James Fauntleroy - Biography

Born in Inglewood, California, James Edward Fauntleroy II is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and community builder. Although he originally aimed to become a visual artist and studied graphic design, he shifted his attention to music after singing in school and church choirs. He launched his professional songwriting career alongside The Underdogs. He achieved his first major breakthrough with the international hit single No Air, recorded in 2008 by Jordin Sparks and Chris Brown.

By the early 2010s, Fauntleroy had established himself as a sought-after songwriter and vocalist across R&B, pop, and hip hop. Most notably, he co-wrote every track on Justin Timberlake's 2013 album The 20/20 Experience and contributed twelve additional songs to its follow-up. His work on Timberlake's Pusher Love Girl earned him a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 2014. He also partnered closely with Bruno Mars, co-writing seven tracks on the acclaimed 2016 album 24K Magic.

Alongside his mainstream songwriting, he co-founded the alternative R&B collective Cocaine 80s with Common and producer No I.D. In 2023, he teamed up with Terrace Martin to release Nova, a collaborative project incorporating progressive R&B, jazz, and electronic styles. Dedicated to community empowerment, Fauntleroy has also co-founded programs like Laboratory and All New to expand music education and entrepreneurship in South Los Angeles.