James Bay

ØHe was born in Hitchin, England on September 4 1990.

ØWhen he was 18, he moved to Brighton to study music at the British and Irish Modern Music Institute.

ØHe learnt to play guitar himself at only aged 11. He found an old rusty guitar in his house with 5 strings and taught himself the art.

ØHe signed his record deal a week after a fan uploaded a video of one of his gigs on YouTube.

ØHe originally wanted to be a painter, but found that learning to play the guitar took over his life!