James Kennedy is a young, English DJ and music producer who works as a bus boy at SUR restaurant on the reality show Vanderpump Rules. James gives us a little background on where he’s from, telling us:
I was born in London, England. My dad is British and my mother is from the U.S (New York). I grew up in London for fourteen years and then moved to Ibiza, Spain with the family for two years before coming to the states. I guess you could say I miss London, but I couldn’t imagine living there anymore. If I left California tomorrow, you would catch me in Ibiza before you would in London that’s for sure.
So now that you’ve got the run-down on James’ upbringing, check out all the reasons that Kennedy is someone to watch and why viewers are so entertained by him.
1. Cast-Mates Scheana Marie Jancan and Michael Shay Work With James In the Music Industry
Scheana has a new song called “Shake That,” which was produced by her now husband Michael Shay, along with James Kennedy. We saw James and Michael working together, spinning at Scheana’s birthday party on Vanderpump Rules this season. James passionately dished on his music career to Heavy saying:
Its my passion and what I live for, music is and always will be my first love. Life is something that is happening right now. One day you are going to wake up and you will wonder if what you did was right or maybe you will have regrets or you might even wish you could go back. When I look back one day I hope to just sit there and smile because I think if you stick to what you love most and work hard enough at it, life seriously starts to become much more clear, and you will succeed. I have been producing music and writing songs for about 6 years now, I’ve opened for Steve Aoki and Datsik as well as other talented and successful artists. I have released three EP’s with my newest one that just came out this month that you can find on my sound cloud account, I love doing what i do and nothing makes me feel better then playing music out to people.
Currently, James is spinning at SUR restaurant about once a week and his has a new EP out called “Blitz.”
2. Looking Back, James’ Fight With Tom Sandoval Was a Bit Laughable
Like many issues in life, when we look back, those situations just sometimes seem funny or not worth it. James feels that way about his fight with cast-mate Tom Sandoval, revealing:
When Tom and I got into it at Mixology I truly wasn’t expecting him to get physical, it was what it was and life goes on. It was weird the next day at work but over time its gets easier and now I kinda laugh at the whole thing. I also never realized how long a black eye takes to heal!
To bring you up to speed on the whole Tom vs. James situation, James is the current boyfriend of co-star Kristen Doute. He and Kristen’s relationship has made some waves among cast members this season. Kristen dated Tom Sandoval for about 6 years, and after several cheating scandals, the two finally broke up. Kristen wasn’t quite over Tom, but moved on with her life. Tom and James were reportedly friendly, so his getting together with Kristen upset Tom. As far as James’ relationship with Tom in the beginning, he says they were mainly trying to make music together:
Tom and I were friends in the beginning. I started to make music with him because I know he saw a vision with his music but couldn’t quite ever make it. Tom can be very controlling in the studio as I have heard from past bandmates. I truly felt at the time that it wasn’t our music that we were creating but music he was creating through me.
This season on the show, Tom and James got into a physical fight, which led to Tom and Kristen getting suspended and James getting fired. Fortunately, James was able to get his job back at SUR.
3. James Was Very Supportive Of Girlfriend Kristen When She Was Getting Over Tom
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Like a good boyfriend, James keeps his girlfriend Kristen a top priority and he was very supportive of her when she was trying to get over ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval. Because Tom ended up with co-worked Ariana Madix, who cheated with Tom while he was with Kristen, it was very difficult for Kristen to move on. Kristen and Tom had also lived together for years, so there were a lot of loose ends. James was a shoulder to lean on though it was difficult for him to deal with and he stated that:
I mean it was me that really had to deal with it. Yea it was hard at times, but I felt what Kristen was going through. There was so many things to cut off such as bills and whose belongings are whose and all that prolonged the whole break up. Kristen was in a relationship for six years with him I get that. However, there is only so much of Tom’s name I can hear before it seriously starts getting old. Ha.
4. His Ultimate Career Goal Is To Tour Around The World
Like the rest of the staff at SUR, James’ career goals expand beyond the walls of the restaurant. He hopes to take his music career to a global level, telling us:
My ultimate career goal would have to be touring the world to festivals and shows playing music out, I would love to be part of some kind of team or label with other DJ’s and Producers too! its all about the people, music and overall experience!
5. James Knows How To Deal With Negativity
Working in a drama-packed environment like SUR, James is used to dealing with drama, rumors, and chaos. In addition, being on a reality show, of course stirs up negativity. James tells us how he deals with some of the backlash he gets:
I don’t really want to devote so much time and energy arguing back sometimes it gets absolutely exhausting! However if someone wants to push my buttons for long enough you can definitely expect a reaction. There is always something to say back when people are lying, its when you catch them in the midst of truth they are venerable and get caught slipping.