played by keegan joyce / credits of james bay / contact / coding by ~toricasillas
Olivier James is an English singer-songwriter. He was a contestant on XFactor in 2011 where he got his start.
BIO
Harry & Constance Roth Brittain did not plan on having another child. In fact, three children was plenty of work. Nearly too much work, considering, Harry was a small-time hedge fund manager and Constance taught at the University of Bristol. But not long after their third child, Constance discovered she was pregnant. Olivier was born in Bristol, England in the winter of 1989.Olivier James Brittain was what some might call a child prodigy. Growing up he fell in love with music due to being very interested in his mother's work. He was classically trained in violin and piano. He spent He had hopes of becoming a composer. That was until he discovered the guitar.
His father encouraged him not to try and make a career in music insisting Oli focus on his studies. His mother encouraged him to follow his heart. Oli was a rather introverted and Constance saw how much he changed when he was performing versus not. Oli found music to be a bit of an escape from reality. He wasn't like the other kids in school. He was picked on a lot of being different.
He would force his parents and siblings to sit in the living room while he gave mini concerts. And when they would have guests over for various holidays or dinner parties, he would entertain them too. It was the one time he would completely come out of his shell.
In 2006, his mother heard about a show called "X Factor" and encouraged Oli to think about trying out. He first entered the competition in 2009. He did not make it on the show but instead of letting it discourage him, he kept practicing and re-entered in 2011. This time he made it all the way to week 7 before being eliminated. Sure, he did not win but being on the show caught the attention of a Republic Records A&R who signed Oli not longer after he left the show.
Oli release his first EP in 2013. But didn't seem much success until he released his second EP the following year. The single "Let it Go" quickly saw success and would go on to not only peak at #10 on the UK chart but also see success in 15 countries. Within a year he was selling out his first UK headline tour.
Oli released his debut album in 2015. The mainstream success of the album is still a constant shock to Oli. The album debuted at number one in the UK and has since become 2× Platinum. He did not expect his album to take off the way it did let alone to be popular outside of his home country. He has recently come home after nearly two years of touring to support the record. He will soon start work on his second album.
Oli came out a little over a year ago with a cover story for OUT magazine which wasn't much of a shock. To be honest, he probably didn't have to do so at all. But it was important for him to be open about his experiences in both coming out and dealing with mental health in the hopes of being a better role model. Why? Because he wished he had one. He wished someone had told him all the things he was going through were okay and that he wasn't alone. Growing up is scary enough. • Fluent in Italian & Frech
• Doesn't drive. Perfers public transport.
• Incredibly close to his sister Eloise. He considers her to be his best friend.
• Though Oli can come off as soft spoken or shy at first meeting; once he gets to know people he breaks out of his shell. He is very social awkward and suffers from social anxiety though he is trying to work past it.
Olivier James (sounds like James Bay)
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