AJ Mitchell

Aaron Fredrick "AJ" Mitchell Jr. (born May 17, 2001),[2] is an American singer-songwriter and musician who is currently signed to Epic Records. He gained a following in 2017 after posting clips of himself singing and performing covers on YouTube and Instagram. His first independent single, "Used To Be", was written by Mitchell at age 13 and has over 60 million streams.[3]

AJ Mitchell
AJ Mitchell performing at the December 2019 93.3 FLZ Jingle Ball
Background information
Birth nameAaron Fredrick Mitchell Jr.
Born (2001-05-17) May 17, 2001
Belleville, Illinois, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
InstrumentsVocals
Years active2015–present
LabelsEpic[1]
Associated actsAdam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr.
Websiteajmitchellmusic.com

Mitchell has three songs which have reached the top 40 on the US radio charts, the July 2018 release "Girls", which reached No. 39,[4] the March 2019 release "All My Friends", which reached No. 24,[5] and "Slow Dance" (featuring Ava Max), which broke into the Top 40 charts in October 2019.[6]

Early life

AJ Mitchell was born in Belleville, Illinois on May 17, 2001. His mother, Allison Mitchell, is a small business owner and his father, Aaron Fredrick Mitchell Sr, is a traveling nurse. AJ is the couple's only son and youngest child, after their daughters Andrea and Addison (Addy).

Mitchell began piano lessons at 4, inspired by his father who was also learning to play piano and write songs. Mitchell attended Belleville West High School, where he played on the football team and sang in the school choir. [3]

Career

2015–2016: Career beginnings

By 13, Mitchell began performing at local open-mic nights in his hometown and posting covers on YouTube and Instagram, which helped him gain a significant following.[3] Mitchell's social media fan base helped him capture the attention of the LA-based artist manager that Mitchell has worked with since 2015.

Mitchell's videos on social media granted him an opportunity to relocate to Los Angeles in 2015 to collaborate with internet marketing agency Team 10. After a brief period together, Mitchell left the group to focus his energy entirely on music.[7]

2017–2018: Hopeful

In 2017, Mitchell released his first independent single "Used to Be", a song he wrote at age 13. The song was produced by hip-hop producer and engineer Mike Dean. "Used to Be" has now gained over 60 million streams.

After departing the social media group, Mitchell received interest from many different record labels but eventually decided to sign with Epic Records. He inked his first major deal with the label in February 2018.

Mitchell's first studio EP with Epic, Hopeful, was released in July 2018. Its lead single "Girls", co-written by Mitchell and Romans, reached No. 39 on the US Mediabase pop radio chart.[4] In November 2018, Billboard and Vevo named AJ one of the top 19 artists to watch in 2019.[8] AJ is headlining his first US tour in spring 2019.[9]

Epic Records CEO Sylvia Rhone referred to Mitchell's music as "exciting things to come", when discussing the growing talent roster at the record label.[10]

In 2018, Mitchell collaborated with Bay Area R&B singer-songwriter Marteen for the song "No Plans". Marteen later joined Mitchell in a support slot on the following year's 2019 Hopeful Tour.

2019–present: Slow Dance and Skyview

In May 2019, Mitchell collaborated with songwriting duo Teamwork and Scottish singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt on the song "After Hours".[11][12]

Later that month, in an interview with Billboard, Mitchell announced that his forthcoming debut full-length album with Epic Records was nearly finished and would be released "very, very soon". The mid-tempo single "All My Friends", which debuted on the radio charts in April 2019, was confirmed as the first single from the album, titled Skyview.[7][13]

On August 23, 2019, Mitchell released his second EP Slow Dance, which includes his singles "Talk So Much", "Move On", and the title track featuring American singer Ava Max.[14]

Artistry

Musician

Mitchell cites a wide variety of music as influential to his songwriting style, regularly noting his admiration of artists like Bruno Mars and Lil Wayne.[15]

Discography

Albums

Studio albums
List of studio albums, with release date and label shown
Title Details
Skyview

Extended plays
Title Details Track listing
Hopeful
  • Released: July 20, 2018[17]
  • Label: Epic
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
No.TitleLength
1."Girls"3:09
2."Hate That I Love You"3:19
3."Hopeful"3:18
4."I Don't Want You Back"3:44
5."High Like You"3:08
6."My Lover, My Friend"2:09
Total length:18:47
Slow Dance
  • Released: August 23, 2019[14]
  • Label: Epic
  • Formats: Digital download, streaming
No.TitleLength
1."Slow Dance" (featuring Ava Max)2:58
2."Out My Mind"3:15
3."Move On"2:25
4."Talk So Much"2:40
Total length:11:18

