Roy English, also known as Jagwar Twin, is an American singer,
songwriter
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...
, musician and
record producer
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
.
Previously, English was a member of the band Dead Letter Diaries, before founding the bands
Eye Alaska
Eye Alaska was an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 2006. Two members, Brandon Wronski and Cameron Trowbridge, were former members of Dead Letter Diaries.
Eye Alaska signed to Fearless Records in February 2008, and ...
and Canary Dynasty. Going solo in 2015, English has since written and produced music alongside other industry artists, including
Jeff Bhasker
Jeff Bhasker (born March 4, 1974) is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He was awarded the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in 2016 and nominated in 2013.
An accomplished producer, he ...
,
Teddy Riley
Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer credited with the creation of the New Jack Swing genre. Riley credits Barry Michael Cooper with giving the genre its name.Hogan, Paul. "Tedd ...
,
Rick Nowels
Richard Wright Nowels Jr. is an American songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and arranger. He has co-written and co-produced over 90 hit singles with multiple artistsMatt Wallace
Matt Wallace is an American record producer. He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley,Dave Sitek, and
Alesso
Alessandro Renato Rodolfo Lindblad (born 7 July 1991), better known by his stage name Alesso (), is a Swedish DJ and music producer.
He has worked with numerous artists, including Tove Lo, Theo Hutchcraft, Ryan Tedder, Hailee Steinfeld, Ca ...
. English's debut studio album, ''Subject to Flooding'', was released on 21 September 2018 in collaboration with producers S1 and
Linus
Linus, a male given name, is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Linos''. It's a common given name in Sweden. The origin of the name is unknown although the name appears in antiquity both as a musician who taught Apollo and as a son of Apollo who di ...
, and featured contributions from
Travis Barker
Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has also performed as a frequent collaborator with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Tran ...
of
blink-182
Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...
.
History
2004–2011: Early History
Roy English began his musical career under his birth name as a member of the band Dead Letter Diaries. In 2006, Roy became one of the founding members of the American indie-rock band
Eye Alaska
Eye Alaska was an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 2006. Two members, Brandon Wronski and Cameron Trowbridge, were former members of Dead Letter Diaries.
Eye Alaska signed to Fearless Records in February 2008, and ...
, which also included Cameron Trowbridge, Christopher Osegueda, Chase Kensrue, and Han Ko. The band toured the United States from 2007 to 2011, releasing their EP ''
Yellow & Elephant
''Yellow & Elephant'' is the debut EP by American Alternative band Eye Alaska, released on June 17, 2008 through Fearless Records
Fearless Records is an American independent record label that was founded in 1994. Fearless is based in Culver Ci ...
'' and their 2009 album ''
Genesis Underground
''Genesis Underground'' is the 2009 debut album of indie band Eye Alaska
Eye Alaska was an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 2006. Two members, Brandon Wronski and Cameron Trowbridge, were former members of Dead Le ...
'', before disbanding.
2012–2017: Solo debut and ''I'm Not Here Pt. 1''
In 2012, following the disbandment of
Eye Alaska
Eye Alaska was an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 2006. Two members, Brandon Wronski and Cameron Trowbridge, were former members of Dead Letter Diaries.
Eye Alaska signed to Fearless Records in February 2008, and ...
, English contemplated departing his career in music, before meeting
Jeff Bhasker
Jeff Bhasker (born March 4, 1974) is an American record producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. He was awarded the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year in 2016 and nominated in 2013.
An accomplished producer, he ...
. Becoming a mentor, Bhasker helped English shape his songwriting and production skills. In 2014, alongside S1 and
Rick Nowels
Richard Wright Nowels Jr. is an American songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist and arranger. He has co-written and co-produced over 90 hit singles with multiple artistsLana Del Rey
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent ...
's 2014 single “I Can Fly”. The song was featured in
Tim Burton
Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ...
's movie ''
Big Eyes
''Big Eyes'' is a 2014 American biographical drama film directed by Tim Burton, written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, and starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. It is about the relationship between American artist Margaret Keane ...
'' the same year.
On 22 January 2015, English released a single titled “Julianne” English also co-wrote and was featured on
Alesso
Alessandro Renato Rodolfo Lindblad (born 7 July 1991), better known by his stage name Alesso (), is a Swedish DJ and music producer.
He has worked with numerous artists, including Tove Lo, Theo Hutchcraft, Ryan Tedder, Hailee Steinfeld, Ca ...
BBC Radio 1
BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...
, “Cool” peaked at number 10 in the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and number 3 on the UK Dance Chart. The track charted number 14 on Billboard's US
Dance/Electronic Songs
The Dance/Electronic Songs chart has been published weekly by ''Billboard'' since January 2013. It is the first chart to be published that ranks the most popular dance and electronic songs according to audience impressions, digital downloads, s ...
charts and number 2 on both Billboard's US
Dance Club Songs
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
and
Dance/Mix Show Airplay
Dance/Mix Show Airplay (formerly Hot Dance Airplay) is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine.
History
The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic d ...
.
Immediately after, English was featured on "Tongue Tied July” with
Michael Brun
Michael Brun (born 19 May 1992) is a Haitian DJ and record producer based in New York, known for blending electronic music with traditional Haitian styles such as kompa and rara. He released his debut EP ''Gravity'' in 2013 and founded the recor ...
