James is a Manchester based singer songwriter with a genuine passion for music who believes real music should evoke feelings and emotions and have meaning. With musical influences coming from a variety of origins including soul & blues, His music & voice has a unique feel and sound that is instantly recognisable James has big plans for 2020 and beyond. He is currently writing new material which will see the release of a debut single in summer 2020 followed by his debut album and further singles throughout 2020 and in to 2021
How would you describe your music?
My music is soulful & emotional it makes you feel something, my songs have meaning and tell a story that hopefully people can connect with.
What inspires your writing? Do you draw inspiration from poems, music, TV, or other media?
life events, emotional experiences things that have happened to me or people around me and listening to great music also inspires me.
What do you enjoy most about being an artist?
Being able to connect with people from all over the world that you have never met on a level only they understand is amazing and seeing the reaction a song of yours has on someone is unreal.
Who are your main musical influences?
My influences vary from classic soul & blues icons like billy Paul, Stevie wonder, Marvin Gaye, Roberta flack to Artists like Adele, Sam smith & rag n bone man and even bands like Kings of Leon it’s a very wide range and does change haha
Of your own music, do you have a favourite? If so, can you pin down why it is your favourite?
My Debut album FEEL has a real mixture of tracks on it each one I wrote at different times when things were going on in my life each one has a personal meaning to me so its hard to say really and my opinion does change haha that’s a tough one, a the moment id say it’s the title track FEEL as it has a very strong emotional link but im also very proud of a track called CRASHING DOWN as this was the first song I ever wrote.
What are your top five favourite albums of all time? Why those albums?
Ooh very tough one to get down to 5 again this varies here’s just some of them:
Adele -21/25 = the lyrical content and the vocals are just on another level the emotion in the tracks and the way they come across with the heart felt soul & vocal range and the control she has with the notes its just musically and emotionally outstanding as an artist she is unreal
Amy Winehouse-back to black= amazing work the content of the songs and the way they are put across with so much feeling and emotion and soul you feel and understand the lyrics & the story the vibe of the tracks and the sound of the songs backing its just a great piece of work love is a losing game is my favourite
Kings of Leon – only by the night /mechanical bull = I listened to these during a rough time in my life after a break up it was my go to music some amazing tracks beautiful war/someone like you/cold desert really connected with me and also inspired me to begin writing my own music.
Marvin Gaye – midnight love/lets get it on/whats going on=
Unbelievable talent and song-writing skills with amazing melodies and unforgettable sounds with the smooth soulful voice this is some of the earliest music I ever heard when my mum used to play vinyl at home on a Sunday morning these albums brought some of the biggest and most memorable soul tracks to ever grace our ears. Mercy me, sexual healing, whats going on, lets get it on
Stevie wonder – Ballads collection = an amazing array of hits with some unbelievable tracks that graced multiple charts all over the world from this outstanding artist this album pulled a lot of the hits together and the result was fantastic tracks like lately, ribbon in the sky, my Cherie amour
Otis reading – Otis reading collection =These arms of mine is the song that made me notice Otis reading and wow what an artist great lyrics and melodies with an unreal soulful sound including hits like dock of the bay, try a little tenderness, these arms of mine, Ive been loving you just outstanding talent and timeless tracks
How have you found Lockdown?
A very bizarre situation it’s been a very strange time initially very hard to get my head around it all and then like most people I got used to the changes had to adjust and adapt. It has caused a lot of issues putting your whole life and career progress on hold for months and not knowing what will happen at the end its been stressful to say the least, I had a lot of music based plans that were halted and lost lots of work and gigs had to be postponed or cancelled. My single and album releases had to be postponed and try and find other ways to survive without gigs and shows etc its been tough to say the least for me and my family.
What can we expect from you within the next 6 months? Any releases planned?
Yes I have a lot going on as all the plans that were in place have had to be moved and reshuffled shows rescheduled releases on hold etc so now we have the green light to proceed I have lots coming up so I have my Debut single from the Debut album due out in August this will be titled COME AND LOVE ME out on 28-08-20 followed by a music video and promotional gigs. I then have the second single CRASHING DOWN due out in October 30-10-20, again followed by a music video and promo and this is leading up to the release of my DEBUT ALBUM = FEEL due out in December 2020 followed by a promotion tour gigs & shows. I then have more singles to be released going in to 2021 with big plans to unfold for the year with multiple gigs/shows and appearances. So I have lots going on over the next 6-12 months it’s a really exciting time I cant wait to get started.
Of course you can catch James on Social and Spotify on the links below.