Singles

As lead artist
List of singles as lead artist, showing year released, selected chart positions and album details
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US
Pop
[18]
"Somebody"[19] 2018 — Non-album singles
"Used to Be"[20] —
"Mind"[21] —
"Girls"[22] 39 Hopeful
"No Plans"
(featuring Marteen)[23]		 — Non-album single
"All My Friends"[24] 2019 24 Skyview
"Talk So Much"[25] — Slow Dance
"Afterhours"
(with Teamwork and Nina Nesbitt)		 — Non-album singles
"Without You Now"
(with Digital Farm Animals)[26]		 —
"Move On"[27] — Slow Dance
"Slow Dance"
(featuring Ava Max)		 28
"Down in Flames"[28] — Skyview
"Like Strangers Do"[29] —
"Say It Again"[30] —
"Unstoppable"[31] —
"Spring Break"
(featuring Rich the Kid)		 2020 —
"Burn" —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.
List of singles as featured artist, showing year released and album details
Title Year Album
"Imagine"[32]
(Steve Aoki and Frank Walker featuring AJ Mitchell)		 2020 Non-album single

Guest appearances
List of non-single guest appearances, with other performing artists, showing year released and album name
Title Year Other artist(s) Album
"After You" 2020 Meghan Trainor Treat Myself

Tours
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References
  1. "Epic Records – Artist". Epic Records. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  2. "AJ Mitchell | Biography". AllMusic.
  3. Maddox, Teri (May 3, 2019). "Is a former Belleville teen headed for singing stardom? His L.A. manager says 'yes'". Belleville News Democrat.
  4. "AJ Mitchell's "Girls" Enters Top 40 at Pop Radio". Headline Planet. November 25, 2018.
  5. "Billie Eilish, Bryce Vine, AJ Mitchell Songs Make Top 25 at Pop Radio". Headline Planet. May 12, 2019.
  6. "Songs By Ariana, Miley & Lana, Maroon 5, AJ Mitchell & Ava Max Reach Top 40 At Pop Radio". Headline Planet. September 22, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
  7. "AJ Mitchell Talks Breakout Single 'All My Friends' & Plans for His 'More Mature' Debut Album: 'It's So Personal'". Billboard.
  8. "Billboard Reteams With Vevo to Announce 2019 DSCVR Artists To Watch List: Exclusive". Billboard. November 15, 2018.
  9. "AJ Mitchell to Headline 2019 'Hopeful' Tour". Tiger Beat. November 17, 2018.
  10. Halperin, Shirley (May 2, 2019). "Epic Records Chairman Sylvia Rhone: 'It's a Watershed Moment for Black Culture'". Variety.
  11. "AJ MITCHELL & NINA NESBITT LIGHT UP SUMMER WITH JOINT SINGLE "AFTER HOURS" PRODUCED BY TEAMWORK". Epic Records. May 10, 2019.
  12. "Afterhours – Single by teamwork, Nina Nesbitt & AJ Mitchell" – via music.apple.com.
  13. Maddox, Teri (May 3, 2019). "Is a former Belleville teen headed for singing stardom? His L.A. manager says 'yes'". Belleville News-Democrat. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  14. "Slow Dance – EP by AJ Mitchell on Apple Music". Apple Music US. August 23, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  15. "AJ Mitchell | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  16. Paramasivam, Indran (January 23, 2020). "AJ Mitchell on Skyview, 'Used To Be' and 2020 plans". Bandwagon. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  17. "Hopeful – EP by AJ Mitchell on Apple Music". Apple Music US. July 20, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  18. Peak chart positions in the United States:
  19. "Somebody – Single by AJ Mitchell on Apple Music". Apple Music US. May 20, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  20. "Used To Be – Single by AJ Mitchell on Apple Music". Apple Music US. May 25, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  21. "Mind – Single by AJ Mitchell on Apple Music". Apple Music US. May 25, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  22. AJ Mitchell- Girls on YouTube
  23. "No Plans (feat. Marteen) – Single by AJ Mitchell on Apple Music". Apple Music US. December 14, 2018. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  24. "All My Friends – Single by AJ Mitchell on Apple Music". Apple Music US. March 1, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  25. "Talk So Much – Single by AJ Mitchell on Apple Music". Apple Music US. 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  26. "Without You Now – Single by Digital Farm Animals & AJ Mitchell on Apple Music". Apple Music US. June 28, 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  27. "Move On – Single by AJ Mitchell on Apple Music". Apple Music US. 2019. Retrieved July 26, 2019.
  28. "Down in Flames – Single by AJ Mitchell on Apple Music". Apple Music US. September 20, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  29. "Like Strangers Do – Single by AJ Mitchell on Apple Music". Apple Music US. October 18, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  30. "Say It Again – Single by AJ Mitchell on Apple Music". Apple Music US. November 8, 2019. Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  31. "Unstoppable – Single by AJ Mitchell on Apple Music". Apple Music US. November 22, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  32. "Imagine (feat. AJ Mitchell) - Single by Steve Aoki & Frank Walker". Apple Music. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  33. "AJ Mitchell announces winter headline tour". Epic Records. November 16, 2018.

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