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Jason Charles Lewis known professionally as Jayce Lewis (born 29 September 1984) is a Welsh musician from
Bridgend Bridgend (; cy, Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr or just , meaning "the end of the bridge on the Ogmore") is a town in Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of Cardiff and east of Swansea. The town is named after the Old Bridge, Bridgend, medieval bridge ...
, South Wales. In 2009 his self-produced single titled "Icon" (also included on
EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...
' ''Smash Hits 2009'' compilation) achieved a top-10 chart position alongside VH1/MTV Asia
Viacom18 Viacom18 Media Private Limited is an Indian media and entertainment joint venture between TV18 and Paramount Global based in Mumbai. It was founded in 2007 and owns various channels, as well as content production studios in India. History In ...
features. With strong
industrial music Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initiall ...
and
synthpop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s a ...
influences, his music has been described as alternative rock with electronica roots and "tribal percussion". Lewis has collaborated with acts such as
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, ...
https://rammwiki.net/wiki/Jayce_Lewis_interview and synthpop icon
Gary Numan Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two albums with the band, he released his d ...
, for whom Lewis has been a supporting act three times.


Early years and influences

Growing up in Bridgend - Wales, Lewis began by learning to play guitar at the age of six. He was influenced by
Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen (band), Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Fredd ...
of
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
and
Igor Cavalera Igor Graziano Cavalera (born 4 September 1970) is a Brazilian musician, best known as the former drummer for the heavy metal band Sepultura, which he co-founded with his brother Max in 1984. Max left the band in 1996, and Cavalera himself wo ...
of
Sepultura Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thra ...
. Lewis is a keen follower of dance and tribal music and incorporates this into his solo work.


Career

Previously employed as a fabricator and welder, Lewis forged a professional music career following the release of his self-produced 2009 single "Icon", a hit in Asia and later well-received in Europe. He signed a five-year deal to
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
Records Europe and Asia on 4 September 2009, and counts
cymbal A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs soun ...
manufacturer
Paiste Paiste (English pronunciation: , ) is a Swiss musical instrument manufacturing company. It is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. is an Estonian word that means "shine". Apart from cymbals and gong ...
among his professional sponsors. With his long-time friend and promoter
David Prowse David Charles Prowse (1 July 1935 – 28 November 2020) was an English actor, bodybuilder and weightlifter. He portrayed Darth Vader (voiced by American actor James Earl Jones) in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy and a manservant in Stanle ...
(the actor who portrayed
Darth Vader Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
in the original ''
Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...
'' trilogy) as manager, Lewis formed a live touring band with a group of friends, and designed and manufactured his own live set production.


"Icon", 2009

His self-produced solo single "Icon" was released in summer 2009, on
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...
Records. It was heavily featured on VH1 and
MTV Asia MTV was a pan-Asian music pay-television channel which launched on 3 May 1995 as a standalone pay television channel. It was owned by Paramount Networks EMEAA. History MTV Asia was officially launched on 3 May 1995 as a 24-hour English-languag ...
, resulting in him being artist of the month and becoming the headlining act of
VH1 India VH1 India is an Indian subscription music television and pop culture channel. It was launched in 2005 as a result of a joint venture between MTV India and Zee-Turner, based on the American channel of the same name. It broadcasts shows like VH1 ...
Global Express Tour, covering four cities across India. "Icon" had a European release in 2010 and was also featured on
Kerrang ''Kerrang!'' is a British weekly magazine devoted to rock, punk and heavy metal music, currently published by Wasted Talent (the same company that owns electronic music publication ''Mixmag''). It was first published on 6 June 1981 as a one-off ...
TV together with high rotations features on
Scuzz Scuzz was a British 24-hour rock and metal music television channel owned and operated by Sony Pictures Television. It was launched on 17 April 2003 and went on to be the highest-rated rock TV station on the Sky satellite platform, available in ...
's includeding a two-hour take over. The album's lyrics touch on several subject matters inspired by Lewis's life experiences. In 2009 Lewis found success following air-time in Asian territories and his broader concert touring, including Europe and North America. In February 2010, he headlined the Rock 'N India festival, which hosted events in New Delhi and Bangalore, alongside popular artists such as the
Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The gr ...
and
Richard Marx Richard Noel Marx (born September 16, 1963) is an American adult contemporary music, adult contemporary and pop rock singer-songwriter. He has sold over 30 million albums worldwide. Marx's Richard Marx (album), self-titled debut album went tri ...
. Lewis was presented a DNA Artist of the Festival award plaque by the event's founder, Venkat Vardhan.


