Rixton’s Rise to Fame

First album and a tour with Ariana Grande

Allison Dennehy, Staff Writer

Rixton hit the scene in early 2013, playing tiny venues with no major recognition. Fast forward two years and the band has released a few catchy singles with an album (“Let the Road”) in the works. The band is composed of Jake Roche (lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist), Charley Bagnell (lead guitarist/vocalist), Danny Wilkin (bassist/keyboard/vocalist) and Lewi Morgan (drummer/vocalist). Each member has a love for R&B and pop with influences, including Bruno Mars and Maroon 5, that contribute to their soulful approach to  pop music.

As with many new artists, Rixton can give thanks to the internet for their success. They began posting YouTube covers of artists like Chris Brown, Usher, and even Taylor Swift. These covers racked up views from a quarter of a million people, including music manager Scooter Braun. Braun is linked to the success stories of Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, and Carly Rae Jepson. With a manager like Braun, this group of songwriters was able to land a deal with Benny Blanco, an excellent producer credited with Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger” and Katy Perry’s “Roar.” Together, Blanco and the boys are creating “Let the Road,” Rixton’s debut album that will be released on March 3.

Rixton’s debut single, “Me and My Broken Heart,” quickly went to No. 6 on the U.S. charts early in 2014. Their most recent release is “Wait on Me,” another single.

Yes, these songs are catchy and danceable, but the full album shows off the band’s true talents.

— Allison Dennehy

Yes, these songs are catchy and danceable, but the full album shows off the band’s true talents. “Appreciated” is an acoustic-guitar-accompanied piece that also features live drumming, which the group prefers over programmed beats. This track also shows off the band’s vocal abilities through harmonies found throughout the song. ” It’s a standout because it’s not about love or heartbreak, but appreciating those that stay under the radar while being compassionate towards everyone.

“Hotel Ceiling” will be the band’s third single off “Let the Road.” The music video has gotten over half a million views in just one week after being posted on YouTube. The song appears to be a ballad about losing someone and the pain felt in their absence after a purposeful departure from your life. The music video follows a woman who appears to be distraught over the loss of her boyfriend, who left her, but this is not the full story. The woman saw her boyfriend’s flighty behavior and took the only chance she had to make him stay, and that was to kill him. This haunting portrayal of the song is extremely different from their video “Make Out,” that is full of jokes and parodies on other artists. Roche, the band’s “natural frontman” as The Times (newspaper of London) said, is a master of falsetto-sung songs. The Times went on to say, “We All Want the Same Thing” “(is)a stomp along anthem built for arenas.”

The band will be supporting Ariana Grande later this year on her Honeymoon Tour which stops at the DCU Center in Worcester on March 15. www.rixtonband.com