J.M. James

J.M. James is a singer-songwriter and violinist with folk, pop and R&B influences. He could be described as a mix between contemporary pop crooners like Ed Sheeran or Hozier, folkie Amos Lee and R&B singer Bill Withers. He will release a new EP, “Jukebox” in 2014. As a solo artist and multi-instrumentalist, J.M. has toured nationally, been named a “Writer to Watch” by Nashville Songwriters Association International four times in 2014 and has garnered a dedicated YouTube following with his original material and his quirky covers of everyone from Justin Bieber to The Black Keys. He has performed for corporate clients such as Gap, Converse and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field and performed on the CMA Awards in Nashville, TN on ABC. He will release a new EP, “Jukebox” in 2014. Up to this point, J.M. has released mostly acoustic music, and, in his own words, “songs that weren’t fully realized”. As of late, J.M. has been focusing in on a new irreverent pop sound, and taking on arrangements that fuse modern pop, old-school soul and contemporary folk–a combination of what he grew up with and the environment he finds himself now in Nashville, TN. His debut EP is electric and more modern, with each song being highly arranged and having a heavy groove element. “I didn’t really set out to make a dance record, but “Jukebox” turned into that a bit, or at least part of it did. My intention with this EP was to discover some different sounds by writing to grooves and loops instead of just with my acoustic guitar, and also to set a course for the future a bit, combining elements of blues, R&B and pop in search of a sound that is uniquely me. I think the result is really fun and interesting, and I’m really excited about the next four songs that we’ll be working on, and the next four, and so on.” “Jukebox” not only highlights James’s songwriting versatility and his ability to craft catchy hooks and pen intelligent lyrics, but also hints at his ability as a violinist and a guitar player, something he could play more heavily on in the future. Some of James’s dedicated fans might wonder where the acoustic element went in “Jukebox”, but James indicates that it is still a large part of who he is as an artist. “Incidentally, at least for this release, the acoustic element isn’t as present, but that was also sort of intentional to keep some continuity between songs. The acoustic element will definitely remain and be a part of future releases and shows.” For “Jukebox”, J.M. worked with producer, arranger and composer Nick Jacobson Larson as well as Steve Bone (drums and engineering) and Nick Connell (vocal arranging and engineering). “Jukebox” is due out at the end of the summer, 2014. Described as a mix between contemporary pop crooners like Ed Sheeran or Hozier, folkie Amos Lee, and R&B singer Bill Withers.