Lulu James is a British electronic and soul singer.^[1]

James was born in Tanzania, descended from a Maasai tribe.^[2] She moved to the United Kingdom when she was six years old and settled in South Shields in North East England. She enrolled on a music development course, where she met her primary producer and co-writer DomZilla.^[3]

James self-released her debut EP, Rope Mirage, in 2012 and subsequently signed to Black Butter Records, which issued her debut single, "Be Safe" / "Stuck". James toured the United Kingdom in late 2012 with labelmates Hostage, Kidnap Kid, and Rudimental.^[4] By early 2013, she had signed to RCA Records and released the single "Closer".^[5] The single "Sweetest Thing" followed in late 2013, and she toured with Ellie Goulding and Annie Mac Presents.^[6] In 2014, she released the single "Beautiful People", with an EP to follow later in the year.^[7] In 2015, James served as a vocalist on house duo Gorgon City's UK tour.^[8]

James's musical inspirations include India.Arie, Beyoncé, James Blake, Mariah Carey, Diplo, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Gil Scott-Heron, Amy Winehouse, and Jamie xx.^{[3][9][1][10]}