Stevie Appleton

Adopting an uncompromising D.I.Y. approach to his career, British singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Steve Appleton impressively wrote, recorded, and produced his debut album in his purpose-built home studio at just 19 years of age. Born in Surrey in 1989, Appleton developed a passion for music at a young age, and at 15 he began performing piano jazz cover versions of Billy Joel and Elton John songs at a Soho French restaurant. Inspired by artists as diverse as Jamiroquai, Nas, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, he started to pen his own material, and after being spotted by manager John Black he signed a record deal with RCA in 2007. Following a celebratory backpacking trip across Europe, he took full creative control of his debut album, When the Sun Comes Up, a fusion of Jack Johnson-style acoustic pop and skittering Pendulum-esque drum‘n'bass beats. Released in 2009, it includes the singles "City Never Sleeps" and "Dirty Funk," which became one of the biggest airplay hits of the year in Japan. Appleton has also supported John Legend, Pussycat Dolls, and the Saturdays on their U.K. tours, performed in front of an audience of over a billion at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in Singapore, and was the face of a European ad campaign for the Smart Car. ~ Jon O'Brien