Mitch Rowland

Mitchell Kristopher Rowland is an American songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work as a touring guitarist and for co-writing songs on all three of Harry Styles's solo albums. "Watermelon Sugar", a song he co-wrote with Styles, Tyler Johnson, and Thomas Hull, was nominated for and won Best Pop Solo Performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021.[1] Rowland, along with Styles, Johnson, and Hull, also won the Brit Award for Song of the Year for "Watermelon Sugar" at the 2021 Brit Awards.[2]

Mitch Rowland
Birth nameMitchell Kristopher Rowland
OriginDublin, Ohio
Genrespop, Indie rock, alternative rock
Occupation(s)Musician, singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • drums
  • bass
  • percussion
  • guitar
Years active2014–present
Formerly ofLionel the Jailbird, Total Navajo, Harry Styles

Early life and education

Rowland grew up 15 miles outside of Columbus, Ohio in the city of Dublin, Ohio.[3] He played in the jazz band at Dublin Coffman High School.[3] After attending college at the University of Cincinnati,[4] he played drums for the indie rock band Lionel the Jailbird.[5] After leaving Lionel the Jailbird, he played in the band Total Navajo with audio engineer Ryan Nasci.[6][7]

Career
Styles (left) and Rowland (right) playing London's O2 Arena in 2018

Ryan Nasci was the audio engineer on tracks for the album that would become Harry Styles when a session guitarist dropped out last-minute.[7] He contacted Rowland, who he was also rooming with at the time, about whether or not he would be interested in the gig.[7] According to Styles, Rowland had never been in a studio before.[8] Rowland ultimately co-wrote and played guitar and percussion for nine songs on Harry Styles, including Styles's debut single, "Sign of the Times",[9] which debuted at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.[10] After the album's release, he accompanied Styles as lead guitarist in his band for Harry Styles: Live on Tour.[11] According to Styles's then-music director and producer Thomas Hull, Rowland had "never toured like [that] before" so he was having to "learn on the road."[11] In September 2017, Rowland, Styles, and producers Tyler Johnson and Thomas Hull (also known as Kid Harpoon), recorded "Watermelon Sugar" in Nashville on a day off from Live on Tour.[12]

Mitch Rowland playing "She" on the guitar in 2021

Following Live on Tour, Rowland co-wrote five additional songs on Styles's second album, Fine Line, including the single "Golden",[13] which eventually peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100.[14] He also did session work for the album on electric guitar, drums, slide guitar, acoustic guitar, glockenspiel, and background vocals.[13] Rowland's guitar solo in the song "She", which was (according to Styles) written while they were both under the influence of psychedelic mushrooms,[15] has been praised by Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone as "a cosmic guitar voyage".[16] Fine Line was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2020 Brit Awards,[17] and for Best Pop Vocal Album[18] at the 2021 Grammy Awards. "Watermelon Sugar" received a Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance[1] and a Brit Award for British Single of the Year.[2] In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked Fine Line number 491 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, making it the most recent album to be included.[19] All three songs mentioned in the Rolling Stone list as album highlights were co-written by Rowland.[19]

Harry Styles: Love on Tour was initially supposed to start April 2020, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[20] Styles stayed with Rowland and his wife, Sarah Jones, during parts of the pandemic.[21] Before tour started again, Styles and Rowland co-wrote "Music for a Sushi Restaurant" and "Keep Driving" together.[22][23] Rowland also co-wrote two songs on Cam's 2020 album The Otherside: "Forgetting You"[24] and "Happier for You".[25] He also did session work on the album, playing drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, and mallets.[26] When Love on Tour started again in 2021, Rowland played guitar.[27] In January 2021, Rowland appeared as himself in Styles's music video for the song "Treat People With Kindness".[28] Styles's third album, Harry's House, released on May 20, 2022.[29] In addition to his writing credits on the album, Rowland also did session work playing guitar, bass, percussion, and drums.[23] "Music for a Sushi Restaurant" debuted at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Rowland's third top-ten hit as a songwriter.[30]

On July 20, 2023 it was announced that Mitch Rowland's debut album Come June[31] will be released October 6, 2023 via Giant Records / Erskine Records.[32] This will be the first record released on the Erskine Records imprint from an act other than Harry Styles.[33] First single of the same name, "Come June" premiered with accompanying sun soaked video.[34] Second single "Bluebells", was written "after finding out my wife and I were having a baby," Rowland says.[35]

Personal life

Rowland's is married to English drummer Sarah Jones.[36] Jones and Rowland met while rehearsing for Harry Styles: Live on Tour together.[37] They have one child, Scout Mitchell Rowland-Jones, born in March 2021.[36][38] Rowland and Jones reside in London.[38]

