Born in Auckland, New Zealand, and adopted by London’s East End eight years ago, Rawiri James spent most of his adult life working in corporate environments by day and indulging his music ambitions in his spare time.

In 2015, he and collaborator Frhetoric released ‘DTF’, a hip-hop party record. Once promotional rounds were completed, Rawiri enlisted Frhetoric to co-produce his debut solo album, 'Lost Boy'.

An alternative R&B album with modern hip-hop and soul influences, James’s record is a refreshingly candid confessional about the excesses and repercussions of life lived hard. ‘Bottle Down’, a moody mid-tempo jam and the first single to be lifted from the record, sets the scene with haunting harmonies and lyrical embellishments that paints pain as a necessary catalyst for growth.

Ballads like “HELL.O.V.E.” and “How I Got Over” continue this theme, while hip-hop oriented tracks “Voices…” and “Zero Gravity” explore the ferocity of addiction. Up-tempo cuts “Trip The Alarm”, “Mess With My Cool” and “Hey, Kid” offer light at the end of a dark tunnel.

While finishing the album, the songs’ themes inspired the musician to write a fictional novel about a struggling young addict who discovers he has a superpower. The result? A captivatingly cool music-and-novel odyssey that Rawiri James hopes will inspire - as well as entertain - long-term fans of R&B music and YA fiction.