James Bay

(My “Listen Up” posts cover my favorite artists, as well as new bands and singers.)

My photo of James from summer 2013

He wears awesome hats, and has an incredible singing voice. What else do you need in life? This 23-year-old singer-songwriter from Hitchin, UK is James Bay, a musician whose voice is guaranteed to give you chills. His raw talent, mixed with his humble attitude toward his success makes him one of my favorite artists.

In July of last year, James released his debut EP “The Dark Of The Morning,” which you can get here. What’s so unique about this album is that the whole thing is acoustic. I love the style of James’ voice, and you will too. His gravely, authentic tone leaves audiences captivated with his music. Check out my favorite song by James, “When We Were On Fire,” here. (Honestly, it’s really hard to pick a favorite song of James’ from this album. I also adore Move Together, and Need The Sun To Break.) (Photo on the left by Justin Higuchi.)

I first saw James in Oregon when he toured with singer ZZ Ward as one of her opening acts (I talked about him in one of my previous posts.) He performed a few of the songs off his debut album, and I instantly loved every one. After that, he was giving out his EP for free, so my friend grabbed one for each of us. He even signed it, which was so cool!  Since then, I’ve played this album over and over again on my iPod.

James Bay recently released his second EP, “Let It Go.” It has a hint of country to it, and is a little more upbeat compared to his last EP, but it still possesses the unique style and talent that defines James. Check out “If You Ever Want To Be In Love,” from his new EP!

If you listen to artists like Foy Vance, Passenger, and Ed Sheeran, you’ll love James. Check out his social media/music/info below!

Tweet James here.

Check out his YouTube here.

Browse his website here.

Like him on Facebook here.