Luke James | |
|---|---|
 Boyd in Brooklyn; 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | WOLF |
| Born | Luke James Boyd (1984-06-13)June 13, 1984 (age 41) New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2004–present |
| Labels | |
| Formerly of | |
| Website | officiallukejames |
Luke James Boyd (born June 13, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter and actor fromNew Orleans,Louisiana.[1] He began his career in 2004 as one half of theR&B duoLuke and Q, who served as backing vocalists for R&B singerTyrese. While doing so, they became acquainted with the singer's primary songwriting-production team,the Underdogs; the duo was led to sign withJ Records. Their 2006 debut single, "My Turn" failed to chart, although Boyd continued to write songs—often under the wing of the Underdogs—for other prominent artists includingChris Brown,Britney Spears, andJustin Bieber during the duo's inactivity and subsequent disbandment in 2010.
Further intent on a solo recording career, he signed with record producerDanja's label N.A.R.S., in a joint venture withIsland Records to release his eponymous debut studio album (2014). Preceded by the mixtapes#Luke (2011) andWhispers in the Dark (2012), the album spawned the single "I Want You," which was nominated forBest R&B Performance at the56th Annual Grammy Awards.[2] His 2017 single, "Drip" (remixed featuringASAP Ferg)[3] preceded his independently-released second studio album,to feel love/d (2020), which marked his return to music following a two-year hiatus and was nominated forBest R&B Album at the63rd Annual Grammy Awards.[4][5][6][7][8][9]
In his acting career, he starred asR&B singerJohnny Gill inBET's 2017 television biopicThe New Edition Story. Since then, he has performed inRegina Hall andWill Packer filmLittle,[10] in FOX'sStar, HBO'sInsecure,[11] USA'sUnsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.,[12] and BET'sThe Bobby Brown Story.[13] He was also featured in the third season ofThe Chi[14] on June 21, 2020. In 2024, Boyd starred as a lead male character in theAmazon Prime television seriesThem: The Scare, a sequel series toThem.
Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, and raised by a single mother, James was influenced by an eclectic array of genres, particularlyjazz and R&B.[15] James said his love for music started when he watched a contestant perform acover version ofDonny Hathaway's version of "A Song for You" onShowtime at the Apollo.[15] He said "I got chills. And I get that feeling all over again whenever I think about that performance. At the time, I'd never said I wanted to be a singer; I just knew I wanted to entertain. And I'd never heard of Donny. But when my mother found her copy of one of his records, I knew then that I wanted to reach people that way."[16]
As a child, James was inspired by several recording artists and musicians such asMarvin Gaye,Willie Nelson,Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes,Alabama, among others.[17] He credits his mother for introducing him to all kinds of music.[16] James attendedSt. Augustine with schoolmate, (and futureOFWGKTA member) singer-songwriterFrank Ocean.[17] While in St. Augustine, he joined a musical trio named Upskale with Quinten Spears (known as Q) and Tah for a brief period, which introduced him to his longtime manager, director, and choreographer Frank Gatson.[15] After graduating St. Augustine, the trio split and James relocated to Los Angeles. Q and James later formed a duo calledLuke & Q, where James performed under the name Luke The Singer.[15] Shortly after forming the group, the duo was able to be the opening act for R&B singerTyrese Gibson during one of his concerts. However, after the failure to garner both James and Q much recognition, they decided to both part ways.
