# Jamie Lawson (musician)
**Jamie Lawson** (born 1975) is an English singer-songwriter from Plymouth, Devon, known for the acoustic folk-pop song "Wasn't Expecting That" and for being the first artist signed to [Ed Sheeran](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-sheeran)'s label, Gingerbread Man Records[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jamie-lawson-mn0002575506) • [2](https://www.wmg.com/news/ed-sheeran-welcomes-jamie-lawson-new-label-20796). After roughly a decade and a half of performing in pubs and small venues, his 2015 self-titled album reached number one on the [UK Albums Chart](https://www.edgepedia.org/uk-albums-chart), dislodging Sheeran's own record from the top position[3](https://www.songwritingmagazine.co.uk/interviews/interview-jamie-lawson).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1975 in Plymouth, Devon, England[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jamie-lawson-mn0002575506) |
| Signature song | "Wasn't Expecting That", an Irish hit in 2011 and UK Top 10 single in 2015 (peak No. 6)[4](https://www.hotpress.com/music/expect-the-unexpected-7602485) • [5](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/48428/jamie-lawson/) |
| Label connection | First artist signed to Ed Sheeran's Gingerbread Man Records, announced 17 July 2015[2](https://www.wmg.com/news/ed-sheeran-welcomes-jamie-lawson-new-label-20796) |
| Biggest chart result | Self-titled album debuted at No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart on 29 October 2015, spending one week at the top[5](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/48428/jamie-lawson/) |
| Awards and reach | An Ivor Novello Award; reported 110 million Spotify streams and 24 million YouTube views for the song[6](https://www.axs.com/artists/1101016/jamie-lawson-tickets) |
| Later albums | Happy Accidents (2017, UK peak No. 23), The Years In Between (2019), Little Weaknesses (2023)[7](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jamie-lawson/156278636) • [5](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/48428/jamie-lawson/) |
## Early life and career beginnings
Lawson was born and raised in Plymouth, where he attended Barn Barton Primary and Tamarside Community College[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jamie-lawson-mn0002575506) • [8](https://plymouthartsandheritage.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/jamie-lawson/). He picked up the guitar at age eight, took lessons at primary school, gave it up for a time, and returned to it at about fourteen, when songwriting began to hold him[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jamie-lawson-mn0002575506) • [9](https://universitytimes.ie/2011/04/interview-with-jamie-lawson/). As a teenager he played in a school covers band working through R.E.M., Jimi Hendrix, and the [Red Hot Chili Peppers](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-hot-chili-peppers), moving toward half-original sets by age 16 or 17[3](https://www.songwritingmagazine.co.uk/interviews/interview-jamie-lawson).
His stated influences lean toward lyric-driven writers: R.E.M.'s *Out of Time* and "Losing My Religion", 10,000 Maniacs, Motown and the Jackson 5, and later [Bob Dylan](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-dylan), Ron Sexsmith, Mark Eitzel, Elbow, and [Patty Griffin](https://www.edgepedia.org/patty-griffin)[3](https://www.songwritingmagazine.co.uk/interviews/interview-jamie-lawson). He has also named [The Smiths](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-smiths), Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, and American Music Club[9](https://universitytimes.ie/2011/04/interview-with-jamie-lawson/).
**The long apprenticeship.** Lawson released his debut album, *Last Night Stars*, on his own Allotment Recordings label in 2003[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jamie-lawson-mn0002575506). He spent about fifteen years moving around, living in London, and playing any acoustic or folk venue that would have him[10](https://m2now.com/celebrate-happy-accidents-jamie-lawson/). By the time of his later success he had performed at Plymouth venues such as the B-Bar in the Barbican Theatre and The Hub for more than twenty years[8](https://plymouthartsandheritage.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/jamie-lawson/). His second album, *The Pull of the Moon*, earned favorable reviews in the UK but no airplay, and he continued doing covers gigs in pubs in Cornwall to pay the rent[4](https://www.hotpress.com/music/expect-the-unexpected-7602485). The album found some success in New Zealand[8](https://plymouthartsandheritage.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/jamie-lawson/).
