View source for Sonny J

{{short description|English music producer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=October 2016}}
{{Hatnote|Not to be confused with [[Sonny J Mason]], a Scottish singer and songwriter}}{{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians -->
| name                = Sonny J
| image                 =
| caption            =
| image_size            =
| background          = solo_singer
| birth_name          =
| alias               =
| birth_place         = [[Liverpool]], [[England]]
| origin = [[Whitstable]], [[Kent]], England
| birth_date          =
| instrument          = Turntables, keyboards, vocals
| genre               = [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]], [[electronica]], [[trip hop]]
| occupation          = Musician, songwriter
| years_active        =
| label               = [[Stateside Records]]
| associated_acts     =
| website                 =
}}
'''Sonny J''', short for '''Sonnington James III''', is an [[England|English]] electronic musician from [[Liverpool]], currently living in [[Kent]].<ref name = Guard>{{cite web|work=[[The Guardian]]|title=No 176: Sonny J|author=Lester, Paul|date=3 September 2007|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/sep/03/popandrock2}}</ref>
His debut [[single (music)|single]], "Can't Stop Moving", was brought out by [[Stateside Records]] in 2007. The track has been used frequently as background music on the ''[[X Factor]]'' and ''[[Britain's Got Talent]]''. His second and third singles, "Enfant Terrible" and "Handsfree (If You Hold My Hand)" featuring [[Donna Hightower]], were released on 9 June 2008, followed by his debut album ''[[Disastro]]'' the week after, on 16 June.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Discogs]]|title=Sonny J|url=https://www.discogs.com/Sonny-J-Handsfree-If-You-Hold-My-Hand/master/126103}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=[[YouTube]]|date=May 1, 2008|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d4L4hiSHNw |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/4d4L4hiSHNw| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Sonny J : Handsfree (If You Hold My Hand) : Out 9th June!}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
Sonny J was propelled into the mainstream music scene when a [[fan (person)|fan]] published a [[viral video]], featuring [[The Jackson 5]], on several well-known [[website]]s, before a [[demo (music)|demo]] version of "Can't Stop Moving" was played on [[BBC Radio 1]].<ref name = Guard/> In September 2008, the song was re-issued with a [[remix]] by [[Mirwais Ahmadzaï]], which gave Sonny J his first top 40 hit when it peaked at No. 40 in the [[UK Singles Chart]]. He is currently a member of the band [[Groundhog (band)|Groundhog]].{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}
==Discography==
===Albums===
*''[[Disastro]]'' (2008)
===Singles===
*"Can't Stop Moving" (2007)
*"Enfant Terrible" (2008)
*"Handsfree (If You Hold My Hand)" (2008) – No. 77 [[UK Singles Chart|UK]]
*"Can't Stop Moving ([[Mirwais (musician)|Mirwais]] Remix)" (2008) – No. 40 UK,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/3320/sonny-j/|title=Officialcharts.com}}</ref> No. 8 [[Japan Hot 100|Japan]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
*[https://myspace.com/sonnyjmusic Sonny J] on [[Myspace]]
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sonny J}}
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:English electronic musicians]]
[[Category:Trip hop musicians]]
[[Category:People from Whitstable]]
[[Category:Musicians from Liverpool]]
{{UK-singer-stub}}