Tom Jay Williams Explained

Birth Name:Thomas James Williams
Birth Date:14 May 1992
Origin:Adelaide, South Australia
Genre:Pop
Instrument:Vocals, Guitar, Piano, Drums
Years Active:2008-present
Past Member Of:At Sunset, Darling Brando

Tom Jay Williams (born 14 May 1992) is an Australian pop singer and songwriter who was the youngest finalist on the Australian Idol series[1] placing 10th on Season 6 in 2008 at 16 years old.[2] [3] He subsequently signed to Sony Music Australia and released his debut single LOL in March 2010. His 2017 single 'Closure' led to a partnership with YouTube and reached number 2 on Japanese music charts.

2014 - 2016: At Sunset

In March 2014, Williams joined the band At Sunset[4] who were signed to Warner Music Australia the following year. At Sunset were best known as the winners of the Nova FM Fresh Discovery[5] [6] and MTV (Australia and New Zealand) Brand New[7] competitions, catching the attention of Zendaya[8] and singer/songwriter Ed Sheeran who personally mentored the band in 2015.[9] During his time with At Sunset, Williams co-wrote the bands successful 2015 single 'Every Little Thing' with Nash Overstreet from American pop rock band Hot Chelle Rae,[10] the band were also interviewed by Ryan Seacrest[11] and were selected by KIIS Sydney to support Miley Cyrus on the iHeart Music festival prior to its cancellation.[12] [13] [14] [15]

Williams and At Sunset also toured with Nickelodeon Slimefest alongside Boyce Avenue and The Veronicas[16] in September 2015, were the support act for American artists R5 and Jack & Jack in January 2016,[17] [18] supported UK band The Vamps on the Wake Up World Tour at Allphones Arena in Sydney in January 2016[19] and were invited by Boyce Avenue to support them again at their arena show at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in The Philippines in February 2016.[20]

Williams and At Sunset were ambassadors for the Australian Football League team Port Adelaide Football Club[21]

2016 - 2018: "Closure" & "Figure It Out"

On 30 June 2016, At Sunset announced on their social media accounts that they were disbanding and Williams pursued a successful solo career with the release of his debut single 'Closure' in March 2017.[22] Written by Fredrik Häggstam, who co-wrote the song 'Paris' by American electronic music duo The Chainsmokers[23] and Gavin Jones who wrote for Little Mix on their 'DNA' album.[24] 'Closure' reached number 1 on the New Zealand and number 2 on the Japan streaming charts and was playlisted on the BBC.[25] [26] Williams released his second single 'Figure It Out' in November 2017. He debuted the single live at the Music Matters Festival in Singapore in 2017[27] [28] [25] and was invited by YouTube's Global Head of Music, Lyor Cohen to join him onstage in a live mentoring session where a world first partnership between YouTube and Williams was announced.[29] [30] [31] Williams also performed with William Singe and Wesley Stromberg on the 'Cool For Summer' Festival in April 2017[32] with Pnau drummer Commandeur[33] and was selected as a brand ambassador alongside Kelly Rowland for the launch of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar in Australia in June 2017.[34] [35]

2018 - 2021: Darling Brando

Williams is a founding member of Australian boyband Darling Brando, formed in 2018.[36] Darling Brando made their worldwide debut at the Music Matters Festival in Singapore in 2018[37] and signed to Sony Music Australia in August 2019.[38] [39] They released their debut single 'Beat Up Guitar' in March 2019,[40] [41] co-written by Swedish songwriter and producer Johan Gustafsson (The Pussycat Dolls, Icona Pop) alongside Joleen Belle (Kelly Clarkson, Selena Gomez)[42] and Sebastian Lundberg (Lupe Fiasco, Dami Im, Samantha Jade).[43] 'Beat Up Guitar' debuted at number 2 on the Shazam discovery charts and peaked at number 36 on the Spotify Australia Viral 50 chart.[44] Darling Brando were attempting a new world record of performing 100 shows in 30 days in early 2020[45] [39] which earned them the title of 'Australia's Hardest Working Boy Band',[46] however had to cancel their attempt after only 80 shows left[47] as Australia was locked down during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Darling Brando released their second single 'Nightlights' in August 2020, co-written by Jimmy Robbins (Day + Shay, Florida Georgia Line, Keith Urban) as well as Nash Overstreet and Ryan Follese from American pop-rock band Hot Chelle Rae whom Williams has collaborated with throughout his music career. Darling Brando released their third single 'Wild Eyes' in October 2020 which was co-written by Norwegian singer Ruben and Swedish songwriter David Björk (Armin van Buuren, HRVY).[48] Williams departed Darling Brando in February 2021.[49]

