James Abrahart
James John "JHart" Abrahart Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 12, 1988 Essex, United Kingdom |
| Occupation(s) | Vocalist, songwriter, producer, arranger |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Known for | Songwriting and production for artists including Usher, Justin Bieber, Troye Sivan, Kygo, Cher, Chris Brown, Little Mix, Kylie Minogue, OneRepublic, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, Jon Bellion, Kelsea Ballerini, Kevin Gates, TWICE |
James John "JHart" Abrahart Jr. (born 12 June 1988) is a British vocalist, songwriter, producer, and arranger currently residing in Los Angeles. In 2013, he was signed to Artist Publishing Group by Mike Caren. Throughout his career, he has earned several Grammy nominations and worked alongside renowned artists including Usher, Justin Bieber, Troye Sivan, Kygo, Cher, Chris Brown, Little Mix, Kylie Minogue, OneRepublic, Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban, Jon Bellion, Kelsea Ballerini, Kevin Gates, and TWICE. His contributions have resulted in sales exceeding 25 million units.
Early life
Abrahart was born in Essex, United Kingdom, and raised in Brentwood with his family. His introduction to music began after a skiing injury prompted his parents to gift him a drum set. He attended Brentwood Preparatory School until the age of 12, when his family moved to Atlanta, Georgia to pursue international business opportunities.
His passion for songwriting was nurtured through participation in his school’s gospel choir and experimenting with beat-making at home, drawing inspiration from artists such as Usher, Kirk Franklin, and J Moss. In 2008, he landed a year-long internship with producer Polow da Don, marking his professional entry into the music industry. By 2009, he secured his first significant placement with Priscilla Renea’s track "Pretty Girl" from her album Jukebox.
Major breakthrough
Abrahart’s breakthrough moment occurred in 2011 when he sent an unsolicited email to manager Mike Caren, who subsequently invited him to Los Angeles to collaborate with Cody Simpson. That same year, he contributed to projects for artists such as Flo Rida, Wynter Gordon, and Karmin before relocating permanently to Los Angeles in 2012 at the age of 22. During the summer of that year, he gained significant recognition for co-writing "Take You," featured on Justin Bieber’s third studio album Believe, which topped charts in 16 countries and sold over three million copies globally. Bieber performed this song at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards.
Notable work
In 2012, Abrahart penned Trey Songz’s UK single "Never Again" from the album Chapter V and co-wrote Jason Derulo’s "Undefeated," which was performed during the finale of American Idol season 11. He reunited with Derulo in 2013 to co-write "Tattoo," the title track of Derulo’s third studio album.
By 2014, Abrahart’s commercial portfolio expanded with contributions to releases by Timeflies, Inna, Pitbull, and Fifth Harmony. Notably, he co-wrote Trey Songz’s single "Change Your Mind" from the sixth studio album Trigga, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.
In January 2015, Abrahart collaborated with Jason Derulo and DJ Hardwell on "Follow Me Home," featured on Hardwell’s debut album United We Are. The album achieved No. 1 status in the Netherlands and secured the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
On 17 March 2015, "Don't Look Down", a single by Martin Garrix featuring Usher and co-written by Abrahart, was released. The track reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart as part of Garrix’s debut album rollout. Simultaneously, Atlantic Records issued the soundtrack for Furious 7, which included Abrahart’s collaboration with Sevyn Streeter and Chloe Angelides on "How Bad Do You Want It (Oh Yeah)", released as a promotional single.
In November 2015, two songs co-written by Abrahart—"Mark My Words" and "Company"—appeared on Justin Bieber’s chart-topping album Purpose. The single "Company" peaked at number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. That same month marked the release of Fleur East’s debut single "Sax," co-written by Abrahart and certified Platinum.
In 2016, Abrahart co-wrote Keith Urban’s successful single "Wasted Time" from the album Ripcord, which reached number one on the Billboard Country Airplay Chart; the album itself debuted atop the Top Country Albums chart.
He also contributed as a co-writer to Kevin Gates’ track "Know Better," featured on the soundtrack for Suicide Squad.
In 2025, Abrahart appeared on Netflix's music documentary reality series Hitmakers.
Highlighted artist
In the summer of 2012, Abrahart made his recording debut under the name "JHart," lending his vocals to Paul Oakenfold's dance track "Surrender." Two years later, in 2014, he co-wrote and was featured on Dirty South's "One Breath" from the album With You. His 2015 joint effort with Vicetone, titled "Follow Me," was chosen as the official anthem for the Ultra Music Festival and premiered through Entertainment Weekly. On May 18, 2015, Tritonal and Cash Cash unveiled "Untouchable," showcasing Abrahart’s vocal performance. Additionally, he collaborated with Australian DJ Tommy Trash on the track "Wake the Giant," which was released by Armada Music in July 2015.
