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A childhood bout of whooping cough stamped his vocals with a trademark raspy quality that’s stood blue-eyed soul champion James Morrison in good stead in his short career to date. His first album Undiscovered shot past the 2 million sales mark at rapid speed and the West Country lad released his second album earlier this year and has just finished a UK tour, with the second single from the album Broken Strings ft Nelly Furtado due out on Monday. RealMusic Blog caught up with him recently to chat about his new album, his new daughter, why he runs out of the room when he hears his songs on the radio and what he thinks of being a sex symbol…
Hi James – having a good day?
“Yeah it’s alright! We’re in the car driving up to London – I’m doing the Paul O’Grady Show today, so I’m coming up for that.”
Your new single Broken Strings is your first duet and it’s with Nelly Furtado – not bad!
“Yeah – it’s amazing that she’s on the record. I didn’t know if she’d be up for it and I didn’t have the bollocks to ring her myself in case she said no, so the label phoned her, she said yes and I flew to Canada to record the song. It was all done in a day so it was pretty quick, but she was cool to work with. She said she’d listened to my first album and really liked it and I told her the same – we were a mutual appreciation society! I thought she might be a bit of a diva, but she was pretty chilled out and normal.”
Have you kept in touch with her since?
“She tried to email me, but my email’s not working at the moment. I will meet up with her again hopefully when I’m in America to do a gig, but I only met her that once so she’s not my best mate or anything!”
On your recent album you worked with some major writer and producers, including Ryan Tedder and Martin Terefe. Was it a big leap from the first?
“Not really, but big enough for me to feel that I’d moved on. Ultimately though, it’s not about the right producer or songwriter – it’s up to me to deliver. But Martin Terefe is a great producer and working with Ryan was great too. I just tried to keep it familiar, work with people I’m comfortable with but push the boundaries too.”
You dedicated your album to your unborn child, who’s now a fully-fledged baby. Have you written any songs for her since her birth?
“No – I’ve been trying, but it’s so hard to sum up what you feel. I’m just trying to enjoy my time with her at the moment rather than writing songs.”
Promise you won’t make it one of those cheesy songs about kids?
“Hell no! (Laughs) Can you imagine? She’d hate me and ask ‘why the fuck did you write that dad’?!”
You played at the Olympic handover, how was that?
“It was great to do even though I always wonder why they’re asking me – I always think those dos are for more prestigious artists. But I feel lucky to be asked – it’s not a gig though and I prefer playing my normal gigs.”
How are you coping with your sex symbol status?
“My what? (Laughs for a long time) I didn’t know I had one – I’d say it’s non-existent! I don’t get chatted up hardly at all and if you knew me you’d know I’m a clumsy fool…”
I think it’s because you write a lot of love songs and people are drawn to that…
“Well, that’s cool – I’d rather be a sex symbol than not, but really, I’m not one!”
You rose to fame pretty quickly, selling bucketloads of your first album and winning a Brit award. Are you used to your fame now?
“I forget to be honest. I’ve always played music, so when I’m doing gigs it feels the same as always. When I do TV and other press it can be a bit weird, but it’s all about promoting my music and when I’m on stage it feels totally normal to me.”
You’re a male singer-songwriter on a chart circuit that’s increasingly female dominated. Do you feel a responsibility to hold up the male end of things?
“That’s a lot of pressure! There are a lot of lads out there capable of making good music, but it just happens that I’m one of the only ones right now – I’ll try my best to hold it for the guys! I love the girls though – Amy Winehouse has got a fantastic voice and whatever happens in her life she’s the best female vocalist we’ve had in the last few years. Duffy and Adele are good as well, but Amy’s a step up.”
You started off as a busker – do you give to buskers when you see them?
“All the time, even if they’re crap because I know what they’re going through!”
What do you do when one of your songs comes on the radio?
“Oh man, I turn it down! I get embarrassed and pick it apart – I hear what I could have done to make it better. I’m proud it’s on the radio, but I run out of the room…”
You’ve just finished your tour – do you have a favourite song to play live?
“Wonderful World always goes down really well – the crowd always sing along. I used to play The Seed by Cody ChestnuTT too, which was well received – I like putting the odd cover in here and there.”
What are you doing for Christmas?
“I’m going down to Cornwall to see my friends and family with my missus and the baby. It’s the only time I can party, so I plan to get really messed up and just enjoy it really.”
What would be your ideal Christmas present this year?
“Er… (Long pause) I really don’t mind, so long as it’s not a jumper with Rudolph on. Hang on – a nice bottle of whisky would be nice.”
What’s the most played song on your MP3 player?
“My iPod’s broken at the moment, but it was 54-46 Was My Number by Toots And The Maytals – mainly because my little girl used to bounce along to it when she was in the womb.”
Written by Clare Lydon
