Jason Charles Lewis known professionally as Jayce Lewis (born 29 September 1984)[1] is a Welsh musician from Bridgend, South Wales. In 2009 his self-produced single titled "Icon" (also included on EMI Records' Smash Hits 2009 compilation) achieved a top-10 chart position alongside VH1/MTV Asia Viacom18 features.[2] With strong industrial music and synthpop influences, his music has been described as alternative rock with electronica roots and "tribal percussion".[3] Lewis has collaborated with acts such as Queen,[4][5]Rammstein[6] and synthpop icon Gary Numan, for whom Lewis has been a supporting act three times.
Growing up in Bridgend - Wales,[7] Lewis began by learning to play guitar at the age of six. He was influenced by Brian May of Queen and Igor Cavalera of Sepultura.
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 Records Europe and Asia on 4 September 2009,[7] and counts cymbal manufacturer Paiste among his professional sponsors.
With his long-time friend and promoter David Prowse[8] (the actor who portrayed Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy) as manager,[9] Lewis formed a live touring band with a group of friends, and designed and manufactured his own live set production.[10]
"Icon", 2009
His self-produced solo single "Icon" was released in summer 2009, on EMI Records. It was heavily featured on VH1 and MTV Asia, resulting in him being artist of the month and becoming the headlining act of VH1 India Global Express Tour, covering four cities across India. "Icon" had a European release in 2010 and was also featured on Kerrang TV together with high rotations features on Scuzz's including a two-hour take over.[11][12]
The album's lyrics touch on several subject matters inspired by Lewis's life experiences.[13]
In 2009 Lewis found success following air-time in Asian territories and his broader concert touring, including Europe and North America.[3] 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 and Richard Marx. Lewis was presented a DNA Artist of the Festival award plaque by the event's founder, Venkat Vardhan.[3]
Jayce Lewis and band at Rock'n India 2010
BBC 1 documentary
A BBC documentary covering Lewis's journey to fame was shown on BBC One Wales 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.[14] The documentary covered Lewis and EMI working towards the release of his second single and album.[9] 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 and Bon Jovi, but was kept from the number 6 spot by Linkin Park.[15][16] It's claimed; the wide diversity in the album attracted the broad interest in media and public.[8][17]
The album was recorded in three separate studios, one of which is the famous Nott-in-Pill Studios in Newport, with ex-Skindred duo Jeff and Ginge.[8] 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.[18]
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.[19]
Gary Numan collaborations, 2011 onward
Gary Numan and Jayce Lewis in Los Angeles
In September and December 2011, Gary Numan confirmed Jayce as main support on his Dead Son Rising 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.[20]
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).[21][22][23][24][25]
Both Numan and Lewis toured once again later in 2017, confirming Lewis as main support for Gary Numan's UK and European leg of the Savage (Songs from a Broken World) tour[26][27][28] promoting his 18th studio solo album. To date, Jayce Lewis is the only live act to have ever tour with Gary Numan 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.[29] 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 front man Burton C. Bell[30][31][32][33][34][35][36]
Guest appearances
The Nemesis album had guest-performer involvement, including Roger Taylor of Queen (providing the drum track for "Wrath"), Gary Numan (guest vocals on "Redesign"), and actor Lance Henriksen (best known for Aliens and two follow-on films, and the TV series Millennium).[35][37][38]
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 with record label Universal. In total, the album consisted of seven tracks, and featured a collaboration from Queen guitarist Brian May.[39][40][41]
Million (Part 2) 2018
On October 12, 2018, Million (Part 2) was announced for release. The second series a double album release, featuring a further special guest collaboration with Atheist Professor Richard Dawkins, who recorded a spoken word contribution for the track 'Exhale'.[42]
Lewis with Richard Dawkins in Dawkins' home while working on Million (Part 2)
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 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.[43]
Lewis dealt with Strange's funeral arrangements and was a pallbearer, alongside other 1980s stars such as Boy George, Martin Kemp, Gary Kemp and Steve Norman. 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'.[44][45][46]
David Prowse
Dave Prowse and Jayce Lewis 2015
David Prowse was an active manager of Jayce from 2005 to 2010.[47][48][49][50] 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, 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.[51][52][53][54][55]
Northstone Studios
Northstone Studios, Bridgend. South Wales
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.[56] 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.[57]
Ascension of The Watchers
In 2020 Lewis become a member of the American gothic rock band Ascension of The Watchers, formed by Fear Factory front man Burton C. Bell and Ministry band keyboardist John Bechdel. Lewis was initially involved as producer and mixer for their 2020 album Apocrypha,[58] but his full-time role as drummer and programmer became clear during the album's creative process.[59][60]
Rammstein
2022 German Industrial act Rammstein released a remix composition collaboration with Jayce Lewis of the song 'Armee Der Tristen'[61] following a conversation with the bands percussionist Christoph Schneider whom, Lewis has been a friend of for 12 years.[6] In an interview with Rammwiki.net Jayce discussed approaching the drummer soon after hearing their new Rammstein album, titled 'Zeit' insisting on a remix composition as he had Immediate Ideas and Vision to compose a new edition. Till Lindemann vocal recordings are the only original feature recordings from the official song release.[62]
Gary Anthony James Webb, 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 studio albums with the band, he released his debut solo studio album The Pleasure Principle in 1979, topping the UK Albums Chart. His commercial popularity peaked in the late 1970s and early 1980s with hits including "Are 'Friends' Electric?" and "Cars". Numan maintains a cult following. He has sold over 10 million records.
