Jamie McCool moved from Northern Ireland to Manchester with his family at the age of 10. Originally from County Armagh, he studied music before fronting Manchester band Black Lights. He later turned to solo work and songwriting, writing for other performers as well as releasing music under his own name. In 2017, he co-wrote “Counting On Me”, performed by Aloe Blacc and produced by Purple Disco Machine and Aeroplane. The song brought McCool recognition as a songwriter.
McCool’s releases in 2017 included “We Need Some Time” on McCool Music and “Blue Eyed Boy” on Mixrupt. His collaboration with BtheLick, “You My Friend”, reached No. 1 on Spotify’s Viral chart in Germany and No. 12 on its Global chart. Other collaborators include High Contrast, DJ Fresh, Think Tonk and Liam Bailey. In 2023, McCool joined DJ Fresh, Think Tonk and Liam Bailey on “Rivers”, released on Breakbeat Kaos. That year he also released the feature single “You Don’t Understand” with High Contrast. The BtheLick collaboration first appeared in 2016 on PM:AM Recordings.
McCool works with songwriter Simon Pogson from a Manchester-based studio, where they have been developing solo material. In 2023, the pair signed a worldwide songwriting agreement with Bucks Music Group. McCool has also made singles with Belgian producer USED: “You Say” and “LOVE”. His collaborations extend to Bou and Armin van Buuren. In 2025, he released “Better Man” as a solo single on LetMeHear.It, and joined Naarly and Calper for “Feel Now” on Engeloop Records. McCool’s 2025 releases also included “Free Myself” with Makoto.