JW Francis

JW Francis is a nomadic musician who has spent the last five years writing songs on the move, from solo-hiking the Appalachian Trail to canoeing the Mississippi.
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When fellow hikers on the Appalachian Trail gave him the trail name "Sunshine," he shaped the experience into SUNSHINE, a warm, open-hearted record about life in motion and the strangers who briefly become family along the way. The next summer he canoed the Mississippi, camping on its banks and writing each night as the country slipped past. Those sessions became his latest album, Magic River, composed in real time on the water and later recorded live in New York City.
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For all that movement, Francis' footing is remarkably steady. He has amassed more than 20 million streams, landed regular rotation on SiriusXMU alongside features from BBC Radio 6, BBC Radio 1, and KEXP, and drawn editorial support across major streaming playlists. His releases have charted in the UK, including a Top 20 debut on the UK Independent Album Chart. A relentless, largely self-booked run of 100-plus shows a year has filled rooms from Chicago to London, Paris, and Berlin.