Justin Wellington
Justin Wellington 2022, at The Green Mango Club.
Justin Wellington 2022, at The Green Mango Club.
Background information
Birth nameJustin Wellington
Born1978
OriginPapua New Guinea, Australia
GenresPop, Reggae, R&B, dancehall, Reggaeton and island music
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
Years active2002–present
Labels

Justin Wellington sometimes also known by the initials JW (born January 11, 1978) is a Papua New Guinean singer[1] presenting a blend of pop, reggae, R&B, dancehall and island music. He is most famous for his version of "Iko Iko" as "Iko Iko (My Bestie)"[2] He has released three studio albums.

Career

Justin Wellington performance, 30 July 2022 in The Green Mango Club, Ko Samui, Thailand

Wellington was born to Australian-born parents who had immigrated to Papua New Guinea. He attended schools in Texas, USA and in Canada. He then began working as an R&B and reggae pop singer and has released several singles since 2002. Hits include "I Wanna Give You Some Lovin'", "Better Off", "One Night With You", "Much Love", "Fire", "In Love with U", "Runaway", "Tell Me", "Reminiscing", "Rain of Morobe" and others.[3] He has worked with many Papua New Guinea artists such as AK-47, Tattz from NakaBlood, Jokema and O-Shen, Robbie T, Mekere Crew, Steven M, Gravity, DJ Travy etc.[3]

His international breakthrough came with a cover of "Iko Iko", originally recorded by James "Sugar Boy" Crawford in 1953 and popularised by The Dixie Cups, Dr. John, Captain Jack amongst others. Justin Wellington's adapted version of the song as "Iko Iko (My Bestie)", which he actually released featuring Solomon Islands group Small Jam in 2017. It received worldwide attention as part of the social platform TikTok challenge. As a result, the cover was released by Sony Music UK on June 3, 2019, and started to gain international popularity in 2021.[4][5] His version makes various changes to the lyrics of the verses, and has its own original sections, but keeps the chorus the same. It was later added alongside the TikTok dance into the video game Fortnite Battle Royale. He was nominated for "International Revelation of the Year" during the 2021 NRJ Music Awards.[6]

Discography

Albums

  • 2005: Much Love (Mangrove Productions)
  • 2008: JW (Mangrove Productions)
  • 2010: Reign of Morobe (Mangrove Productions)

Singles

Year Title Chart positions Certification
AUT
[7]		 BEL
[8]		 FRA
[9]		 DEN
[10]		 GER
 ITA
 NED
[11]		 SWE[12] SWI[13] UK
2021 "Iko Iko (My Bestie)"
(feat. Small Jam)		 5 3 10 22 7 21 7 13 5 99
  • AUT: Platinum
  • ITA: Platinum
  • SWI: Gold

Other songs

  • 2005: "I Wanna Give You Some Lovin'"
  • 2005: "Much Love"
  • 2008: "Madina"
  • 2009: "In Love With U"
  • 2011: "Run Away"
  • 2011: "Island Girl"
  • 2011: "Fire"
  • 2011: "Your Love" (feat. Sharzy)
  • 2011: "Rain of Morobe" (feat. O-Shen)
  • 2011: "Island Sound" (feat. K & Nela Music & D-Witty)
  • 2012: "Christmas Is Finally Here" (feat. LiveBoys)
  • 2013: "Need You" (feat. Pou Jackson)
  • 2014: "Reminiscin" (feat. Gravity and Funky)
  • 2015: "Long Way Back (To Your Heart)" (feat. Jokema)
  • 2017: "Iko Iko (My Bestie)" (feat. Small Jam)
  • 2017: "Island Moon" (feat. Jahboy)
  • 2018: "My Girl" (feat. Leebonz & K-Dawg)
  • 2020: "Sweet Mama" (feat. Papa Cidy)
  • 2020: "She Don't Know" (feat. Dezine)
  • 2020: "Show Me How"
  • 2021: "Iko Iko (Ryan Freeston Remix)"

References

  1. ↑ "Justin Wellington ➤ Biographie : naissance, parcours, famille…". Nrj.fr. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  2. ↑ "New Around the World: Justin Wellington & Small Jam Bring New Orleans Classic 'Iko Iko' to Global Charts". Billboard. 16 June 2021.
  3. 1 2 "PNG New Update: Justin Wellington set to release new tracks (23 April 2021)". Pngnewsupdate.com. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  4. ↑ Ruelle, Yohann (May 11, 2021). ""Iko Iko" : le tube phénomène de Justin Wellington fait danser TikTok et la France". Chartsinfrance.net (in French). Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  5. ↑ Venegas, Ivi (19 May 2021). "'Iko Iko': esta es la canción de moda en TikTok que está basada en un clásico de los ãnos 50". Los40.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  6. ↑ "NRJ Music Awards 2021 : Tous Les Nommés Par Catégorie - NRJ Music Awards 2021". Nrj.fr. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  7. ↑ "Discography Justin Wellington". Austriancharts.at. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  8. ↑ "Discography Justin Wellington". Ultratop. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  9. ↑ "Discography Justin Wellington". Lescharts.com. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  10. ↑ "Discography Justin Wellington". Danishcharts.com. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  11. ↑ "Discography Justin Wellington". Dutchcharts.com. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  12. ↑ "Discography Justin Wellington". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  13. ↑ "Discography Justin Wellington". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
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