This is my feature article draft for my Media AS coursework. This feature article talks about the artists life before and after he found music and also where he now

1. Tim McMorrow MediaFeature Article Draft
Out With The Old and In With The New
Living in the tough streets of Camden had lead him down a dangerous and
drug filled path and his only escape was through music and the bonds which he
forged while performing. James Roy’s story begins in one of least friendly areas
in London, Camden where he and his older brother grew up and spent most of
their life. Throughout their teenage years, many challenges and problems
presented themselves to the two brothers such as local gangs and drug dealers
and after much perseverance; the two gave into the pressure and began a life
of drugs and violence. During an interview with James he stated that “It was
the most torturing part of my childhood, I wasn’t allowed to turn back once I
started, it felt like I was stuck in a never-ending cycle of drugs and violence.”
He said with teary eyes. Living a life without a choice of his own lead James
from the selling of drugs to the consumption of them.
After many years of this however, his older brother overdosed on heroin, ever
since then, James has moved away from all the crime and turmoil which
caused him a life time of grief and decided to live with his uncle in Kent, there
is where he began to show is talents in music. His uncle encouraged him to
play an instrument and so began to play the guitar and sing in his local hall.
“living with my uncle was the best thing which could have happened to me, I
began to live a normal life” he said with a big grin on his face. Whilst living with
his uncle, he also began to build a strong relationship with the other teenagers
in the area and began to start preforming with them and entered in local battle
of the bands and ranking very high.
“As time went by, I didn’t see myself wanting to stay in Kent like the others and
so I decided to live in London as a way for me to promote my music or to
pursue anything else just if I didn’t stay in Kent as I believe that if I stayed, I
would have never been able to escape.” He said with a determined look on his
face. With the support of his uncle he moved back to London and rented out a

2. Tim McMorrow MediaFeature Article Draft
1 bedroom apartment in Barnet and began his journey to become a musician.
James searched through the newspapers and went to local and not so local
music studios hoping that someone would be his manager and after a year of
searching, he began to give up, and with no help in sight, he began to work full
time in a music store, selling instruments and CD’s to customers as he thought
that this is final option.
5 months passed by when a customer came in by the name of Charles
Hennessy and asked James about one of the guitars on the rack. So, James
takes it down and begins to test the guitar to see if it is in tune and decides to
play a small riff, Charles is amazed by the small demonstration and asks James
who taught him how to play. “I responded by saying that I was self-taught
*giggles* and the rest was history. He gave me his number and told me to call
him if I ever wanted to put my talents to good use… so I did.” Stars were
aligning for James and he got his first song uploaded to YouTube, “Having my
first song uploaded to YouTube was my idea as I wanted my friends and uncle
back in Kent to see how far I’ve come and wanted them to be one able to see it
the same as everyone else.” He said with a huge smile across his face.
Amazingly, James’ first song got over 2 million views and 1.6 million likes
making it one of the most popular videos on YouTube (at the time). Many
different record companies wanted to recruit James but he refused all of them
and decided to stay with Charles as he believed that he should stay with who
made his dreams real.
On the back of his first songs major success, he has decided to release his first
album called ‘The Beginning’ which is a solo album with no features but
however has inspirations from his past and the ordeals he has had to
overcome in order be where he is now. “This album is a very sentimental one
for me, not just because this is my first ever album, but also because it’s from
the heart and all the hardship I’ve had to overcome to be where I am today.”
James has also gone on to state that half of his earnings from the sales of the
album will go to towards charities which support children living in rough and
drug ridden areas who can’t escape just like him when he was younger.