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 name | Mitchell Kristopher Rowland |
| Born | July 13, 1989 (age 34) |
| Origin | Dublin, Ohio |
| Genres | Pop, indie rock, alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) |
|
| Years active | 2014–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | 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
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]
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 |
| 2017 | Harry Styles | Harry Styles | Co-Writer |
| 2019 | Harry Styles | Fine Line | Co-Writer |
| 2020 | Cam | The Otherside | Co-Writer |
| 2022 | Harry Styles | Harry's House | Co-Writer |
| 2023 | Mitch Rowland | Come June |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Harry Styles: Behind the Album | Himself | Documentary |
References
External links
- Mitch Rowland Artist Website