## "Wasn't Expecting That" and the Irish breakthrough
Lawson wrote "Wasn't Expecting That" in October 2010, with the title line coming to him in the kitchen of a friend's house in Dublin[11](https://www.irishnews.com/arts/2016/01/15/news/jamie-lawson-wasn-t-expecting-success-until-ed-sheeran-called-382750/) • [4](https://www.hotpress.com/music/expect-the-unexpected-7602485). The song tells the story of a couple from their meeting to a final parting; it opens as a tale of romance, marriage, and parenthood before the ending shifts sharply to the partner's death from illness[8](https://plymouthartsandheritage.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/jamie-lawson/). Lawson has described it as "a happy song with a sad ending", or, for viewers of its viral video, "a sad song with a devastating ending"[12](https://www.bigissue.com/culture/music/jamie-lawson-dream-come-true-i-thought-id-blown/).
The break came through radio rather than the industry. In early 2011 Ian Dempsey began playing a YouTube rip of the song on Today FM, and listeners took notice; the track climbed to No. 3 on the Irish singles chart, and the album it titled reached No. 11 in Ireland[4](https://www.hotpress.com/music/expect-the-unexpected-7602485) • [13](https://tidal.com/magazine/article/tidal-rising-jamie-lawson-us/1-18263) • [8](https://plymouthartsandheritage.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/jamie-lawson/). Lawson hoped the Irish success would carry across to the UK and beyond, but the momentum faded, and he later contemplated working as a wedding singer to pay the rent[12](https://www.bigissue.com/culture/music/jamie-lawson-dream-come-true-i-thought-id-blown/).
## Ed Sheeran and Gingerbread Man Records
Lawson first met Ed Sheeran on the London acoustic circuit, at a Christmas show at The Bedford in Balham, shortly before Sheeran signed with [Atlantic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlantic-records)[12](https://www.bigissue.com/culture/music/jamie-lawson-dream-come-true-i-thought-id-blown/). The two lost touch for about four years, during which Sheeran became a global star. The reconnection came by chance: while playing in Ireland, Sheeran saw a Lawson poster in a pub and texted him out of the blue to open a secret gig at the Ruby Sessions in Dublin[3](https://www.songwritingmagazine.co.uk/interviews/interview-jamie-lawson) • [14](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jamie-lawson-interview-ed-sheeran). Lawson then joined Sheeran's tour and, in 2015, opened his concerts at Dublin's 82,000-capacity [Croke Park](https://www.edgepedia.org/croke-park)[12](https://www.bigissue.com/culture/music/jamie-lawson-dream-come-true-i-thought-id-blown/).
Sheeran said he had rarely been moved emotionally by a track, but "Wasn't Expecting That" stopped him dead, and he made Lawson the first signing to his newly launched Gingerbread Man Records[2](https://www.wmg.com/news/ed-sheeran-welcomes-jamie-lawson-new-label-20796). Sheeran has also cited the song as the inspiration for his own "Afire Love"[13](https://tidal.com/magazine/article/tidal-rising-jamie-lawson-us/1-18263).
## Chart success in 2015 and later albums
Lawson's self-titled album, released via Gingerbread Man Records/Elektra on 9 October 2015, was produced by Sheeran's longtime collaborator Will Hicks and mixed by Ruadhri Cushnan[2](https://www.wmg.com/news/ed-sheeran-welcomes-jamie-lawson-new-label-20796). The reissued "Wasn't Expecting That" peaked at [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6) on the UK Singles Chart and spent 22 weeks on that chart[5](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/48428/jamie-lawson/). The album entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 1 on 29 October 2015 and spent 19 weeks on the chart[5](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/48428/jamie-lawson/). The single also reached the top 3 in Australia and the top 10 in New Zealand[8](https://plymouthartsandheritage.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/jamie-lawson/) • [15](https://wmg.jp/jamielawson).
In December 2015 Lawson appeared on the Christmas special of *Top of the Pops*, and in 2016 he shared billing with [Elton John](https://www.edgepedia.org/elton-john) at Hyde Park[11](https://www.irishnews.com/arts/2016/01/15/news/jamie-lawson-wasn-t-expecting-success-until-ed-sheeran-called-382750/) • [8](https://plymouthartsandheritage.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/jamie-lawson/).
