A1 x J1

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Coventry-based A1 and Kent-based J1 first connected via social media and launched a joint music project in 2020, building tracks together from their respective homes while lockdown measures remained in place. Their approaches aligned instinctively, as A1 supplied memorable choruses and verses delivered in a croon-heavy manner and J1 supplied a youthful yet classic U.K. rap foil. When a clip of the then-unreleased song “Latest Trends” spread rapidly online, the duo completed a full studio recording that EMI Records issued in February 2021. Anchored by the earworm hook “You wouldn’t know this, but my heart’s cold like my home is,” the resulting pop-rap track replicated the clip’s viral reach and climbed to number 12 on the U.K. charts.