Wesley Jamison grew up in a musical household in the suburbs of Paris. Despite his passion for singing, his introverted nature and his parents’ experiences in the music industry kept him from pursuing it as a career. This changed when he moved to Hong Kong 10 years ago. Since then, Jamison has become a songwriter and a key promoter of the local hip hop and R&B scenes.
“I repressed it a lot,” he reflects. “My mum is a singer, and I used to follow her to the studio and shows, but she was strict and never wanted me to sing because it’s a tough job.” His father’s diverse musical tastes also influenced him, but R&B became his true love, thanks to the 1990s and early 2000s tracks he heard growing up.
After earning a master’s degree in engineering, Jamison moved to Hong Kong in late 2014, seeking a completely different experience. He quickly fell in love with the city and decided to stay. His journey into the music scene began when he met Hong Kong-based rapper Christopher Onoja, who invited him to collaborate on a song. This collaboration led to the creation of Mama Told Me, an events company aimed at addressing the lack of representation in Hong Kong’s hip hop scene.
“Chris and I were frustrated about not having a platform to perform,” Jamison explains. “So we started our own.” Their initiative, which remained active even during Covid through digital content, provided a much-needed space for hip hop artists in the city.
In July 2023, Jamison co-founded R&B Hours with DJ Minou, focusing exclusively on R&B and ballads. “We talked about how great it’d be to do an R&B-only party,” he says. “At first, we weren’t sure if we would find a big enough crowd for it but it’s got really popular and it’s going great.”
Despite his love for R&B, Jamison hesitates to label himself strictly as an R&B artist. “I respect the craft too much to call myself that. Sometimes I do rap a little bit, even though I’m not a rapper either. I just do what I like.”
Jamison has released two R&B albums: “Going Through It” in 2021 and its deluxe version, “Still Going Through It,” in 2022. He uses his music to express his feelings, a hallmark of R&B culture. His latest release, the music video for “Jungle Fever,” addresses the fetishization of black people, a topic he felt compelled to explore.
On July 13, Jamison will perform live at R&B Hours’ first anniversary party, alongside DJs Dantes, Featurz, and Minou. The event will take place at the P Lounge by Plaisance in Central, Hong Kong, celebrating a year of smooth R&B melodies from the 1980s to the 2010s.
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