. On 26 April 2016, English released his EP ''I'm Not Here Pt. 1'', which included three new songs: "Wasted Youth", "Can't Lie" and "Oxy." In May of the same year, English released a stripped-down version of “Can't Lie” and was announced as the opening act for 5 Seconds of Summer during their
Sounds Live Feels Live World Tour
The Sounds Live Feels Live World Tour was the second headlining concert tour by Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer, in support of their second studio album, '' Sounds Good Feels Good''. The tour started on February 19, 2016 in Nagoya ...
on select North American dates.
In March 2017, English released "Hotel Pools 01101001", performing it on NBC's ''
Today
Today (archaically to-day) may refer to:
* Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now''
* Current era, present
* The current calendar date
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...
'' after being chosen as
Elvis Duran
Elvis Duran (born Barry Brian Cope; August 5, 1964) is an American radio personality. He is the host of the daily morning radio program ''Elvis Duran and the Morning Show'' in New York on Z100 and in syndication on Premiere Networks.
Before h ...
's Artist of the Month. The song was officially remixed by Badhabit and shortly after also by producer A.K. Tribe. A few months later, English released "Outa My Head 01101110", a collaboration with DJ and producer Badhabit.
2018–present: Jagwar Twin and ''Subject to Flooding''
Following the release of "Outa My Head 01101110", English began working with producers S1,
Linus
Linus, a male given name, is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Linos''. It's a common given name in Sweden. The origin of the name is unknown although the name appears in antiquity both as a musician who taught Apollo and as a son of Apollo who di ...
and
Travis Barker
Travis Landon Barker (born November 14, 1975) is an American musician who serves as the drummer for the rock band Blink-182. He has also performed as a frequent collaborator with hip hop artists, is a member of the rap rock group Tran ...
of
blink-182
Blink-182 (stylized as blink-182) is an American rock band formed in Poway, California in 1992. Their current lineup consists of bassist/vocalist Mark Hoppus, guitarist/vocalist Tom DeLonge, and drummer Travis Barker. Though their sound has ...
. English traveled from Joshua Tree and Haiti to Ireland's coast and Florence, Italy for recording sessions.
English, under the name of Jagwar Twin, released his debut single “Loser” on September 7, 2018, after writing it around 2017. Released by
Zane Lowe
Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter.
After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...
on
Beats 1
Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod), ...
, the track amassed over 100k streams in its first 24 hours. “Loser” received radio play upon release and was picked up for playlisting on
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
,
Apple Music
Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...
and
Amazon Music
Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights man ...
. Of the song's message, English has explained, "We're all on this beautiful planet. We're made of the same stardust. We're all losers, and we're also all brilliant, beautiful souls."
In 2019, English embarked on a headlining tour, titled the "Live in Close Proximity" tour. The tour consisted of 8 dates, all in the US, beginning on 20 July 2019 in
Anaheim
Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States Census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the 10th-most p ...
Elvis Duran
Elvis Duran (born Barry Brian Cope; August 5, 1964) is an American radio personality. He is the host of the daily morning radio program ''Elvis Duran and the Morning Show'' in New York on Z100 and in syndication on Premiere Networks.
Before h ...
's Stay at Home Ball with
Calum Hood
Calum Thomas Hood (born 25 January 1996) is an Australian musician, known for being the bassist and the backup vocalist of the pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer. Since 2014, 5 Seconds of Summer have sold more than 10 million albums, sold over t ...
of 5 Seconds of Summer.
On 8 June 2020, English released a music video for his 2018 single, "Shine".
On 21 December 2020, English released a music video for his song "Happy Face", which features
Josh Dun
Joshua William Dun (born June 18, 1988) is an American musician. He is best known as the drummer of the musical duo Twenty One Pilots, alongside Tyler Joseph, and also contributes backing vocals and trumpet to the band's work. He has collabora ...
of
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
band
Twenty One Pilots
Twenty One Pilots (stylized in Letter case, all lowercase or as twenty øne piløts) are an American musical duo from Columbus, Ohio. Initially a band, the group was formed in 2009 by lead vocalist Tyler Joseph along with Nick Thomas and Chris ...
on drums.
On 30 September 2022, English released a new album, titled "33", which had 10 songs, including a collaboration with little luna ("Pay Attention"). The album was released by Big Loud Records and included previously released singles including "Happy Face", "I Like to Party" and "Down to You".
Sounds Live Feels Live World Tour
The Sounds Live Feels Live World Tour was the second headlining concert tour by Australian pop rock band 5 Seconds of Summer, in support of their second studio album, '' Sounds Good Feels Good''. The tour started on February 19, 2016 in Nagoya ...
(2016) (Select North American dates only)
*
Lovelytheband
Lovelytheband (stylized in all lowercase) is an American indie pop band that formed in 2016 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The band consists of vocalist Mitchy Collins, guitarist Jordan Greenwald, and drummer Sam Price. The band is ...
– Finding It Hard to Smile Tour (2019)
* Avril Lavigne –
Head Above Water Tour
The Head Above Water Tour was the sixth concert tour by Canadian singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne. Launched in support of her sixth studio album, ''Head Above Water (album), Head Above Water'' (2019), the tour began on September 14, 2019 in Seattl ...