After disbanding, James honed his skills as a songwriter, quickly hooked up with producerDanja, and began to craft hits for those in the pop,R&B andsoul genres. He also worked alongsideTank.[18] He then began to co-write hits, such asChris Brown's "Crawl" for his third album,Graffiti.[15] In addition to writing for Brown, he also wrote (or co-wrote) hits for pop artists such asJustin Bieber ("That Should Be Me"),Britney Spears ("Kill the Lights") andKeri Hilson ("Do It").[15]
In 2005, he appeared inDestiny's Child's "Soldier" video, with the members of the Upskale music trio. In 2011, he was selected by R&B singerBeyoncé to appear as a model/actor in her "Run the World (Girls)" video.[16] In December 2011, he released his debut extended play (EP) album#Luke as a free digital download. His first single, "I Want You", received universal acclaim from critics for itsproduction and for James' vocal performance.[17] The single later earned him a nomination for Best New Artist at the2012 Soul Train Music Awards.[17][19] Upon release of his second free digital mixtape,Whispers in the Dark, in December 2012, James began to garner buzz for his formal self-titled debut album, which is expected to be released fromDef Jam in early 2014.[17] On January 8, 2013, the album's first single, "Make Love to Me",[20] was released toiTunes one month after the music video directed by Frank Gatson.[21] At the56th Annual Grammy Awards, James was nominated forBest R&B Performance award for his 2012 single "I Want You" (but he lost toUsher's "Climax").[22][23] On February 7, 2013, the song "I.O.U." was released as the second single from his anticipated debut album.[24]In 2013, he was personally chosen by Beyoncé to be an opening act for herMrs. Carter Show World Tour.[25]In August 2013 he released a video for "Oh God" featuring Hit-Boy; the music video was directed by Sarah McColgan.[26]On December 4, 2013, he released another visual for "Strawberry Vapors", also directed by Sarah McColgan, the song was another release off theWhispers in the Dark album.[27] On December 5, 2014, James received his second career Grammy Award nomination forBest R&B Song for "Options (Wolfjames Version)".[28]
In 2016, James auditioned for the role of SingerJohnny Gill in the BET Biopic MiniseriesThe New Edition Story, after being considered by long time music associateElijah Kelley. Both were cast in the biopic (with Kelley in the role of Ricky Bell).[29] From 2017 to 2019, James playedNoah Brooks in the main cast ofLee Daniels' Musical Drama,Star on FOX. Later in 2019, he was cast in Will Packer'sLittle alongsideRegina Hall andIssa Rae. In 2024, Luke James starred as a major character in a tv show titled "Them: the scare". His acting in this show has been deemed phenomenal by his audience.
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US Adult R&B Airplay | |||
| "Make Love to Me" | 2012 | — | — | m | Luke James |
| "I Want You" | — | 97 | 40 | Luke James /#Luke | |
| "Oh God" (featuringHit-Boy) | 2013 | — | — | — | Whispers in the Dark |
| "Options" (featuringRick Ross) | 2014 | — | 28 | 27 | Luke James |
| "Drip" | 2017 | — | — | — | For No Reason |
| "World To Me" (produced by Tchami) | — | — | — | Non-album single | |
| "These Arms" | 2018 | — | — | — | For No Reason |
| "Amor, My Love" (ft. G.No) | 2019 | — | — | — | Non-album single |
| "Breathless" (withJude Demorest) | — | — | — | Star | |
| "go girl" (featuringBJ The Chicago Kid andRo James) | — | 29 | — | to feel love/d | |
| "all of your love' | — | — | — | ||
| "blow' | — | — | — | ||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Rift | Freddy Davis | |
| 2013 | Black Nativity | Jo-Jo | |
| 2019 | Little | Trevor | |
| 2021 | Horror Noire | Red |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Half & Half | Tyrese's background singer | Episode: "The Big Sexy Shame Episode" |
| 2017 | The New Edition Story | Johnny Gill | Main cast |
| Insecure | Ben | Episode: "Hella Open" | |
| 2017–2019 | Star | Noah Brooks | Main cast (season 2-3) |
| 2018 | Unsolved | Sean Combs | 5 episodes |
| 2020–present | The Chi | Victor "Trig" Taylor | Main cast (season 4-present); recurring (season 3) |
| 2021 | Genius: Aretha | Glynn Turman | 2 episodes |
| Christmas in Harmony | Kyle Noah | Television film | |
| 2024 | Them: The Scare | Edmund Gaines | Main cast (season 2) |
| Year | Title | Artist(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Soldier" | Destiny's Child | as a member of 'Upskale' |
| 2011 | "Run The World (Girls)" | Beyoncé | |
| 2013 | "Superpower" | Beyoncé feat.Frank Ocean | |
| 2024 | "Made for Me" | Muni Long |
| Year | Awards | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Soul Train Music Awards | Best New Artist | N/a | Nominated | [31] |
| 2013 | Grammy Awards | Best R&B Performance | "I Want You" | Nominated | [32] |
| 2013 | Soul Train Music Awards | Centric Award | N/a | Won | [33] |
| 2015 | Grammy Awards | Best R&B Song | "Options" | Nominated | |
| 2020 | Grammy Awards | Best R&B Album | To Feel Love/d | Nominated | [34] |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
