220 Kid | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | William Edward Graydon |
| Also known as |
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| Born | 8 May 1989 Oxfordshire, England, UK |
| Origin | London [1] |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2019–present |
| Labels | |
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, DJ and remix artist. [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]
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 CPM Group, [16] as a model in Singapore, [17] as a carpenter, [18] and at a Tesco grocery store. [4]
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]
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK | AUT [32] | IRL [33] | ||||
| "Lights" [34] (featuring Remy) | 2018 | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Pleasure to Love You" [35] (featuring Chilli Chilton) | — | — | — | |||
| "Let Me Stay" [36] (featuring Chilli Chilton) | 2019 | — | — | — | ||
| "Don't Need Love" (with Gracey) | 9 [8] | — | 9 | The Art of Closure | ||
| "Too Many Nights" [38] (with JC Stewart) | 2020 | 74 [29] | — | 56 |
| Non-album singles |
| "Wellerman" (Nathan Evans, 220 Kid and Billen Ted) | 2021 | 1 [10] | 1 | 2 [40] | ||
| "Unconditional" [43] (with Dillon Francis featuring Bryn Christopher) | — | — | — | Happy Machine | ||
| "Stupid Feelings" (with LANY) | — | — | — | gg bb xx | ||
| "I'll Take You Down" [44] (featuring Chilli Chilton) | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "Another Life" [45] (with Jem Cooke) | 2022 | — | — | — | ||
| "Release" [46] (with Ásdís) | — | — | — | |||
| "Lose Control" [47] (with S1mba) | — | — | — | |||
| "See in Color" [48] (with Wax Motif) | — | — | — | |||
| "Somebody New" [49] (with YouNotUs featuring Jordan Shaw) | — | — | — | |||
| "Look Where We Are" [50] (with Kang Daniel and Willim) | 2023 | — | — | — | ||
| "Wake 'n' Shake" [51] (with AR/CO) | — | — | — | |||
| "Let You Down" [52] | — | — | — | |||
| "If This Isn't Love" [53] (with Jack Wins and Caitlyn Scarlett) | — | — | — | |||
| "Heart & Soul" [54] | — | — | — | |||
| "Good Love" [55] | — | — | — | |||
| "Lay Low" [56] (with Toby Romeo and Izzy Bizu) | — | — | — | |||
| "Feel Good" [57] (with Kolidescopes) | 2024 | — | — | — | ||
| "Reverse Cowgirl" [58] (with Vavo) | — | — | — | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released. | ||||||
| Title | Year | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| "1984" [59] | 2019 | Alexander Wood |
| "Honest" [60] | 2020 | San Holo featuring Broods |
| "Better Off Without You" [61] | Becky Hill and Shift K3Y | |
| "Boyfriend" [62] | Mabel | |
| "I Need You to Hate Me" [63] | JC Stewart | |
| "To Be Young" [64] | Anne-Marie featuring Doja Cat | |
| "Holiday" [65] | Little Mix | |
| "The Business" [66] | Tiësto | |
| "Deal with It" [67] | 2021 | Ashnikko featuring Kelis |
| "Summer 91 (Looking Back)" [68] | Noizu | |
| "Lost" [69] | Jake Bugg | |
| "Chemical" [70] | MK | |
| "Hopeless Romantic" [71] | 2022 | Sam Fischer |
| "Entertain Me" [72] | Ylona Garcia | |
| "No One Dies from Love" [73] | Tove Lo | |
| "Moving On" [74] | 2023 | Arizona |
| "Time After Time" [75] | Pascal Letoublon and Ilira | |
| "Live More & Love More" [76] | Cat Burns | |
| "Nice to Know You" [77] | 2024 | Lovelytheband |