Concert tours

Headlining

Supporting (With At Sunset)

Supporting (solo career)

Joining

Awards and nominations

!Year!Award!Category!Nominee!Result
2015Nova FM Fresh DiscoveryFresh DiscoveryAt Sunset
2015MTV Australia & New Zealand Brand NewBrand NewAt Sunset
2016Nickelodeon Kids' Choice AwardsFavourite Pop Sensation AU/NZAt Sunset

Notes and References

  1. News: Singh. Surej. 16 November 2017. "Music Matters 2017 artists Reese Lansangan, Tom Jay Williams, Ben&Ben share their stories with us". Band Wagon. 26 January 2021.
  2. News: Knox. David. 15 August 2008. Show Watch Australian Idol 2008. TV Tonight. 26 January 2021.
  3. News: Knox . David . 15 August 2008 . Show Watch: Australian Idol 2008 . TV Tonight . 29 November 2022.
  4. News: Perri. Sophie. 19 June 2015. Hop on a tram with the boys from At Sunset, the Adelaide band that's almost reached a million Facebook fans. Adelaide Now. 26 January 2021.
  5. News: 27 October 2015. At Sunset crowned Nova's Fresh Discovery winner. The Music Network. 26 January 2021.
  6. Web site: 30 March 2015. NOVA'S FRESH DISCOVERY ANNOUNCES WINNER. 26 January 2021. Nova Entertainment.
  7. News: 27 October 2015. MTV Brand New Artist Spotlight: At Sunset. The Music Network. 26 January 2021.
  8. News: 19 May 2014. Australian Band Rises to Fame in the US. WPRI-TV. dead. 26 January 2021. 19 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180319213507/http://wpri.com/2014/05/19/australian-band-rises-to-fame-in-the-us/.
  9. News: Antimo. Iannella. 2 April 2015. Ed Sheeran gives Adelaide boy band At Sunset the thumbs-up. Adelaide Now. 26 January 2021.
  10. News: Parker. Libby. 17 May 2015. AT SUNSET ARE SHINING BRIGHT FOR SOUTH AUSTRALIA. The Upside News. 26 January 2021.
  11. News: 28 March 2015. At Sunset win Nova's Fresh Discovery. Radio Today. 26 January 2021.
  12. News: Jones. Nicholas. 28 August 2014. Who's Going To Kyle Sandilands' Music Festival? Yeah, That's Right. Tone Deaf. 26 January 2021.
  13. News: Baroni. Nastassia. 11 September 2014. Miley-Headlined iHeartRadio Australia Music Festival Cancelled. Music Feeds. 26 January 2021.
  14. News: Martin. Chris. 28 August 2014. Miley Cyrus To Headline New Sydney Music Festival. The Brag. 26 January 2021.
  15. News: Decent. Tom. 11 September 2014. Australian iHeartRadio festival, to star Miley Cyrus, cancelled. Sydney Morning Herald. 26 January 2021.
  16. News: Foxtel Insider Nickelodeon Slimefest 2015. Foxtel. dead. 26 January 2021. 24 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160324130821/https://www.foxtel.com.au/got/whats-on/foxtel-insider/nickelodeon/slimefest-2015.html.
  17. News: Stickler. Jon. 22 October 2015. R5 And Jack & Jack Announce January Australian And New Zealand Co-Headline Tour. Stereoboard. 26 January 2021.
  18. Web site: 19 January 2016 . Aussie trio, At Sunset announce new single, Kiss Me alongside National R5 & The Vamps Tour . 29 November 2022 . Amnplify.
  19. News: Kelly. Nic. The Vamps, Little Sea, Tyde Levi & more will play a Sydney arena show for $20 in January. Project U. 26 January 2021.
  20. News: Lo. Ricky. 29 January 2016. On the street where Boyce Avenue lives. The Philippine Star. 26 January 2021.
  21. Web site: 8 April 2015 . Ambassador profile: At Sunset . 9 June 2023 . Port Adelaide FC.
  22. Web site: 24 March 2017. Closure by Tom Jay Williams. 26 January 2021. Amazon Music.
  23. Web site: Freddy Häggstam Discography. 26 January 2021. The Kennel.
  24. Web site: Gavin Jones Discography. 26 January 2021. 365 Artists.
  25. News: Fuamoli. Sosefina. 13 September 2017. Tom Jay Williams sets his sights on the global pop market as a new year of music approaches. The AU Review. 26 January 2021.
