220 Kid
English record producer and DJ
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Edward Graydon[1] (born 8 May 1989[1]), known professionally as 220 Kid (pronounced "two-twenty kid"[6] and stylised in all caps[7]), is an English record producer, DJ and remix artist.[7] He gained recognition in 2019 with his song "Don't Need Love" with Gracey which peaked at number 9 in 2020,[8] his remix of Nathan Evans' "Wellerman" with Billen Ted reached the top spot in 2021.[9][10] He is based in Highbury, London.[1]
- Willie the Kid
- William Edward
8 May 1989
Early life
William Edward Graydon was born on 8 May 1989 in Oxfordshire.[1] His father Ken, former music manager for Bee Gees member Robin Gibb,[11] named Graydon after seeing a number plate ending in WEG from a hospital window.[1] He grew up in Thame and attended Magdalen College School,[12] going on to study at the University of Exeter, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in biosciences followed by a master's degree in sustainable development.[1][13] Following the George Floyd protests in 2020, he set up a three-year scholarship for a high-achieving BAME student studying at his alma mater.[13] He has dyslexia.[14] He has a sister named Charlie working in the healthcare industry.[15]
220 Kid's stage name originated from a charity effort where he ran 220 miles (350 km), a distance corresponding to nine marathons, over seven days.[7] The run was completed in 2013 on the Isle of Man in honour of Gibb and supported three medical charities.[11] After moving to London, he initially used the stage name "Willie the Kid" (named after the cowboy) without realising it was already the name of an existing artist.[4] He previously had jobs working for marketing company CPM Group,[16] as a model in Singapore,[17] as a carpenter,[18] and at a Tesco grocery store.[4]
Career
Prior to embarking on a solo career, Graydon went by the name "William Edward" and was a member of pop duo OMYO—an acronym for "Our Music Your Opinion"[12]—alongside Tom McCorkell while living in Thame.[4][16][19] The pair met on New Year's Eve in 2014 at the James Figg pub in Thame and made a bet to write a song together.[12][16] They wrote a few songs over the span of several days, including "Lady", which was used in an advert by clothing retailer New Look.[12][20] After being dropped by a major record label, they formed their own independent one; their debut single "Days with You" was released on Two Six Records in 2017, with its music video shot in New York City.[16][21] Their first gig was supporting Drake at the Wireless Festival and their debut album was planned for September 2017.[22][23]
Graydon's first song as a solo artist under the moniker "220 Kid" was "Lights" in 2018, which was a shift from OMYO's urban pop to electronic music.[24] Follow-up singles "Pleasure to Love You" and "Let Me Stay" both featured vocalist Chilli Chilton.[25] 220 Kid signed with Polydor Records in 2019.[19] His debut single with the label was "Don't Need Love", a collaboration with English singer Gracey, which was released in December 2019.[4][26] The song went on to reach the top ten of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number nine in July 2020, and received a nomination for British Single at the 2021 Brit Awards.[8][27] His follow-up single, "Too Many Nights" with Northern Irish singer JC Stewart, was released in September 2020,[28] peaking at number 74 in the UK.[29] He lists the Bee Gees, Timbaland, and Motown artists as a few of his musical influences. In December 2025, promoter Billy McFarland posted on Instagram that he was arranging for 220 Kid to perform on an island. [3][26]
Discography
DJ mixes
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK |
AUT [33] |
IRL [34] | ||||
| "Lights"[35] (featuring Remy) |
2018 | — | — | — | Non-album singles | |
| "Pleasure to Love You"[36] (featuring Chilli Chilton) |
— | — | — | |||
| "Let Me Stay"[37] (featuring Chilli Chilton) |
2019 | — | — | — | ||
| "Don't Need Love" (with Gracey) |
9 [8] | — | 9 | The Art of Closure | ||
| "Too Many Nights"[39] (with JC Stewart) |
2020 | 74 [29] | — | 56 |
|
Non-album singles |
| "Wellerman" (Nathan Evans, 220 Kid and Billen Ted) |
2021 | 1 [10] | 1 | 2 [41] |
||
| "Unconditional"[44] (with Dillon Francis featuring Bryn Christopher) |
— | — | — | Happy Machine | ||
| "Stupid Feelings" (with LANY) |
— | — | — | gg bb xx | ||
| "I'll Take You Down"[45] (featuring Chilli Chilton) |
— | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "Another Life"[46] (with Jem Cooke) |
2022 | — | — | — | ||
| "Release"[47] (with Ásdís) |
— | — | — | |||
| "Lose Control"[48] (with S1mba) |
— | — | — | |||
| "See in Color"[49] (with Wax Motif) |
— | — | — | |||
| "Somebody New"[50] (with YouNotUs featuring Jordan Shaw) |
— | — | — | |||
| "Look Where We Are"[51] (with Kang Daniel and Willim) |
2023 | — | — | — | ||
| "Wake 'n' Shake"[52] (with AR/CO) |
— | — | — | |||
| "Let You Down"[53] | — | — | — | |||
| "If This Isn't Love"[54] (with Jack Wins and Caitlyn Scarlett) |
— | — | — | |||
| "Heart & Soul"[55] | — | — | — | |||
| "Good Love"[56] | — | — | — | |||
| "Lay Low"[57] (with Toby Romeo and Izzy Bizu) |
— | — | — | |||
| "Feel Good"[58] (with KOLIDESCOPES) |
2024 | — | — | — | ||
| "Reverse Cowgirl"[59] (with VAVO) |
— | — | — | |||
| "Sleep Alone"
(featuring Justin Jesso) |
2025 | _ | _ | _ | ||
| "Get To Love You"
(ft. LP) |
_ | _ | _ | |||
| "Trust Issues"
(with Destiny Rogers) |
_ | _ | _ | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released. | ||||||
Remixes
| Title | Year | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| "1984"[60] | 2019 | Alexander Wood |
| "Honest"[61] | 2020 | San Holo featuring Broods |
| "Better Off Without You"[62] | Becky Hill and Shift K3Y | |
| "Boyfriend"[63] | Mabel | |
| "I Need You to Hate Me"[64] | JC Stewart | |
| "To Be Young"[65] | Anne-Marie featuring Doja Cat | |
| "Holiday"[66] | Little Mix | |
| "The Business"[67] | Tiësto | |
| "Deal with It"[68] | 2021 | Ashnikko featuring Kelis |
| "Summer 91 (Looking Back)"[69] | Noizu | |
| "Lost"[70] | Jake Bugg | |
| "Chemical"[71] | MK | |
| "Hopeless Romantic"[72] | 2022 | Sam Fischer |
| "Entertain Me"[73] | Ylona Garcia | |
| "No One Dies from Love"[74] | Tove Lo | |
| "Moving On"[75] | 2023 | Arizona |
| "Time After Time"[76] | Pascal Letoublon and Ilira | |
| "Live More & Love More"[77] | Cat Burns | |
| "Nice to Know You"[78] | 2024 | Lovelytheband |