220 Kid | |
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Birth name | William Edward Graydon |
Also known as |
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Born | Oxfordshire, England, UK | 8 May 1989
Origin | London[1] |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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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 [30] |
IRL [31] | ||||
"Lights"[32] (featuring Remy) |
2018 | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
"Pleasure to Love You"[33] (featuring Chilli Chilton) |
— | — | — | |||
"Let Me Stay"[34] (featuring Chilli Chilton) |
2019 | — | — | — | ||
"Don't Need Love" (with Gracey) |
9 [8] |
— | 9 | The Art of Closure | ||
"Too Many Nights"[36] (with JC Stewart) |
2020 | 74 [29] |
— | 56 |
|
Non-album singles |
"Wellerman" (Nathan Evans, 220 Kid and Billen Ted) |
2021 | 1 [10] |
1 | 2 [38] |
||
"Unconditional"[41] (with Dillon Francis featuring Bryn Christopher) |
— | — | — | Happy Machine | ||
"Stupid Feelings" (with LANY) |
— | — | — | Non-album single | ||
"I'll Take You Down"[42] (featuring Chilli Chilton) |
— | — | — | |||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released. |
Title | Year | Artist |
---|---|---|
"1984"[43] | 2019 | Alexander Wood |
"Honest"[44] | 2020 | San Holo featuring Broods |
"Better Off Without You"[45] | Becky Hill and Shift K3Y | |
"Boyfriend"[46] | Mabel | |
"I Need You to Hate Me"[47] | JC Stewart | |
"To Be Young"[48] | Anne-Marie featuring Doja Cat | |
"Holiday"[49] | Little Mix | |
"The Business"[50] | Tiësto | |
"Deal with It"[51] | 2021 | Ashnikko featuring Kelis |
"Summer 91 (Looking Back)"[52] | Noizu | |
"Lost"[53] | Jake Bugg | |
"Chemical"[54] | MK |