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James Morrison chats to I Like Music
James Morrison has been alive for just 21 years but his voice sounds like its been around for generations. His first single You Give Me Something was released on July 17th and his debut album Undiscovered is out July 31st.
You Give Me Something is a spellbinding, bittersweet, bluesy-soul song about concealing true emotions in the early stages of a relationship, played mellowingly through an acoustic guitar and sung with a power and character of someone twice his age.
James was invited onto Later with Jools to perform his single almost two months upfront of release. And those who saw him at the sold out Luminaire show owill have an idea about why people come away from his live shows in awe.
I Like Music caught up with James to talk about his incredible voice, playing on Later with Jools Holland, and getting a U for Music A Level at college.
ILM: Your gorgeous single, You Give Me Something, is out now, and I just adore it. It gives me tingles in my spine and a lump in my throat and just this exhilarating feeling, So, anyway, can you give us your own personal description of the track, its whole vibe and where/how you came to write it?
James: Basically it’s kind of inspired by my girlfriend, at the time, I was a young guy and it was kind of an honest love song. I started writing a proper love song, but I think there’s too many of them around that are not exactly how people feel, not the truth of what they feel, so I wanted to write a horribly honest song about how I felt. I wanted the guy in the song (me) to give as little away as possible, kind of like the leanest love song that you could write without totally doing the girls heads in. So you’re not giving away anything but the tiniest little bit, just to keep her there, because you’re still a bit, ‘is it gonna work or is it not?’ and that’s what it’s about that really.
ILM: Undiscovered your debut album is out on July 31st can you tell me which track you had the most fun writing and laying down in the studio?
James: Well one of them was Under The Influence, purely because of the vibe, like everyone was clapping and dancing. We recorded it and then we did a track of everyone just dancing along, and clapping their hands and just shouting out random things and loads of ad libbing that I did and it was just really fun to make, really vibey to make.
But the whole experience was really good, the whole experience of recording an album in the studio with Martin the producer, everything was pretty much live, so it was pretty good. Especially that one because of the vibes we got with the clapping and everything like that, it was great.
ILM: And you must’ve learned a lot during that time?
James: Yeah definitely, and not just with the writers I worked with but all the musicians. I think it was a really good experience to go through that with people who’ve been doing it for years. Because, I haven’t been doing it that long, so it’s great to be surrounded by people who have been doing it for ages, but have as much passion for music as you have. Yeah it was a brilliant experience
ILM: Now, people are saying you sound like Al Green and Otis Redding. We think you sound like you and that your voice is really soulful and soothing. When you did you first realize you could belt out a note or two?
James: It’s not that I realised, I just used to do it because I enjoyed it. But I suppose when I got to about 16, I had a little school band, and we were getting quite a lot of gigs. It only started off as a bit of fun, and it got to the point where we were getting loads of gigs all the time. So I thought, we must be doing something allright if we’re getting loads of gigs, because we were only a plunky plunky school band having a go at playing some proper songs y’know. I suppose when I got to about 16 I thought this isn’t a bad job and it’s something I love doing and if I can live off doing this, that’d be great. But I never thought I’d get a deal, I just thought if I can get enough gigs so I don’t have to work in a job that I don’t enjoy, then that’s good enough. But yeah I got really lucky.
ILM: And you got your deal and will be no doubt off touring the world and have people singing your songs back to you.
James: Yeah, I hope so.
ILM: You play the guitar too as well as sing and write songs, Did you get into music at school?
James: I don’t really remember enjoying it at school. It was all so structured, it was like, ‘you have to write this type of song, or you have to write Baroque’. I always just loved listening to the old soul records. So I suppose in a way I was quite naïve to music at school, I didn’t really know what I appreciated, so some types of music I didn’t listen to just because it wasn’t my type of music, but when I got to sixth form my mind opened a little bit more, and I like classical music, I like all music, and I can listen to a lot of music that isn’t really my taste now.
But I decided it would be a good idea to go through the motions and try and get GCSE music and I got A for GCSE, then I did A Level and it was just too technical, I couldn’t read music, I could hear it. I could pick a note out on the piano with my ear, but I just couldn’t read, so they failed me. I got a U for that.
But I’m really glad I got a U, it’s like ‘ahhaha, I’m still doing it, even though you said I couldn’t.’
ILM: Yeah, look at you now. In fact, you are now totally entitled to put a little F before the U.
James: Yeah [laughs]
ILM: You’ve played inner city dives and working mens clubs, and now are on tour, having already played Somerset House supporting Corinne Bailey-Rae – how was that?
James: That was amazing, really nice atmosphere, good gig, yeah it was great. Everyone was smiling, it was a beautiful hot day, sun and drinks, yeah it was a really good day.
ILM: And we first saw you when you performed on Later with Jools? That’s must’ve been brilliant!
James: That was so surreal. Because I used to watch that programme and dream that I’d be on it one day and just be like, ‘That’s a proper music programme’ y’know. And when I met the lady who organizes people going on there, I was really hoping she’d like what I was doing, but she didn’t get back to us for ages, and I thought, ‘oh dammit, I’m not going to get on’. We had make a CD and re-record You Give Me, but acoustically so she could see what it was like on the show, so we sent that in, and we got a call back saying ‘you’re on the show’.
