church bells: it was the sound ringing through the air as seán queen saw evelyn donnelly for the first time, and when they married eight months later, the same sound would echo through wicklow in celebration. both kind-hearted and devout catholics who had come from large families, seán and evelyn had high hopes of mirroring their own childhoods by having a house full of godly children - what they ended up getting was neither plentiful nor godly, as they would come to learn, but that didn't deter the love they felt for their two children. jamie came first, all dark, curly hair and rowdiness, and it was very early on that he began to view church services as long, boring punishments, paying little attention to the words said and instead forcing his mother to hold him on her lap in order to keep him from somehow slipping off until he was at least six years old. it wasn't until the age of eleven that the words said in services would even begin to reach him, but even then it was little more than a vague tap on the eardrum as it passed through one ear and out the other. for jamie, it was too late, especially since he had a partner in crime by that point that would also ultimately be lost to the lord, and no more children came to seán and evelyn after the birth of annora. choosing to believe that their children and the antics they had a tendency to get into were simply one of god's many tests, they shunned advice given to them by family and friends and continued to hold both jamie and annora as close as they could for as long as they could - though for jamie, that wouldn't be very long at all.

with seventeen came a great need for jamie to detach himself from his family; it was a choice he remains vague about to this day, and he keeps his reasoning close to his own heart. done with the sleepy port town of wicklow, dublin's fast-paced lifestyle called his name, and though the next few years were a whirlwind of working odd jobs while sleeping either in his car or on the couches of new (questionable) friends he'd made until he'd saved enough to move into a (also questionable) flat of his own, he found he was satisfied in his ability to do for himself. it was during this time that jamie began experimenting with music, impressed by artists that would be performing somewhere nearly any given night and wanting to create something of worth of his own the way they did. taught by friends on instruments he never owned, it soon became apparent that he was a natural at both guitar and keyboard, and this was the early direction that royal hearts took once annora arrived in dublin - but both predictably itched for something even more challenging: building music from the ground up out of seemingly nothing. quality synthesizers were no cheap commodity by any means, but after scouting for a few weeks he managed to pick up a model that was a handful of years old at public auction, quickly cracking down on teaching himself exactly what each button or key did, how to mix, what to pull from the environment around him. it was exciting, and it injected new life into the music he and annora created together - their new songs received much more positive response than the originals, and for a moment in time, jamie was thrilled with how well things were turning out for them.

it wouldn't last.

the signs started slowly enough. sweaty palms as they prepared for performances in front of increasingly larger crowds, a tendency to hang back while his sister did the talking, little waves of nausea at even the thought of singing on his own in front of an audience - until finally the little signs became a full-fledged panic attack backstage before a set. the show was rescheduled, but the damage was done. the mounting frustrations between annora and jamie came to a head when he blatantly refused any suggestion that he'd changed and that his old self would not only be alright with the attention but encourage it; he insisted nothing was the matter, while in reality he was beginning to feel the ugliness of losing control of the environment he'd surrounded himself with. drinking became his go-to coping mechanism, because it was the only way he felt he could crack himself open, have a good time, and be likeable anymore. this, coupled with the pressures of fame and the increased amount of time he and his sister were forced to spend together professionally brutalized their inseperability to the point that outsiders often wonder if they don't outright despise each other more often than not, evidenced by mean-spirited tweets directed to one another, threats of disbandment, and stories of cold silence backstage. ironically enough, when the two aren't working they're a perfect picture of their former selves, close as can be and heavily reliant on one another. it's a stunning display of professional and personal separation, but thus far, things have managed to somehow work for them.

these days, jamie takes the greatest amount of solace in the fact that depending on where they're touring, he can largely get by unrecognized. the idea of ever becoming famous enough that he would be constantly hounded by fans or cameras is one that he doesn't savor in the least, and though he will always miss the days of performing in bars or at local festivals, their current level of fame has thus far been manageable for him with a little effort. of course, some of his choices in company manage to work directly against this, as he's regularly photographed out with friends of much higher significance than himself - though there's no logic that will work on him once the liquor gets to flowing. it's all a delicate balance, and how long he'll be able to successfully remain balanced on the tightrope he walks has yet to be seen.

• has suffered with (unadmitted and therefore undiagnosed) late onset social anxiety disorder since late 2011 - the eve of royal hearts' success. this has manifested itself in various ways ranging from very minor (will no longer eat food that is 'touching' - a way of controlling his environment), to mid-grade (initially seems cold or distant and avoids eye contact), to life-altering (alcoholism and the occasional dabbling in various other substances). for those who knew jamie prior to fame, the change has been heartbreaking, though he's often able to feign his old boisterous, outgoing self via the use of alcohol and drugs.

• although jamie provides lead vocals for five of royal hearts' songs ("zvvl," "under the tide," "you caught the light," "high enough to carry you over," and "follow you"), he does not perform them live himself for obvious reasons, and passes the responsibility to annora.

• due to various circumstances, jamie left home at age 17 and soon made an independent "life" for himself (life being sleeping in his car, couch surfing with unsavory sorts, and seedy motel rooms). this was a choice jamie made voluntarily and to this day he still has no relationship with his parents to speak of, although they regularly try to speak to him via his sister. they would welcome him back with open arms, but he's having none of it.

• has been best friends with minna marks' younger brother, matt, for nearly eight years. their start was simple enough: take pub, add alcohol and rugby, and (if you're pulling for the same team, at least) boom, instant friendship. jamie's rightly obsessed over leinster and follows his friend's career like a hawk, making a point to attend his matches whenever possible.

• had a set of tattoos inked on the insides of his wrists in early 2015: "stay close" on the left, "keep hold" on the right, both in white ink. these serve dual purposes, both as homage to a royal hearts song that holds special significance for him as well as a means of grounding himself when he feels panic start to set in.

• keeps a staffordshire bull terrier named silas. he was two years old when jamie rescued him from a shelter, and three years later, the dog is practically a child to him.