BBC 1 documentary

A
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
documentary covering Lewis's journey to fame was shown on
BBC One Wales BBC One Wales is a Welsh television channel owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales. It is the Welsh variation of the UK-wide BBC One and is broadcast from Central Square in Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city ...
on 10 March 2010 as part of a series called ''Planet Wales''. The 40-minute documentary, titled "Big in India" was the first of the series and included live performances in Dubai, India, and Germany. The documentary was repeated three months later on BBC One Wales and North. The documentary covered Lewis and EMI working towards the release of his second single and album. A DVD released was planned and a few promo copies produced, but never came to fruition.


Début album, 2010

After writing and recording since early 2009, with a working title of "Chapter", Lewis released his first album as the self-titled ''Jayce Lewis'', on 11 October 2010. Although he only released two singles in 2010, Lewis's album reached number 7 in the M-Music Asian charts, higher than those of
Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
and
Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...
, but was kept from the number 6 spot by
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American rock band from Agoura Hills, California. The band's current lineup comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave Farrell, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn and drummer ...
. It's claimed; the wide diversity in the album attracted the broad interest in media and public. The album was recorded in three separate studios, one of which is the famous Nott-in-Pill Studios in Newport, with ex-
Skindred Skindred are a Welsh reggae metal band formed in Newport in 1998. Their musical style mixes heavy metal, alternative rock and ragga. The band also integrate elements of punk rock, hardcore punk, reggae, dancehall, jungle, ska, hip hop, drum ...
duo Jeff and Ginge. The album's release was promoted by a succession of videos and singles and accompanying videos: "Icon", "Solitaire", "Passes II", and "Electric Medicine". The videos were directed and edited by Lewis with chosen production teams. He noted the "Electric Medicine" video as his proudest achievement to date, both on and off the screen.


Hot 50 Sexiest men in Wales

In June 2010 the Welshman made the list in a public vote of Wales's top 50 sexiest men. Lewis was ranked at number 49.


Gary Numan collaborations, 2011 onward

In September and December 2011,
Gary Numan Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two albums with the band, he released his d ...
confirmed Jayce as main support on his ''
Dead Son Rising ''Dead Son Rising'' is the sixteenth solo studio album by English musician Gary Numan, released on 15 September 2011 by Mortal Records. On 12 August 2011, The Quietus debuted a radio edit of the song "Dead Sun Rising" on their website. On 2 ...
'' UK tour, covering 12 shows across the country. In an online interview, Numan hailed Lewis to being one of the best supporting acts to ever tour with him. Numan documented the ''DSR'' tour in a published diary, praising Jayce further. Numan publicly invited Lewis to tour America together in 2012. Later, in 2014, both Numan collaborated with Lewis on "Redesign", which featured on Lewis's ''Nemesis'' album (under the project name Protafield). Both Numan and Lewis toured once again later in 2017, confirming Lewis as main support for
Gary Numan Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two albums with the band, he released his d ...
's UK and European leg of the
Savage (Songs from a Broken World) ''Savage (Songs from a Broken World)'' is the eighteenth solo studio album by English musician Gary Numan, released on 15 September 2017 by BMG and The End. The album was first announced to be a part of a fan-backed Pledge Music Campaign on 12 ...
tour promoting his 18th studio solo album. To date, Jayce Lewis is the only live act to have ever tour with
Gary Numan Gary Anthony James Webb (born 8 March 1958), known professionally as Gary Numan, is an English musician. He entered the music industry as frontman of the new wave band Tubeway Army. After releasing two albums with the band, he released his d ...
twice.


