Torville Ashburn M. Jones (born 6 April 1984), better known by the stage name Tokio Myers, is an English musician and record producer best known for his work as a pianist. He won the reality show Britain's Got Talent in 2017,[1] after which he released many of his independent compositions, including his debut album Our Generation.
Tokio Myers | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Torville Ashburn M. Jones |
| Born | 6 April 1984 London, England |
| Genres |
|
| Occupation(s) | Musician, record producer |
| Instrument(s) | Piano, keyboards, synthesizer, drums |
| Years active | 2000s–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | tokiomyers |
Early life
editMyers was born Torville Ashburn M. Jones in London on 6 April 1984. He is of West Indian descent. As an 11-year-old student at St George's Catholic School in Maida Vale, he witnessed the murder of the school's Irish headmaster Philip Lawrence at the hands of a local youth branch of the Wo Shing Wo gang, and was ushered to safety inside the building by his music teacher.[2] He later studied with a full scholarship at the Royal College of Music.[citation needed]
Career
editMyers has previously supported Kanye West, The Police, and Amy Winehouse when he toured with producer Mr Hudson's band Mr Hudson and the Library. Myers also supported Lianne La Havas on her 2016 European Tour.[3]
He used synths and a sample pad as part of his performances, fusing classical roots with dance and pop genres. He was signed to a publishing deal with BMG.[4]
In June 2017, Myers featured in and co-produced a charity single of "Bridge over Troubled Water" to raise money for those impacted by the Grenfell Tower fire, which happened in North Kensington on 14 June 2017.
On 13 October 2017, he released his official debut single, entitled "Bloodstream", which is his studio rendition of his audition performance at Britain's Got Talent. It was also announced as being the lead single from his debut album, entitled Our Generation, which being released in November 2017.
On 5 November 2017, Myers performed as a guest on The X Factor, performing "Angel", and he returned in the final, to duet with Kevin Davy White performing "Fastlove, Pt. 1" by George Michael.
On 4 February 2019, Myers competed in America's Got Talent: The Champions. The first time travelling to the US, his performance consisted of performing a medley of Claude Debussy's "Clair de lune" and Ed Sheeran's "Bloodstream" on the piano and drums. He failed to make it to the final. He returned in the finale as a guest along with Voices of Hope Children's Choir, performing "All We Got" by Robin Schulz.
On 11 September 2019, Myers performed as a guest on America's Got Talent along with Stewart Copeland, performing "Safe and Sound".[5] English singer Grace Davies performed the vocals.
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK [6] | |||
| Our Generation |
|
4 |
Singles
editAs lead artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [6] | |||||||
| "Bloodstream" | 2017 | — | Our Generation | ||||
| "Baltimore" | — | ||||||
| "Angel" | 61 | ||||||
| "Children" | — | ||||||
| "Enter the Jungle" (featuring Akala) |
2019 | — | Non-album single | ||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||
As featured artist
edit| Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK | ||
| "Bridge over Troubled Water" (as part of Artists for Grenfell) |
2017 | 1 |
Remixes
edit| Title | Year | Original Artist(s) |
|---|---|---|
| "I Miss You" | 2017 | Clean Bandit (featuring Julia Michaels) |
References
edit- ^ Nattrass, JJ (3 June 2017). "Musician Tokio Myers wins Britain's Got Talent 2017 after emotional final show". The Mirror. Retrieved 3 June 2017.
- ^ Dawson, James (5 June 2017). "Tokio Myers Will Donate 'Britain's Got Talent' Winnings To Build Music School". LADbible. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ "Britain's Got Talent 2017: who is winner Tokio Myers?". The Telegraph. 4 June 2017. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ Benjamin, Kim (6 October 2016). "Event Awards 2016: one week to go". eventmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
- ^ Deen, Sarah (12 September 2019). "Simon Cowell sends 'incredible' 10-year-old opera singer Emanne Beasha to America's Got Talent finals". Metro.
- ^ a b "Tokio Myers | full Official Chart history". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
- ^ "British certifications – Tokio Myers". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 13 April 2023. Type Tokio Myers in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.