Abrahart has become a well-recognized name in American songwriting circles. In 2013, he was honored with the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Contemporary Music, an award that celebrates outstanding accomplishments by young artists born outside the United States.
Songwriting credits
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indicates a credited vocal or featured artist contribution.... [Table continues with comparable formatting and data for subsequent years and performers] % Note: The complete songwriting credits list is extensive; this excerpt illustrates condensed formatting emphasizing key industry-related information. % The table features notable collaborations spanning major artists and record labels from 2008 through 2025. % Contributions encompass co-writing and vocal performances on prominent releases across pop and dance genres. % This detailed catalog highlights Abrahart's substantial role within music production and songwriting sectors. % End of excerpt.
References
| Year | Artist | Album | Song | Co-writers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Mýa | Sugar & Spice | "Wish You Were Here" |
Mýa Marie Harrison, Canoy Watkins, Cheryline Lim |
| 2011 | Wynter Gordon | With the Music I Die | "All My Life" | Diana Gordon, Djibril Kagni, Jordan Houyez |
| Priscilla Renea | Jukebox | "Pretty Girl" | Priscilla Renea, Warren Felder, Janey Elrod, Kendall Jackson, Rashad Taylor | |
| 2012 | Angel | About Time | "Go In, Go Hard" |
Sirach Charles, Victoria Akintola, Ras Alexander, Ryan Williamson, Jermaine Scott |
| Jason Derulo | Future History | "Undefeated" | Jason Desrouleaux, Justin Franks | |
| Paul Oakenfold | Non-album single | "Surrender" |
Paul Oakenfold | |
| Justin Bieber | Believe | "Take You" | Justin Bieber, Raphael Judrin, Pierre-Antoine Melki, Ross Golan, Alexander Dezen, Benjamin Maddahi | |
| Trey Songz | Chapter V | "Never Again" | Tremaine Neverson, Matthew Prime, Teemu Brunila, Curtis Mayfield | |
| Loreen | Heal | "See You Again" | Lorine Talhaoui, Jeremy Coleman, Jens Gruele | |
| Angel | About Time | "Time After Time" | Sirach Charles, Timothy Thomas, Theron Thomas, Kassa Alexander, Nathan Payton | |
| 2013 | Stooshe | London with the Lights On | "Round 2" | Jonathan Perry, Mo Brandis, Audra Mae Butts, Darren Lewis, Geoffrey Early, Iyola Babalola |
| Jason Derulo | Tattoos | "Tattoo" | Jason Desrouleaux, Christopher Sernel, Justin Franks, Viny Vyas, Justin Davey | |
| "Fire" |
Jason Desrouleaux, Urales Vargas, Matthew Naples, Tierce Person, Armando Perez | |||
| 2014 | Taeyang | Rise | "Stay with Me" |
Chaz Mishan, David Delazyn, Kwon Ji-Yong |
| Trey Songz | Trigga | "Change Your Mind" | Tremaine Neverson, Marcos Palacios, Ernest Clark, Alexander Izquerdio, Mark Goodchild | |
| Inna | Party Never Ends | "Good Time" |
Eric Frederic, Andreas Schuller, Thomas Troelsen, Armando Perez | |
| Andy Grammer | Magazines or Novels | "Red Eye" | Andrew Grammer, Thomas Meredith, Mason Levy, Joshua Kear, Abram Dean, Josiah Rosen | |
| Inna | Party Never Ends | "Take Me Higher" | Georgia Overton, Thomas Meredith, Marcel Botezan, Radu Bolfea, Sebastian Barac | |
| Union J | You Got It All - The Album | "Girl Like You" | Christopher Sernel, Joleen Belle | |
| 2015 | Hardwell | United We Are | "Follow Me" |
Robert van de Corput, Jason Desrouleaux, Djibril Kagni, Jordan Houyez, Dino Cirone |
| Fifth Harmony | Reflection | "Them Girls Be Like" | Victoria McCants, Emily Schwartz,Brittany Burton,Tinashe Sibanda | |
| Vicetone | Non-album single | "Follow Me" |
Ruben Den Boer,Victer Pool | |
| Sevyn Streeter | Furious 7 OST | "How Bad Do You Want It (Oh Yeah)" | Amber Streeter , Chloe Angelides , Andrew Cedar , Justin Franks , James Smith , Kledji Llupa , Theodore Economou |