220 Kid

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220 Kid
Birth nameWilliam Edward Graydon
Also known as
  • Willie the Kid
  • William Edward
Born (1989-05-08) 8 May 1989 (age 32)
Oxfordshire, England, UK
OriginLondon[1]
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Record producer
  • DJ
Years active2019–present
Labels
Associated actsOMYO

William Edward Graydon[1] (born 8 May 1989[1]), known professionally as 220 Kid (pronounced "two-twenty kid"[6] and stylised in all caps[7]), is an English record producer and DJ.[7] On the UK Singles Chart, his collaboration "Don't Need Love" with Gracey peaked at number 9 in 2020,[8] while his remix of Nathan Evans' "Wellerman" with Billen Ted reached the top spot in 2021.[9][10] He is based in Highbury, London.[1]

Early life[]

William Edward Graydon was born on 8 May 1989 in Oxfordshire.[1] His father Ken, former music manager for Bee Gees member Robin Gibb,[11] named Graydon after seeing a number plate ending in WEG from a hospital window.[1] He grew up in Thame and attended Magdalen College School,[12] going on to study at the University of Exeter, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in biosciences followed by a master's degree in sustainable development.[1][13] Following the George Floyd protests in 2020, he set up a three-year scholarship for a high-achieving BAME student studying at his alma mater.[13] He has dyslexia.[14] He has a sister named Charlie working in the healthcare industry.[15]

220 Kid's stage name originated from a charity effort where he ran 220 miles (350 km), a distance corresponding to nine marathons, over seven days.[7] The run was completed in 2013 on the Isle of Man in honour of Gibb and supported three medical charities.[11] After moving to London, he initially used the stage name "Willie the Kid" (named after the cowboy) without realising it was already the name of an existing artist.[4] He previously had jobs working for marketing company ,[16] as a model in Singapore,[17] as a carpenter,[18] and at a Tesco grocery store.[4]

Career[]

Prior to embarking on a solo career, Graydon went by the name "William Edward" and was a member of pop duo OMYO—an acronym for "Our Music Your Opinion"[12]—alongside Tom McCorkell while living in Thame.[4][16][19] The pair met on New Year's Eve in 2014 at the James Figg pub in Thame and made a bet to write a song together.[12][16] They wrote a few songs over the span of several days, including "Lady", which was used in an advert by clothing retailer New Look.[12][20] After being dropped by a major record label, they formed their own independent one; their debut single "Days with You" was released on Two Six Records in 2017, with its music video shot in New York City.[16][21] Their first gig was supporting Drake at the Wireless Festival and their debut album was planned for September 2017.[22][23]

Graydon's first song as a solo artist under the moniker "220 Kid" was "Lights" in 2018, which was a shift from OMYO's urban pop to electronic music.[24] Follow-up singles "Pleasure to Love You" and "Let Me Stay" both featured vocalist Chilli Chilton.[25] 220 Kid signed with Polydor Records in 2019.[19] His debut single with the label was "Don't Need Love", a collaboration with English singer Gracey, which was released in December 2019.[4][26] The song went on to reach the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number nine in July 2020, and received a nomination for British Single at the 2021 Brit Awards.[8][27] His follow-up single, "Too Many Nights" with Northern Irish singer JC Stewart, was released in September 2020,[28] peaking at number 74 in the UK.[29] He lists the Bee Gees, Timbaland, and Motown artists as a few of his musical influences.[3][26]

Discography[]

Singles[]

List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
UK
AUT
[30]
IRL
[31]
"Lights"[32]
(featuring Remy)
2018 Non-album singles
"Pleasure to Love You"[33]
(featuring Chilli Chilton)
"Let Me Stay"[34]
(featuring Chilli Chilton)
2019
"Don't Need Love"
(with Gracey)
9
[8]
9 The Art of Closure
"Too Many Nights"[36]
(with JC Stewart)
2020 74
[29]
56 Non-album singles
"Wellerman"
(Nathan Evans, 220 Kid and Billen Ted)
2021 1
[10]
1 2
[37]
"Unconditional"[40]
(with Dillon Francis featuring Bryn Christopher)
Happy Machine
"Stupid Feelings"
(with LANY)
non-album single
"I'll Take You Down"[41]
(featuring Chilli Chilton)
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.

Remixes[]

List of remixes, showing year released
Title Year Artist
"1984"[42] 2019 Alexander Wood
"Honest"[43] 2020 San Holo featuring Broods
"Better Off Without You"[44] Becky Hill and Shift K3Y
"Boyfriend"[45] Mabel
"I Need You to Hate Me"[46] JC Stewart
"To Be Young"[47] Anne-Marie featuring Doja Cat
"Holiday"[48] Little Mix
"The Business"[49] Tiësto
"Deal with It"[50] 2021 Ashnikko featuring Kelis
"Summer 91 (Looking Back)"[51] Noizu
"Lost"[52] Jake Bugg
"Chemical"[53] MK

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Phelan, Bobby (8 January 2021). "#AtHome with PAUSE: 220 KID". pausemag.co.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  2. ^ "Culture Clash: 220 Kid". Clash. 18 September 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  3. ^ a b "Meet 220 Kid". Hunger Magazine. 23 December 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  4. ^ a b c d e Phillips, Aimee (18 August 2020). "Dial 220 KID For A Dance Party". Notion. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  5. ^ Byatt, Luke (1 July 2020). "Creative Conversations 013: 220 Kid Breaks Down Chart Doinating Single, Don't Need Love". Futuremag Music. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  6. ^ VOTE 220 KID FOR MTV PUSH (Promotional video). MTV. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2021 – via YouTube.
  7. ^ a b c "220 KID Tells Us The Heroic Reason Behind His Name". MTV. 14 January 2021. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  8. ^ a b c "220 KID & GRACEY | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  9. ^ Copsey, Rob (19 March 2021). "Nathan Evans' Wellerman hits Number 1 on Official Singles Chart: "We made it!"". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Nathan Evans, 220 Kid & Billen Ted | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Man runs 220 miles in memory of Bee Gee Robin Gibb". BBC News. 19 August 2013. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  12. ^ a b c d Phillips, Jessica (18 July 2016). "VIDEO: Oxford man's debut single to be used for New Look's autumn/winter campaign". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  13. ^ a b "Floella Benjamin and Black Lives Matters protests inspires musician 220 Kid to set up new scholarship for BAME students". University of Exeter. 27 August 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  14. ^ "220 Kid: Questions + Answers". Arcminute. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  15. ^ Graydon, William [@220kid] (20 November 2018). "