Rising country star David James sat down to chat with me, and we had such a great conversation, it needed two parts! Check out Part 1 here, and read on to find out how David ended up recording songs from some of the biggest names in country, his latest single and what's next, and which Shania Twain song he would be - enjoy!
Ciara’s Country (CC): Then There’s You was definitely my introduction into your music, and from there I found your 2020 EP If I Were You. Looking at the writing credits on there – wow! There's a couple of big names, Hardy and Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard co-wrote one of the songs, the Restless Road guys did another one. How do you even end up getting a song from those kind of people?
David James (DJ): I have no idea! There are so many amazingly talented people and songwriters in country music right now. I find that I write my best songs when I'm not trying to force the idea into ‘the David James box’. I want to write a song and stay true to it and wherever it takes me. The funny thing about being an artist is you have to decipher which songs are not just a good fit, but which you think you have the right voice to tell, and which stories are the ones that you should be telling. I've passed on a lot of great songs that I've written just because I thought they'd be better suited for somebody else, and so when you get writers like the ones you mentioned coming to you with their songs saying ‘there's something really cool here and we want to see what you would do with it as an artist’, that’s always really cool for me. That's something I'm trying to do more and more.
I think so often, artists default to just wanting to record songs that they've written, which I think is great, but you have to be cognizant of the ability to separate yourself and say either ‘I'm the right person to tell the story’ or ‘maybe this story needs a different narrator’. I always think of it like a book and a narrator. Sometimes Morgan Freeman, or somebody like that with an incredible voice, might not be a heck of a writer, but he's the one to deliver the story. I have no idea how I get to work with so many amazing songwriters, I truly am so lucky, and so blessed. I do feel very fortunate, and just try and do my small part to add my voice to it, and hopefully add a little of my texture to it.
CC: I love that analogy of how it's like the author and the audiobook - they're completely different things and they each tell their own story as well.
DJ: Yeah, music really is a harmony of those things. It’s a harmony of the melodies, lyrics and the songwriting. It's a harmony of the voice and the artist, it's all of these things coming together. It's great when you can do that all on your own for a song, but sometimes it keeps things fresh and interesting to have these outside elements coming in. When I get to work with phenomenal writers who write songs I dreamed that I had written, it's always pretty cool. You want to utilise those tools, and you want to utilise those people when you can.
CC: Absolutely. Speaking of songs we wish we’d written, I’m loving your newest single Don’t Mind If I Do. It's super fun, and I can tell from this interview that that is you, but what was it about that song that you thought ‘I'm the right person to tell this story’?
DJ: It is such a fun song. When we were going into the studio, we recorded so many songs, I wrote hundreds of songs. My producer and I decided we wanted to make a next batch of songs that were fun. I feel like the past year and a half has been so tough - I saw a study that worldwide depression has never been higher, and it's just been a tough year. We wanted to create music that when we get to play live, it was fun, energetic and enthusiastic.
What drew me in about this song is when I heard it, and it had this vibe of Hall & Oates - if you've heard their song You Make My Dreams, it's got this bouncy, fun melody to it, and so did this one. I thought this is just such a fun, sweet song about being yourself, and sometimes you might get a little wild and crazy, but it's about having that special person who will take you even at those points. It's such a fun special song and I can't wait to play live because the energy is so up there and when playing live shows, especially festivals, those songs really help set the tone for the set.
CC: I’m going to need an official David James cover of You Make My Dreams! You said ‘next batch of songs’ there, which leads me to believe that Don’t Mind If I Do isn’t all we’re getting. Tell me more - what's next?
DJ: We’ve obviously had a lot of time to write and record lately, not much touring, so we've got some new music we're really, really excited to share with all of you. Fingers crossed that happens sooner than later! It's always a little nerve-wracking because it's like your song baby and you don't want to disappoint your fans. You want to be continuously evolving as an artist and getting better, and setting the bar higher and higher, but also staying true to yourself, while at the same time musically keeping things interesting. It’s nerve wracking, but mostly exciting! We’ve got some really fun stuff coming up that I'm really excited to share with people and then hopefully the songs can help people create new memories and become part of the soundtrack to their lives or their week, or at least their drive to work or when they're listening to your station!
CC: I am certainly excited for that, and I'm sure I’ll find another song to add to my monthly roundups very soon. One thing that I really love to do on my show is highlight up-and-coming artists, and one of the ways that I like to find them is actually by asking artists I already love who they recommend. David, are there any underrated artists out there who you think everyone should be listening to?
DJ: Oh, that's a great question. I love that. There are so many! I’m a bit biased because I'm from Canada and I love you promoting local people. You touched on it earlier, but Genevieve Fisher has got a great voice, and I know she's got some new music coming up that I’ve heard and I'm very excited for. I think she's really going to set her bar so much higher on this next batch. I think you should keep an eye out for her, she's really fabulous, and I think you're really going to like her new stuff.
CC: Perhaps I might just make it my new thing that I only interview Canadian artists! My last question for you is: what's one question that you've never been asked in an interview but would love to be?
DJ: Oh, that question. Can I answer ‘that question’? No. Ah, what's the thing I've never been asked, but would love to be asked… I would say if I were a Shania Twain song, what one would I be? I mean, her most fun song is Man, I Feel Like A Woman, but I don't really feel like a woman. But it's really fun, so I'm just going to go with that!
CC: I love that. I also love that that is the second interview in as many interviews that Shania Twain has come up. Obviously, she's just on everyone's mind!
DJ: It's hard not to have Shania come up! She’s also Canadian and she is incredible. Nobody in the history of liking country music has ever heard a Shania Twain song and not gotten the urge to dance or sing along. It just doesn't happen. Her songs are infectious!
CC: The opening bars are all I need.
DJ: Let’s go girls! You just get so into it.
CC: That was probably one of my favourite answers to that question, so thank you for that answer and indeed for all of your answers. It's been an absolute pleasure interviewing you today, and I really can't thank you enough for your time!
DJ: Oh my gosh, this was an absolute delight. I am so excited to hopefully be coming across the pond soon and playing some shows and coming to meet all of you. I really appreciate you taking the time.
CC: See you there!
Big thanks to David for being such a great interviewee! David's new single Don't Mind If I Do is available wherever you get your music, and you can tune in every Friday from 5-8pm UK on www.ukcountryradio.com to hear it on my show. More interviews coming your way soon - stay tuned on Twitter @CiarasCountry to be the first to know. Thanks so much for reading!
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