Darth Vader is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He was first introduced in the original film trilogy as one of the leaders of the Galactic Empire. The prequel trilogy chronicles his transformation from the Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker into the Sith Lord Darth Vader. His metamorphosis begins when he is lured to the dark side of the Force by Chancellor Palpatine, who later becomes the Emperor. After a lightsaber battle with his former mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi, Vader is severely injured and is transformed into a cyborg. He serves Palpatine for over two decades, hunting down the remaining Jedi and attempting to crush the Rebel Alliance. When Palpatine tries to kill Vader's son, Luke Skywalker, the Sith Lord turns against his master and destroys him. Vader is the husband of Padmé Amidala, the father of Luke and his twin sister Leia Organa, and the grandfather of Ben Solo.
Roger Meddows Taylor is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He achieved international fame as the drummer and backing vocalist for the rock band Queen. As a drummer, Taylor was recognised early in his career for his unique sound and was voted the eighth-greatest drummer in classic rock music history in a listener poll conducted by Planet Rock in 2005. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 as a member of Queen.
Ian Watkins, known by his stage name H, is a Welsh singer and actor. He is a member of the British pop group Steps.
Ultravox were a British new romantic band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was their 1981 hit "Vienna".
Vader is a Polish death metal band from Olsztyn. Formed in 1983, the group was founded by then-bassist Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek and guitarist Zbigniew "Vika" Wróblewski. Vader went through several lineup changes over the years, with Wiwczarek as the only constant member. Since 2022, the band has comprised Wiwczarek on lead guitar and vocals, rhythm guitarist Marek "Spider" Pająk, bassist Tomasz "Hal" Halicki, and drummer Michał Andrzejczyk.
David Charles Prowse was an English actor, bodybuilder, strongman and weightlifter. He portrayed Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy and a manservant in Stanley Kubrick's 1971 film A Clockwork Orange. In 2015, he starred in two documentaries concerning his Darth Vader role, one titled The Force's Mouth, which included Prowse voicing Darth Vader's lines with studio effects applied for the first time, and the other titled I Am Your Father, covering the subject of the fallout between Prowse and Lucasfilm.
Cerys Elizabeth Matthews is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of Welsh rock band Catatonia and a leading figure in the "Cool Cymru" movement of the late 1990s.
The Pleasure Principle is the debut solo studio album by the English new wave musician Gary Numan, released on 7 September 1979 by Beggars Banquet Records. The album came about six months after Replicas (1979), his second and final studio album with the band Tubeway Army. The Pleasure Principle peaked at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart.
Amy Victoria Wadge is an English singer and songwriter. She has co-written tracks with Ed Sheeran, including "Thinking Out Loud" for which she won the 2016 Grammy Award for Song of the Year.
Green Gartside is a Welsh singer, songwriter and musician. He is the frontman of the band Scritti Politti.
Berserker is the sixth solo studio album by the English new wave musician Gary Numan, released on 9 November 1984, it was his first album to be released under Numan's own record label, Numa Records.
Strange Charm is the eighth solo studio album by the English musician Gary Numan, originally released in October 1986, it was Numan's third release on his self-owned Numa Records label. The album was not released in the United States until 1999 when it was issued in a digitally remastered form with five bonus tracks by Cleopatra Records. In the same year it was also reissued with bonus tracks in the United Kingdom by Eagle Records.
Colorama is the longest running musical project of Welsh singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Carwyn Ellis, with an ever-revolving cast of collaborators. Stylistically best described as alternative indie pop, Colorama is an eclectic hybrid of genres and languages.
Burton Christopher Bell is an American musician. He is best known as the co-founder and former frontman of the industrial metal band Fear Factory. Until 2021 he was the only member to perform on all of the band's albums. His singing style mixes clean and shouted vocals with death growls.
We're No Heroes are a three-piece band from Cardiff, Wales, composed of Tom Collins, Michael Owen, and Luke Llewellyn. They first formed in the summer of 2009 at a downtown South Side recording studio in Chicago, US.
Spencer Lee Wilding is a Welsh actor and special creature performer. He is from Meliden in Denbighshire, north Wales. He has also had some success as a professional kickboxer and professional cruiser weight boxer. He was trained by former three-time world champion Russ Williams.
Huw Evans, also known as H. Hawkline, is a Welsh singer-songwriter and radio and television presenter based in Cardiff. He also lived and worked in Los Angeles for several years. He performs in both English and Welsh. His stage name is taken from Richard Brautigan's book The Hawkline Monster: A Gothic Western.
I Am Your Father is a 2015 Spanish documentary film written and directed by Toni Bestard (es) and Marcos Cabotá (es). The film deals with actor David Prowse many years after he played the role of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Omar Hamdi is a British comedian and television host. He is one of the presenters of the BBC Wales consumer affairs programme X-Ray.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
