Luke James (singer)

Luke James
Boyd in Brooklyn; 2019
Boyd in Brooklyn; 2019
Background information
Birth nameLuke James Boyd
Also known asWOLF
Born (1984-06-13) June 13, 1984 (age 40)
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • actor
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • piano
  • keyboards
  • guitar
  • saxophone
Years active2004–present
Labels
Formerly of
Websiteofficiallukejames.com

Luke James Boyd (born June 13, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and actor from New Orleans, Louisiana.[1] In 2004, he began his career as one half of the R&B duo Luke and Q, who served as backing vocalists for R&B singer Tyrese. While doing so, they became acquainted with the singer's primary songwriting-production team, the Underdogs, and were led to sign with the group and Tyrese's mutual record label, J Records. The duo's 2006 debut single, "My Turn" failed to chart, although Boyd continued to write songs—often under the wing of the Underdogs—for other prominent artists including Chris Brown, Britney Spears, and Justin Bieber during the duo's inactivity and subsequent disbandment in 2010.

Further intent on a solo recording career, he signed with record producer Danja's label N.A.R.S., in a joint venture with Island Records to release his eponymous debut studio album (2014). Preceded by the mixtapes #Luke (2011) and Whispers in the Dark (2012), the album spawned the single "I Want You," which was nominated for Best R&B Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.[2] His 2017 single, "Drip" (remixed featuring ASAP Ferg)[3] served to promote the independent release of his second studio album, to feel love/d (2020), which marked his return to music following a two-year hiatus.[4][5][6][7] It was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[8]

In his acting career, he starred as R&B singer Johnny Gill in BET's 2017 television biopic The New Edition Story. Since then, he has performed in Regina Hall and Will Packer film Little,[9] in FOX's Star, HBO's Insecure,[10] USA's Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.,[11] and BET's The Bobby Brown Story.[12] He was also featured in the third season of The Chi[13] on June 21, 2020. In 2024, Boyd starred as a lead male character in the Amazon Prime television series Them: The Scare, a sequel series to Them.

  1. ^ Luke James Celebrates His Birthday.The Boom Box. Retrieved June 20, 2015
  2. ^ Luke James Reveals Album Cover For Upcoming Debut.Singers Room. Retrieved September 15, 2014
  3. ^ New Music Luke James Taps Asap Ferg. Revolt. Retrieved June 10, 2020
  4. ^ "Luke James, Ro James, and BJ The Chicago Kid dive into the '90s in "go girl" video". The FADER.
  5. ^ Ifeanyi, K. C. (2020-02-28). "How a 6-year hiatus led to R&B singer Luke James's creative emancipation". Fast Company. Retrieved 2020-11-18.
  6. ^ Luke James (Ft. BJ the Chicago Kid & Ro James) – Go Girl, retrieved 2020-11-18
  7. ^ Luke James (Ft. Big K.R.I.T.) – Traveling, retrieved 2020-11-18
  8. ^ Flanagan, Andrew (24 November 2020). "Beyoncé, Dua Lipa Headline 2021 Grammy Nominations". www.nprillinois.org. Retrieved 2020-11-25.
  9. ^ "Luke James' 'awkward' strip scene in 'LITTLE'". www.usatoday.com.
  10. ^ Komonibo, Ineye (6 November 2019). "A Definitive Ranking Of Issa's Love Interests On Insecure". www.refinery29.com.
  11. ^ Petski, Denise (March 22, 2017). "'Unsolved': Luke James, Aisha Hinds & Letoya Luckett Cast In USA's Tupac Shakur Biggie Smalls Pilot". Deadline.
  12. ^ "The Bobby Brown Story" – via www.imdb.com.
  13. ^ Grant, Shawn (September 17, 2019). "'The Chi' Adds La La Anthony, Lil Rel, Luke James to Cast".