about
James Gales is a keyboardist, songwriter, composer & music producer based in Naarm/Melbourne, Australia.
With a world-class instrumental & theory foundation from studying classical & jazz piano at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, James’ keen interest in pop music led him to switch lanes immediately after graduating.
Soon discovered and quasi-mentored by Empire of the Sun / PNAU’s Nick Littlemore, James co-wrote, produced & performed keyboards on 5 songs for Jessica Mauboy’s album “Yours Forever”, which reached #1 on the Australian Albums chart and was nominated for Best Pop Release at the 2024 ARIA Awards. Continuing this streak, James has since co-written & produced songs for Kita Alexander (Warner Music Australia), including the 2025 ARIA-nominated “Holiday” for Tourism Queensland, string arranging for Matthew Ifield (Universal Music Australia), and more. James’ work as a songwriter & producer has attained over 3.5 million streams.
Simultaneously, James is known for his ambient electronic music as Jim Nopédie, expressing his classical piano training through an omnivorous curiosity about modern experimental music, internet culture, and the power of music to conjure fantasy worlds. Jim Nopédie has received attention from Apple Music, KEXP, Triple J, Double J & FBi Radio, as well as a ‘cult’ YouTube following, and seen releases on international labels including Tabloid Recordings (USA), Infloresce Records (USA), and Hoge Tapes (JPN).