Welcome to the first of our artist profile posts, where we will be spotlighting some of today’s newest and greatest musical artist’s. We are starting off with a personal favorite of mine, James Bay.
James Bay hails from the good old country across the pond. He was born and raised in Hitchin, England. He is a singer/songwriter and guitarist. His indie alternative rock sound soothes the ears of every listener.
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Chaos And The Calm, James’ debut album, has just been released and is doing incredible on the charts. At the end of March, iTunes even included James in their new artist spotlight. If you don’t know his name, you might have heard his song Let It Go, not to be confused with Elsa’s lively tune. When I’m having a chilled out night, or doing some studying I put his album on in the background.
James plays the guitar, which I really admire in a performer. He puts on a fantastic show. Ashley and I were lucky enough to attend his first show in New York City at the Bowery Ballroom where he brought his entire band. I felt very privileged to be in that audience. I loved that he switched back and forth between an electric and acoustic guitar. That tiny detail gives they audience a well-rounded experience.
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With music like his, you go through many emotions whilst listening to the entire set. Before he sang Scars, one of my favorites, he told us the story of his writing process. He wrote the song about someone whom he was very close with. He wasn’t able to finish the song until two years later when that person came back into his life. I love when artists are willing to share that vulnerable side to them. It makes you feel like you are sitting in the room talking with your friend. For those 5 minutes you are transported to an alternate reality. It’s hard to explain, but I’m sure most of you know that feeling.
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James is already taking the world by storm. He won a Brit Award earlier this year, performed a show at SXSW, and is touring Europe and America. Click Here to see if he is coming to a place near you.
If you like James Bay, check out: Vance Joy, Hozier & Ben Howard
Shelby xx