William Edward Graydon[1] (born 8 May 1989[1]), known professionally as 220 Kid (pronounced "two-twenty kid"[6] and stylised in all caps[7]), is an English record producer, DJ and remix artist.[7] On the
UK Singles Chart, his collaboration "
Don't Need Love" with
Gracey peaked at number 9 in 2020,[8] while his remix of
Nathan Evans' "
Wellerman" with
Billen Ted reached the top spot in 2021.[9][10] He is based in
Highbury, London.[1]
220 Kid's
stage name originated from a charity effort where he ran 220 miles (350 km), a distance corresponding to nine
marathons, over seven days.[7] The run was completed in 2013 on the
Isle of Man in honour of Gibb and supported three medical charities.[11] After moving to London, he initially used the stage name "Willie the Kid" (named after
the cowboy) without realising it was already the
name of an existing artist.[4] He previously had jobs working for marketing company
CPM Group,[16] as a
model in
Singapore,[17] as a carpenter,[18] and at a
Tesco grocery store.[4]
Career
Prior to embarking on a solo career, Graydon went by the name "William Edward" and was a member of pop duo OMYO—an acronym for "Our Music Your Opinion"[12]—alongside Tom McCorkell while living in
Thame.[4][16][19] The pair met on New Year's Eve in 2014 at the James Figg pub in Thame and made a bet to write a song together.[12][16] They wrote a few songs over the span of several days, including "Lady", which was used in an advert by clothing retailer
New Look.[12][20] After being dropped by a major record label, they formed their own
independent one; their debut single "Days with You" was released on Two Six Records in 2017, with its music video shot in
New York City.[16][21] Their first gig was supporting
Drake at the
Wireless Festival and their debut album was planned for September 2017.[22][23]
Graydon's first song as a solo artist under the moniker "220 Kid" was "Lights" in 2018, which was a shift from OMYO's
urban pop to
electronic music.[24] Follow-up singles "Pleasure to Love You" and "Let Me Stay" both featured vocalist Chilli Chilton.[25] 220 Kid signed with
Polydor Records in 2019.[19] His debut single with the label was "
Don't Need Love", a collaboration with English singer
Gracey, which was released in December 2019.[4][26] The song went on to reach the top ten of the
UK Singles Chart, peaking at number nine in July 2020, and received a nomination for
British Single at the
2021 Brit Awards.[8][27] His follow-up single, "Too Many Nights" with Northern Irish singer
JC Stewart, was released in September 2020,[28] peaking at number 74 in the UK.[29] He lists the
Bee Gees,
Timbaland, and
Motown artists as a few of his musical influences.[3][26]
Discography
Singles
List of singles, with selected chart positions and certifications, showing year released