  26. News: Adams. Cameron. 8 April 2017. How Tom Jay Williams has used streaming to launch a global career. News.com.au. 26 January 2021.
  27. News: Choo. Gabriel. 4 September 2017. Apple Music partners Music Matters to create content for emerging artists. Yahoo Style. 26 January 2021.
  28. Web site: Singh . Surej . 8 December 2020 . Music Matters 2017 artists Reese Lansangan, Tom Jay Williams, Ben&Ben share their stories with us . 29 November 2022 . Bandwagon.Asia.
  29. News: Fuamoli. Sosefina. 12 September 2017. The Aussies shine bright in Singapore for Music Matters' third night at CHIJMES. The AU Review. 26 January 2021.
  30. Brandle. Lars. 18 September 2017. 5 Takeaways From Music Matters 2017. Billboard. 26 January 2021.
  31. News: Brandle. Lars. 15 September 2017. YouTube Global Head of Music Lyor Cohen weighs in on streaming content quotas. The Industry Observer. 26 January 2021.
  32. News: April 12, 2017 . Cool For Summer Festival Powered By Amplify . Toorak Times . 29 November 2022.
  33. News: 29 March 2017 . Commandeur teams up with Pnau & Zildjian . Aus Music Scene . 29 November 2022.
  34. Web site: 27 June 2017 . Coca-Cola embarks on its largest ever sampling campaign with Coca-Cola No Sugar . 29 November 2022 . Coca-Cola.
  35. Web site: 26 June 2017 . Coca-Cola Unveils New Sampling Campaign & TVC For Its 'No Sugar' Offering . 29 November 2022 . Bandt.
  36. News: Marr. Georgie. 6 May 2020. Darling Brando's Alex Reveals How Leonardo DiCaprio Helped Name The Band. Hit.com.au. 26 January 2021.
  37. News: Contarino. Michelle. 24 September 2018. Darling Brando talk about their debut in Singapore, songwriting and future plans. The AU Review. 26 January 2021.
  38. Web site: 1 August 2019. Sony Music Artist Roster. 26 January 2021. Sony Music Australia.
  39. News: 27 April 2020 . Darling Brando: Meet Australia's hardest working boy band . The Music Network . 29 November 2022.
  40. News: 13 March 2020. Australia's Newest Band Darling Brando Release Debut Single 'Beat Up Guitar'. Sony Music News. 26 January 2021.
  41. News: 29 June 2020 . Australia's newest music sensation Darling Brando releases debut single . Manila Standard . 29 November 2022.
  42. Web site: Joleen Belle Discography. 26 January 2021. Joleen Belle.
  43. Web site: Sebastian Lundberg Discography. 26 January 2021. Genius.com.
  44. News: 27 April 2020. Darling Brando: Meet Australia's hardest working boy band. The Music Network. 26 January 2021.
  45. News: Bain . Lucy . 11 February 2020 . Darling Brando make Mildura stop on an Aussie mission . Sunraysia Daily . 29 November 2022.
  46. News: 27 April 2021 . Darling Brando: Meet Australia's hardest working boy band . The Music Network . 29 November 2022.
  47. News: 30 June 2020 . Australia's Newest Band Darling Brando Release Debut Single 'Beat Up Guitar' . One Music Philippines . 29 November 2022.
  48. News: Riordan. Ashley. 20 October 2020. Darling Brando Are The New It-Band You've Got To Listen To. Rave It Up. 26 January 2021.
  49. News: Kelly . Vivienne . 24 February 2022 . Darling Brando splits from Sony Music as Tom Jay Williams announces departure . The Music Network . 29 November 2022.
  50. News: 5 February 2016 . At Sunset Announce National Kiss Me Headline Tour for March . Music Injection . 9 June 2023.
  51. News: 5 February 2016 . "At Sunset Announce National Kiss Me Headline Tour For March" . Music Injection . 9 June 2023.
  52. News: Stickler . Jon . 22 October 2015 . "R5 And Jack & Jack Announce January Australian And New Zealand Co-Headline Tour" . Stereo Board . 9 June 2023.
  53. News: 7 January 2016 . "R5 + Jack & Jack" . The Weekend Edition . 9 June 2023.

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