Alonestar

Alonestar, also known as Jethro Sheeran, is a Bristol-based British artist who works in hip hop and urban pop. His music also sits alongside tags including psytrance and pop, and he appears on the UK live circuit as a performer and songwriter.

Career and releases

He releases material across EP and single formats, including the six-track EP Warrior and the 2010 EP Isophase Light. Warrior includes collaborations with Ed Sheeran, Rosie Ribbons, Ja Ja Soze and Lifford. One track from the EP, Lost and Taken, is described by him as a deeply personal song about his daughter, Skyla Rain, and about being taken from his mother as a child. Another song, Skyla Rain, appears on Isophase Light and is presented as a raw account of frustration and sorrow.

Live work and performances

He performs internationally, with appearances in the UK, Morocco, Spain, Denmark and Trinidad. His live shows are noted for crowd response, and one headline performance at the Exposure Music Awards is described as particularly strong. He also performs material from Warrior on the summer festival circuit. The title track from that EP is performed on TV2 fight night live in Denmark to a large live and broadcast audience.

Awards, collaborations and industry activity

Alonestar wins two Exposure Music Awards: Best Male Artist and Best Urban Song. He also signs a six-track publishing deal with EMI and is in discussion with Universal about using Warrior for the London Olympics. His work is linked with Ed Sheeran in several ways, including a live U-stream appearance in promotion of Ed Sheeran’s single You Need Me, I Don’t Need You, and a note that part of that song is taken from Alonestar’s Shottas Paradise. He is also interviewed with Josie Gibbons and Ed Sheeran for iFilm London.

Style and critical remarks

His music is described as having a dark Bristol sound and strong production, and it is compared with the early work of Massive Attack. Other comments in the input describe him as a strong writer, a powerful lyricist and a refreshing artist with a broad international appeal.