Protafield ''Nemesis'', 2014

Appearing in an interview on Sky TV's '' The Moore Show'', Lewis discussed working on second album, although not naming the title; he described as "a huge step forwards" from the first release. Early in 2014 Lewis announced his new project, Protafield, after agreeing a record contract with Caroline International (Universal Music Group) with his new album 'Nemesis'. It's reported that the Protafield name was created between Lewis and
Fear Factory Fear Factory is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial metal. ...
front man
Burton C. Bell Burton Christopher Bell (born February 19, 1969) is an American musician and vocalist. He is best known as the co-founder and former frontman of the metal band Fear Factory. Until 2021 he was the only member to perform on all of the band's album ...


Guest appearances

The ''Nemesis'' album had guest-performer involvement, including
Roger Taylor Roger Taylor may refer to: *Roger Taylor (Queen drummer) (born 1949), drummer for Queen *Roger Taylor (Duran Duran drummer) (born 1960), drummer for Duran Duran *Roger Taylor (author), author of epic fantasy Hawklan series *Roger Taylor (college pr ...
of Queen (providing the drum track for "Wrath"), Gary Numan (guest vocals on "Redesign"), and actor
Lance Henriksen Lance Henriksen (born May 5, 1940) is an American actor. He is known for his works in various science fiction, action and horror films, such as that of Bishop in the ''Alien'' film franchise, and Frank Black in Fox television series ''Millennium ...
(best known for ''
Aliens Alien primarily refers to: * Alien (law), a person in a country who is not a national of that country ** Enemy alien, the above in times of war * Extraterrestrial life, life which does not originate from Earth ** Specifically, intelligent extrate ...
'' and two follow-on films, and the TV series ''
Millennium A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...
'').


''Million'' (Part 1) 2017

In 2017, Lewis released his third studio album, titled ''Million''. Unlike previous releases, ''Million'' was released in a series of two parts, both on the label
Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a ...
. In total, the album consisted of seven tracks, and featured a collaboration with Queen guitarist Brian May.


''Million'' (Part 2) 2018

On October 12, 2018, Million (Part 2) was announced for release. The second part of the double album concept featured another special guest, the celebrated atheist Professor
Richard Dawkins Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biologist and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford and was Professor for Public Understanding of Science in the University of Oxford from 1995 to 2008. An ath ...
, who recorded a spoken word contribution for the track 'Exhale'.


Steve Strange (Visage)

Steve Strange's admiration for Jayce was commonly known following the "Big in India" BBC documentary. Strange, of the 1980s
new romantic The New Romantic movement was an underground subculture movement that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The movement emerged from the nightclub scene in London and Birmingham at venues such as Billy's and The Blitz. The New ...
band Visage, promoted their collaboration with the release of a live recording of them performing the 1980s hit "Fade to Grey" together. Strange later recorded his final ever recordings with Lewis shortly before his death on 12 February 2015 at his studio in Bridgend, South Wales. Lewis dealt with Strange's funeral arrangements and was a pallbearer, alongside other 1980s stars such as
Boy George George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singe ...
,
Martin Kemp Martin John Kemp (born 10 October 1961) is an English musician and actor, best known as the bassist in the new wave band Spandau Ballet and for his role as Steve Owen in ''EastEnders''. He is the younger brother of Gary Kemp, who is also a ...
,
Gary Kemp Gary James Kemp (born 16 October 1959) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and actor, best known as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and principal songwriter for the New Romantic band Spandau Ballet. Kemp wrote the lyrics and music ...
and
Steve Norman Steven Antony Norman (born 25 March 1960) is an English musician who plays tenor saxophone, guitar, percussion and other instruments, for the English band Spandau Ballet. Biography Early years Steve Norman was born in Stepney, east London, and w ...
. For a short time Lewis was also the live drummer in Visage on their 'Hearts and Knives' tour in 2013, the Welshman's been quoted in describing pallbearer duties for Strange as 'The most overwhelming experience of his life'.


