Signs that Jordan Stephens and Harley Alexander-Sule were destined to come together as a duo first started over two decades ago. At around 10 years old they both moved from London to Brighton where they attended different secondary schools but mixed with the same circles, playing on rival football teams.
Fate brought both of them from Brighton to the world-famous BRIT school, which nurtured creative talents such as Adele, Amy Winehouse and Tom Holland. Jordan studied Media, wanting to be a writer/director and Harley focussed on Theatre, with visions of becoming an actor. They could have easily ended up working on opposite sides of the camera to one another, but music would be where they would find huge success together. Inspired by the sound of Mike Skinner and The Streets, Jordan invited Harley into the studio to record some lyrics one day. Their first efforts received a positive reaction and in August 2011, aged 19 years old, Jordan and Harley had become Rizzle Kicks, and found themselves with the world at their feet.
Instead of going to Reading Festival that year, like their friends, they were headlining the BBC Introducing stage, while also sat at number one in the UK charts alongside Olly Murs with Heart Skips a Beat. Their own single, Down With The Trumpets was also in the UK Top 10 that very same week.
With lyrics like “We're rowdy, girls make our judgement cloudy, But when the sun comes out we're still alcies”, the young duo courted popularity through their cheeky, irreverent and catchy style. The video to Down With The Trumpets has over 27 million views on YouTube today.
This all happened in matter of months and Rizzle Kicks had a huge cultural impact over the next five years carving out a unique space for themselves which combined creativity and collaboration which reflected the zeitgeist of the UK at the time.
Inescapable upbeat radio hits included Mama Do The Hump, from their debut album Stereo Typical (2011) and Skip to the Good Bit, from Roaring 20s (2013) - both projects which they worked on with producers Ant Whiting and Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim).
Young, fun and full of insatiable energy, the pair would kick about with the likes of James Corden and Ed Sheeran, occupying a highly visible place in British popular culture. They sold over a million records, their videos amassed tens of millions of views online, and they were a central feature in the British music offering around the London 2012 Olympics.
