# Nathan Sykes
**Nathan Sykes** (full name Nathan James Sykes) is an English singer and songwriter, born in 1993 in Gloucester, England, best known as the youngest member of the boy band [The Wanted](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-wanted) and for his subsequent solo career in pop, R&B, and soul[1](https://the-wanted.fandom.com/wiki/Nathan_Sykes).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1993, Gloucester, England[1](https://the-wanted.fandom.com/wiki/Nathan_Sykes) |
| The Wanted | Joined through auditions organized by manager Jayne Collins in 2009, at age 16, alongside Max George, Siva Kaneswaran, Tom Parker, and Jay McGuiness[1](https://the-wanted.fandom.com/wiki/Nathan_Sykes) |
| Band record | The Wanted achieved 10 UK top 10 singles and three UK top 10 albums between 2010 and 2013, and earned two Brit Awards[2](https://kassnermusic.com/songwriters/nathan-sykes/) |
| Band hiatus | The Wanted went on hiatus in 2014, when Sykes was 20[3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/nathan-sykes-unfinished-business-interview) |
| Solo debut single | "Kiss Me Quick", released 14 June 2015, peaked at number 14 on the UK Singles Chart and topped the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart[1](https://the-wanted.fandom.com/wiki/Nathan_Sykes) |
| Debut album | *Unfinished Business*, released 11 November 2016 on Global Entertainment[4](https://talkaboutpopmusic.com/2016/11/11/review-unfinished-business-nathan-sykes/) |
| Notable duets | "Almost Is Never Enough" with Ariana Grande (2013), and a duet version of "Over and Over Again" on his album[1](https://the-wanted.fandom.com/wiki/Nathan_Sykes) • [3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/nathan-sykes-unfinished-business-interview) |
## The Wanted, 2009 to 2014
In 2009, at age 16, Sykes auditioned successfully for The Wanted, a five-piece boy band assembled by the pop manager Jayne Collins, and joined [Max George](https://www.edgepedia.org/max-george), Siva Kaneswaran, Tom Parker, and [Jay McGuiness](https://www.edgepedia.org/jay-mcguiness)[1](https://the-wanted.fandom.com/wiki/Nathan_Sykes). The group's singles included "Glad You Came", and the band achieved massive success before announcing a hiatus in 2014[3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/nathan-sykes-unfinished-business-interview). Over its active years the band placed 10 singles and three albums in the UK top 10 and won two [Brit Awards](https://www.edgepedia.org/brit-awards)[2](https://kassnermusic.com/songwriters/nathan-sykes/).
In 2013, Sykes suffered a vocal hemorrhage that required emergency vocal cord surgery and several months of rehabilitation, a setback that paused his activities with The Wanted and initially postponed his solo plans[5](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2016/Billboard-2016-09-17.pdf). He later told Billboard that the difference between band and solo performing was simple: in The Wanted he sang one line in five, and solo the focus was entirely on him[5](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2016/Billboard-2016-09-17.pdf).
His most visible pre-solo credit outside the band was "Almost Is Never Enough", a 2013 piano ballad recorded with [Ariana Grande](https://www.edgepedia.org/ariana-grande) for *The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones* soundtrack, which reached number 49 on the UK Singles Chart[1](https://the-wanted.fandom.com/wiki/Nathan_Sykes).
## Solo career
**Early singles.** Sykes signed with Global Entertainment in 2014[1](https://the-wanted.fandom.com/wiki/Nathan_Sykes). In early 2015 he released "More Than You'll Ever Know" and announced work on a debut album with producers including Babyface and [Diane Warren](https://www.edgepedia.org/diane-warren)[6](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nathan-sykes-mn0002246853). His official solo debut single, "Kiss Me Quick", came out on 14 June 2015; it peaked at number 14 in the UK and reached number 1 on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart[1](https://the-wanted.fandom.com/wiki/Nathan_Sykes). A review in *The Edge* described the track as [Bruno Mars](https://www.edgepedia.org/bruno-mars)-esque, moving from a crooner-style opening into R&B, and rated it 80 percent[7](https://theedgesusu.co.uk/records/singles/2015/07/07/review-nathan-sykes-kiss-me-quick/).
**Unfinished Business.** His debut solo album, *Unfinished Business*, was released on 11 November 2016 through Global Entertainment[4](https://talkaboutpopmusic.com/2016/11/11/review-unfinished-business-nathan-sykes/) • [8](https://music.apple.com/us/album/unfinished-business/1443224453). [Teen Vogue](https://www.edgepedia.org/teen-vogue) profiled it as a 16-song album written largely from personal experience; the standard edition listed by Apple Music runs 12 songs and 44 minutes, with a deluxe edition adding further tracks including a duet version of "Over and Over Again" with Ariana Grande[3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/nathan-sykes-unfinished-business-interview) • [8](https://music.apple.com/us/album/unfinished-business/1443224453) • [9](https://themusicalhype.com/nathan-sykes-unfinished-business/). The album draws on the music Sykes grew up with: his mother is a music teacher who plays flute, clarinet, saxophone, and piano, and he cites Motown and jazz, along with [Ray Charles](https://www.edgepedia.org/ray-charles), Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, and [Marvin Gaye](https://www.edgepedia.org/marvin-gaye), as influences[3](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/nathan-sykes-unfinished-business-interview).