David Prowse

David Prowse David Charles Prowse (1 July 1935 – 28 November 2020) was an English actor, bodybuilder and weightlifter. He portrayed Darth Vader (voiced by American actor James Earl Jones) in the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy and a manservant in Stanle ...
was an active manager of Jayce from 2005 to 2010. In 2009, Prowse agreed to handle all PR for Lewis following a long term friendship since 2001. On 1 October 2015, the two filmed a mini-documentary, ''The Force's Mouth'', a short studio tutorial video demonstrating a recording process with Prowse and effecting his voice as the famous villain
Darth Vader Darth Vader is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. The character is the central antagonist of the original trilogy and, as Anakin Skywalker, is one of the main protagonists in the prequel trilogy. ''Star Wars'' creator George ...
, a welcomed piece of film by the ''Star Wars'' community after 37 years of debate about the voice casting choices of the original production. Prowse and Lewis retained a close friendship and business partnership lasting over 19 years.


Northstone Studios

In October 2016 Lewis announced the opening of his newly built recording studio, Northstone Studios. The studio was renovated from a disused outbuilding connected to the Court Colman Manor in Bridgend, South Wales. It took Lewis a total of nine months to build at a cost of £60,000 with an undisclosed investment from local government; Creative Industry Wales. In several interviews Lewis mentions the workings of his new album along with a collaboration with Queen guitarist; Brian May.


Ascension of The Watchers

In 2020 Lewis become a member of the American
gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie a ...
band
Ascension of The Watchers Ascension of the Watchers is an American gothic rock band from Pennsylvania. It was originally formed by Burton C. Bell (Fear Factory, G/Z/R) and John Bechdel ( Ministry, Fear Factory, Killing Joke, Prong, Murder, Inc.). Career In October 2 ...
, formed by
Fear Factory Fear Factory is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1989. Throughout the band's career, they have released ten full-length albums and have evolved through a succession of sounds, all in their main style of industrial metal. ...
front man
Burton C. Bell Burton Christopher Bell (born February 19, 1969) is an American musician and vocalist. He is best known as the co-founder and former frontman of the metal band Fear Factory. Until 2021 he was the only member to perform on all of the band's album ...
and
Ministry band Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1981 by producer, singer, and instrumentalist Al Jourgensen. Originally a synth-pop outfit, Ministry evolved into one of the pioneers of industrial rock and industrial ...
keyboardist John Bechdel. Lewis was initially involved as producer and mixer for their 2020 album ''Apocrypha'', but his full-time role as drummer and programmer became clear during the album's creative process.


Rammstein

2022 German Industrial act
Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, ...
released a remix composition collaboration with Jayce Lewis of the song 'Armee Der Tristen' following a conversation with the bands percussionist
Christoph Schneider Christoph Schneider (born 11 May 1966) is a German musician, best known as the drummer of the Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein. Early life Christoph Schneider was born in Pankow, East Berlin, East Germany. He has one sister, who is two years ...
whom, Lewis has been a friend of for 12 years. In an interview with Rammwiki.net Jayce discussed approaching the drummer soon after hearing their new
Rammstein Rammstein (, "ramming stone") is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band formed in Berlin in 1994. The band's lineup—consisting of lead vocalist Till Lindemann, lead guitarist Richard Kruspe, rhythm guitarist Paul Landers, bassist Oliver Riedel, ...
album, titled 'Zeit' insisting on a remix composition as he had ''Immediate Ideas and Vision'' to compose a new edition.
Till Lindemann Till Lindemann (; born 4 January 1963) is a German singer, songwriter and poet. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of Neue Deutsche Härte band Rammstein and solo project Lindemann. Rammstein has sold over 25 million records w ...
vocal recordings are the only original feature recordings from the official song release.https://angrabytejournalism.com/2022/12/07/rammstein-armee-der-tristen-remix-by-jayce-lewis-review/


Discography

Studio albums


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Jayce 1984 births Living people Welsh rock drummers Welsh rock guitarists Welsh rock singers Welsh keyboardists British synth-pop musicians British industrial musicians