Yeah man, when I got there Jools was playing piano and it was like… ‘what!?’ It was so surreal. But as soon as I started playing, I kind of forgot where I was and I just enjoyed it. I just thought I’m here to do my thing and I just got on with it.
It was only afterwards; I was so excited afterwards when I was watching Gnarls Barkley and I was just loving it.
ILM: What’s your current favourite James Morrison song to play live?
James: Call The Police and Wonderful World, although I really like playing all of the songs. But mainly those two, they work really well. And Call The Police is always good because it rocks out a little bit and it always works when you play it at the end as the last song, so it’s rockin’.
ILM: So everyone leaves on a high note.
James: Yeah.
ILM: Well, your music is soulful and, just incredible we think. Can you describe the James Morrison songwriting and music-making process?
James: It depends really. Sometimes you can just have a feeling of what you want to write about. Like when I wrote Wonderful World, I just felt for this guy that I saw, I just felt sorry for him. It was that feeling of inadequacy I suppose or not being important that kind of struck with me and I thought I’ve got to write a song about that.
But then, other times, you get lyrics first and no melody, or if you find some good lyrics and know they rhyme then the melody will just come.
But I listen to old stuff when I’m writing to try to get some reference points of what sort of style I’m trying to write, so you can it as close as you can when you start writing it, rather than having to change it too much, you should know exactly what you want to do before you start, because it can get long and drawn out, like pulling teeth sometimes. But lyrics are really important.
I just try to write simple lyrics that people will understand from all walks of life. You can’t be too clever sometimes because people won’t get it. And I always try to write lyrics where you understand every single line. It’s not like, ‘what does he mean by that’. I want it to have a little bit of that, but I always try to write straightforward so most people can get what I’m on about. And that’s really the most important thing to the music, because if people can relate to it; it adds a lot more power and emphasis to how they feel.
ILM: Totally because they connect with it and it takes music to that next more raw and personal level.
James: Exactly, yeah.
ILM: You’re also playing Summer Sundae Festival in Leicester and V festival too. What do you like most about festivals?
James: Just that there’s such a big wide variety of people there. And at festivals it’s just about people being people and enjoying music. There’s no worry about ‘you’re working tomorrow’ or ‘what job you do’, it doesn’t matter what job you f***ing do, you’re at the festival, enjoy the music and everyone’s the same, I suppose that’s what it is.
ILM: You’re 21 but I expect you’ve learned a lot on your journey so far. What’s your advice to young musicians, just starting out?
James: To keep playing as much you can and write as much as you can. Learn other people’s songs, but you’ve got to find your own style. As long as you’ve got true passion for it and you work hard and you’re prepared for any opportunity that comes your way, then that’s all you can do. It’s weird because I’ve been so lucky, I’ve worked hard but I’ve been lucky as well. I think If you want to get a deal, it’s about meeting the right people at the right time, but you’ve got to be prepared for it.
If you’re just starting out to be singer/songwriters, do it because you enjoy it, don’t do it for any other reason. Do it because you enjoy it and that will get you further than if you think you want to be famous. You’ve got to do it because it makes you feel good and makes you feel passion or whatever.
ILM: Yeah then you’re staying true to yourself musically as well. But as well as luck it’s down to talent as well.
James: But I didn’t know that I was going to be able to sing. So you just do the best you can with what you’ve got.
ILM: What’s the best and worst thing about Rugby?
James: The best thing is I’ve got memories of being a kid there and the worst thing is I’ve got memories of being a kid there. It’s alright, but my best memories aren’t from Rugby really. It’s ok, it’s got a good school, but that’s about it. It could be a town anywhere else. There’s good people in every town but also there’s people on the street. I see everywhere as the same really, I just try to treat people how they want to be treated really.
ILM: Can you describe your favourite place on earth?
James: Anywhere by the beach or in the country. Cornwall’s good. Anywhere by the beach or in the country or near mountains. I love nature, I just think when you go to nature you just feel more at home with yourself. You don’t get distracted by stupid things like, ‘what does that person think of me?’ or ‘am I doing that right or wrong’. You just relax a little a bit. I think that’s why it’s had a lot of impact on me living by the sea. Because you kind of look at your soul; you connect your head to your soul a lot more when you’re close to nature I think.
ILM: The sea’s so powerful isn’t it? I couldn’t agree more. The I Like Music office is in a village in the countryside, so it’s all good.
ILM: What music is rocking your world right now?
James: I bought Lily Allen’s album I really like that, I think she’s pretty cool. I love her lyrics, she’s funny. I bought the Raconteurs album, I think they’re cool. The Kooks, I really like the Kooks, I’m not like ‘wow, they’re amazing!’ but I like them. There’s a guy called Cody Chestnut I’ve got into, he’s been around for a couple of years, he sang that song with The Roots, The Seed, and I like him, he’s got some really good songs.