The album mixes R&B, soul, funk, ballads, and pop across its tracks[4](https://talkaboutpopmusic.com/2016/11/11/review-unfinished-business-nathan-sykes/). It opens with the gospel-tinged "Good Things Come to Those Who Wait", includes the brass-led "Money" and "Freedom", the acoustic ballad "I Can't Be Mad", and "Give It Up", which features the rapper G-Eazy and interpolates Blackstreet's "Don't Leave Me"[4](https://talkaboutpopmusic.com/2016/11/11/review-unfinished-business-nathan-sykes/) • [9](https://themusicalhype.com/nathan-sykes-unfinished-business/). Sykes has said "Famous" is the song he is proudest of, and that he revised its lyrics several times to keep the story true while making it relatable to listeners[10](https://www.campus.sg/interview-nathan-sykes-someone-i-wrote-a-song-about-told-me-they-liked-it/).
**Reception.** Reviews were divided. Michael Cragg, reviewing the album for *The Guardian*, called it glossy, retro-by-numbers soul whose earnest delivery stretched Sykes's voice thin, and judged the whole too forgettable, though he singled out "Famous" among often solid songs[11](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/13/nathan-sykes-unfinished-business-review-the-wanted). Other reviews were warmer: Talk About Pop Music called it a soul-baring, career-defining record, praising the falsetto on "Kiss Me Quick" and the vocal range shown across genres[4](https://talkaboutpopmusic.com/2016/11/11/review-unfinished-business-nathan-sykes/), and Billboard named Sykes one of 2016's buzziest new artists[5](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2016/Billboard-2016-09-17.pdf). The single "Famous" reached number 91 on the main UK chart and number 34 on the sales chart, a gap commenters attributed to streaming weighting[12](https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/2186422/nathan-sykes-famous).
## Later career
After the album's release, Sykes toured internationally, including an appearance at the Dubai Jazz Festival in 2017 supporting [Enrique Iglesias](https://www.edgepedia.org/enrique-iglesias)[13](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts/dubai-jazz-festival-2017-nathan-sykes-on-the-wanted-break-up-and-his-new-solo-album-1.29123). A 2022 reunion with The Wanted for a documentary series and subsequent tours was followed by a move to independent, self-managed status, and a second solo album, *Ultraviolet*, with production from a core team including David Sneddon and Theo Hutchcraft[1](https://the-wanted.fandom.com/wiki/Nathan_Sykes).
## References
1. [Nathan Sykes, The Wanted Wiki (Fandom)](https://the-wanted.fandom.com/wiki/Nathan_Sykes)
2. [Nathan Sykes, Kassner Music](https://kassnermusic.com/songwriters/nathan-sykes/)
3. [Nathan Sykes on Working With Ariana Grande and Becoming a Solo Star, Teen Vogue (2016)](https://www.teenvogue.com/story/nathan-sykes-unfinished-business-interview)
4. [REVIEW: Nathan Sykes – 'Unfinished Business', Talk About Pop Music (2016)](https://talkaboutpopmusic.com/2016/11/11/review-unfinished-business-nathan-sykes/)
5. [Nathan Sykes' Second Act, Billboard (17 September 2016)](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/00s/2016/Billboard-2016-09-17.pdf)
6. [Nathan Sykes, AllMusic biography](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/nathan-sykes-mn0002246853)
7. [Review: Nathan Sykes – 'Kiss Me Quick', The Edge (2015)](https://theedgesusu.co.uk/records/singles/2015/07/07/review-nathan-sykes-kiss-me-quick/)
8. [Unfinished Business, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/album/unfinished-business/1443224453)
9. [Nathan Sykes, Unfinished Business – Album Review, The Musical Hype (2016)](https://themusicalhype.com/nathan-sykes-unfinished-business/)
10. [Interview: Nathan Sykes, Campus Magazine (2017)](https://www.campus.sg/interview-nathan-sykes-someone-i-wrote-a-song-about-told-me-they-liked-it/)
11. [Nathan Sykes: Unfinished Business review, The Guardian (2016)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/nov/13/nathan-sykes-unfinished-business-review-the-wanted)
12. [Nathan Sykes – Famous, Digital Spy forums (2016)](https://forums.digitalspy.com/discussion/2186422/nathan-sykes-famous)
13. [Dubai Jazz Festival 2017: Nathan Sykes on The Wanted break up and his new solo album, The National](https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts/dubai-jazz-festival-2017-nathan-sykes-on-the-wanted-break-up-and-his-new-solo-album-1.29123)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › Pop singers, 2000s to present › Mainstream pop singers, 2000s–2010s › Surnames R to Y*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 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