**Happy Accidents.** His 2017 album *Happy Accidents* was produced by Joe Chiccarelli and recorded at LA's Sunset Sounds in two sessions, in November 2016 and February 2017, with musicians including keyboardist Roger Manning Jr and drummer [Matt Chamberlain](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-chamberlain)[6](https://www.axs.com/artists/1101016/jamie-lawson-tickets). It peaked at No. 23 on the UK Albums Chart[5](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/48428/jamie-lawson/). He followed it with *The Years In Between* (2019), which received advice on the songs from Sheeran, and *Little Weaknesses* (2023)[16](https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2019/apr/02/kt.pdf) • [7](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jamie-lawson/156278636). In 2025 he released a tenth-anniversary edition of the 2015 album[7](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jamie-lawson/156278636).
## Legacy
The Plymouth Museums Galleries history project credits Lawson as the first Plymouth-born musician to top the UK Albums Chart, and describes his hit as working in the tradition of English folk ballads, finding mass appeal through genuinely meaningful content[8](https://plymouthartsandheritage.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/jamie-lawson/). Reviewing the 2015 album, The Independent's Andy Gill compared "Wasn't Expecting That" to [James Blunt](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-blunt)'s "You're Beautiful" as a song that works as both wedding and funeral music[17](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/jamie-lawson-jamie-lawson-album-review-a6706051.html).
## References
1. [Jamie Lawson Biography by Jon O'Brien, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/jamie-lawson-mn0002575506)
2. [Ed Sheeran Welcomes Jamie Lawson to New Label, Warner Music Group, 17 July 2015](https://www.wmg.com/news/ed-sheeran-welcomes-jamie-lawson-new-label-20796)
3. [Interview: Jamie Lawson, Songwriting Magazine, 27 October 2015](https://www.songwritingmagazine.co.uk/interviews/interview-jamie-lawson)
4. [Expect The Unexpected, Hot Press, 18 March 2011](https://www.hotpress.com/music/expect-the-unexpected-7602485)
5. [Jamie Lawson full Official Chart history, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/48428/jamie-lawson/)
6. [Jamie Lawson artist page, AXS](https://www.axs.com/artists/1101016/jamie-lawson-tickets)
7. [Jamie Lawson, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/jamie-lawson/156278636)
8. [History Centre Heroes: Jamie Lawson, Plymouth Museums Galleries Archives, 25 January 2017](https://plymouthartsandheritage.wordpress.com/2017/01/25/jamie-lawson/)
9. [An Interview with Jamie Lawson, The University Times, 4 April 2011](https://universitytimes.ie/2011/04/interview-with-jamie-lawson/)
10. [Celebrate Happy Accidents – Jamie Lawson, M2 Magazine](https://m2now.com/celebrate-happy-accidents-jamie-lawson/)
11. [Jamie Lawson wasn't expecting success – until Ed Sheeran called, The Irish News, 15 January 2016](https://www.irishnews.com/arts/2016/01/15/news/jamie-lawson-wasn-t-expecting-success-until-ed-sheeran-called-382750/)
12. [Jamie Lawson: "It was a dream come true – and I thought I'd blown it", The Big Issue, 14 December 2015](https://www.bigissue.com/culture/music/jamie-lawson-dream-come-true-i-thought-id-blown/)
13. [TIDAL Rising: Jamie Lawson, TIDAL Magazine, 9 November 2015](https://tidal.com/magazine/article/tidal-rising-jamie-lawson-us/1-18263)
14. [Jamie Lawson — Ed Sheeran Signed To New Label, Teen Vogue, 20 October 2015](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/jamie-lawson-interview-ed-sheeran)
15. [ジェイミー・ローソン / Jamie Lawson profile, Warner Music Japan](https://wmg.jp/jamielawson)
16. [JAMIE LAWSON: ED SHEERAN LOOKS AFTER HIMSELF ON TOUR, Kuwait Times, 2 April 2019](https://kuwaittimes.com/uploads/imported_images/pdf/2019/apr/02/kt.pdf)
17. [Jamie Lawson, Jamie Lawson – album review, The Independent, 23 October 2015](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/jamie-lawson-jamie-lawson-album-review-a6706051.html)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › Adult contemporary, 2010s to present*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 19, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license