Rat Boy (musician)

Jordan Cardy (born 21 February 1996), known by his stage name Rat Boy, is an English musician from Chelmsford, Essex. His backing band include, Liam Haygarth (bass), Harry Todd (guitar) and Noah Booth (drums).

Cardy was born in Chelmsford, England on 21 February 1996. He studied at Chelmer Valley High School in Chelmsford and went on to study Art at Colchester Institute. Despite being dyslexic, he began writing songs in his spare time, releasing songs on SoundCloud under the name "Rat Boy", a name given to him by his school friends who claimed he looked like a rat. After college Cardy was hired and subsequently fired from Wetherspoons, which provided inspiration for his first release on SoundCloud, The Mixtape.

Cardy produced "The Mixtape", a 5 track mix on which he provided vocals, keyboard and bass. He sent "The Mixtape" to various record companies and in response Drew McConnell (bassist for Babyshambles) arranged for Rat Boy to have a meeting with him, Rat Boy was subsequently signed to Parlophone records in early 2015. In addition to this "The Mixtape" was featured in NME Magazine and played by radio stations including BBC Radio 1, Radio X (formerly XFM) and BBC Radio 6.

Rat Boy was added to the BBC Sound Of 2016 Longlist, an annual poll in which over 100 Music Specialists select artists they believe will be successful within the next 12 months. In December 2015, MTV released its Brand New for 2016, an annually released article and webseries containing artists to watch out for during the upcoming year. Rat Boy was shortlisted along with 10 other artists including Bonkaz, Jack Garratt and Rationale. He was also nominated for the Best New Artist 2016 by NME magazine, which he subsequently won, along with performing his single "Move" at the awards ceremony.

Cardy's music is an amalgamation of several styles, most notably hip hop and indie rock. He has cited his main musical influences as English bands The Clash and The Streets and has been compared to artists such as Jamie T and The Beastie Boys. He is also a fan of Kendrick Lamar and Kasabian. Cardy has a DIY approach to his art and music, generally recording and producing his own tracks at home and creating all his own album art. Many of Cardy's songs consist of narratives and stories within the lyrics, as well as samples recorded of sounds and conversations from his daily life.

EPs/Mixtapes

• The Mixtape (2014)
• Neighbourhood Watch (2015)
• Get Over It (2016)

Singles

Cardy is joined by his band during live performances, members are as follows:

• Jordan Cardy - Vocals, Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Bass Guitar, Keyboard, Songwriter, Mixer/Producer
• Harry Todd - Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar, Sampler & Keys
• Liam Haygarth - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
• Noah Booth - Drums

During live shows Cardy and the band are joined by Jack Ogles dressed in a yellow mask and jumpsuit.