was in the adjacent studio working on new material including 'Heaven' which features Michael Jackson's 'Human Nature' sample (as used by SWV on 'Right Here' which reached No.3 in the UK chart in 1993). So impressed was he with her voice that he instructed his management to arrange a meeting with the young Holly. He was so convinced by her talent and what she could bring to the project that after the meeting Jason personally asked her to guest vocal on his forthcoming track and be the figure-head for the project. This was an opportunity she could not turn down so she accepted the project with relish. The result was one of the most infectious dance records of 2003. Having picked up huge props at Midem and Miami's Dance Music Convention earlier this year, the record looks set to be a huge crossover hit and a fantastic starting point for Holly as a solo artist. Few who have heard her sing deny that this girl has an incredibly bright future ahead of her. This project will see her propelled into the public eye as she begins to stamp her mark on the world.