James Alphonse’s musical tastes cross many territories, but are mostly influenced by pop, R&B and rock. For James, the song comes first, and the genre that follows compliments its vision. His name “James Alphonse” stems from his two grandparents and is meant to symbolize his value for family and community. In Hamilton, James’ passion for music was nurtured by mentors Nick Blagona (Deep Purple, the Police) and Mark Daum, and he currently works with Tal Vaisman (Kadeema), who has fully brought out the essence of James’ diverse writing style. To date, he has won the Hamilton Music Awards (HMAs) for the Best New Group (as Allotrope), won the Rising Stars contest at the HMAs, received a semi-finalist nomination for the International Songwriting Contest and been a finalist in the Unsigned Only international competition.