Discography
Year Artist Album Notes
2014 Total Navajo Eyelids EP Co-Writer
2017Harry StylesHarry StylesCo-Writer
2019 Harry Styles Fine Line Co-Writer
2020CamThe OthersideCo-Writer
2022Harry StylesHarry's HouseCo-Writer
2023 Mitch Rowland Come June

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
2017Harry Styles: Behind the AlbumHimselfDocumentary

References
  1. "Harry Styles". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  2. "2021 British Single announced!". BRIT Awards. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  3. Lindquist, David. "5 ways Harry Styles charted his own course in Indianapolis". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  4. Galster, Madison (28 September 2008). "Rock the Vote doesn't rock". The News Record. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  5. "Lionel The Jailbird". Podomatic. November 14, 2011. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  6. Christman, Ed (2017-10-11). "Publishing Briefs: Stellar Songs & Sony/ATV Land Diztortion; Primary Wave Partners With Brenda Russell; UMPG & Mirrorball Partner". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  7. Dunn, Frankie (2017-05-12). "harry styles's album is out now. here's everything you need to know about it". i-D. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  8. Roth, Madeline. "11 Things We Learned From Harry Styles: Behind the Album". MTV News. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  9. Harry Styles (Media notes) Harry Styles. Columbia Records / Erskine Records. 2017.
  10. Trust, Gary (2017-04-17). "Ed Sheeran Tops Hot 100 for 12th Week, as Harry Styles Starts at No. 4". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  11. Spanos, Brittany (2017-09-29). "Inside Harry Styles' Intimate First Solo Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  12. McKenna, Lyndsey; Lorusso, Marissa (2020-03-16). "Harry Styles: Tiny Desk Concert". NPR. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  13. Fine Line (booklet). Columbia. 2019. 19439705122
  14. "Harry Styles". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  15. Sheffield, Rob (2019-12-13). "Harry Styles Reveals the Secrets Behind 'Fine Line'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  16. Johnston, Maura; Sheffield, Rob (2022-06-14). "Every Harry Styles Song, Ranked". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  17. "Brit Awards 2020: Full list of nominees". BBC News. 2020-02-17. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  18. "2021 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Winners & Nominees List". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  19. "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  20. Lavin, Will (2022-01-19). "Harry Styles announces rescheduled 2022 world tour dates". NME. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  21. Bowles, Hamish (2020-11-13). "Playtime With Harry Styles: "You Can Never Be Overdressed"". Vogue. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  22. Harry Styles - Zane Lowe & Apple Music 'Harry's House' Interview, retrieved 2022-07-06
  23. Harry's House (Media notes) Harry Styles. Columbia Records / Erskine Records. 2022.
  24. "CAM RELEASES NEW SONG "FORGETTING YOU" – Sony Music Canada". www.sonymusic.ca. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  25. "Cam Returns After Five Years with 'The Otherside': 'I Feel Thankful to Be Able to Gift Music to People Right Now'". Sounds Like Nashville. 2020-11-05. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  26. The Otherside - Cam | Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2022-07-07
  27. Spanos, Brittany (2021-10-04). "Harry Styles Sent Us Back to 2019 -- and the Seventies -- at Glitter-Slicked MSG Set". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  28. Harry Styles: Treat People with Kindness (Music Video 2021) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-07-07
  29. "Harry Styles Announces New Album 'Harry's House'". Stereogum. 2022-03-23. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  30. Trust, Gary (2022-05-31). "Harry Styles Returns to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 With 'As It Was,' Debuts 3 Songs in Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved 2022-07-06.
  31. Kelly, Tyler Damara (July 20, 2023). "The Line of Best Fit: Harry Styles songwriter Mitch Rowland releases his debut single "Come June"".
  32. "Trendy Artists of the Week: Harry Styles, Mitch Rowland, Pinguini Tattici Nucleari, Tokio Hotel, Drake, Mitski". Concerty.com.
  33. Daly, Rhian (September 7, 2023). "NME: Meet Mitch Rowland, the first artist signed to Harry Styles' new label". NME.
  34. Ramkumar, Kat (July 20, 2023). "Under The Radar: Mitch Rowland Announces Debut Album, Shares Title-Track "Come June"".
  35. Atkinson, Luke (August 17, 2023). "PASTE: Mitch Rowland Releases "Bluebells"".
  36. Stated by Jones on The Howard Stern Show, national radio syndication, May 18, 2022.
  37. Stated by Styles on The Howard Stern Show, national radio syndication, March 5, 2020.
  38. "Harry Styles' drummer Sarah Jones: From Mitch Rowland relationship to Instagram handle, here's everything we know". Capital. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
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