'5 Questions With': James Smith
"I'm just a big fan of simple but super effective lyricism...I write always from experience."
When most people hear the words ‘viral sensation’ they think of TikTok or a social media one-hit-pop wonder, but James Smith is none of the above. The 21-year old London-born, Essex-dwelling new kid on the block well and truly catapulted himself into the music scene, all from the comfort of his pristine bedroom (his words, not ours), bringing his music straight to our soundwaves. Effortlessly amassing just shy of 35M streams of his 2018 breakout viral hit ‘T-Shirts’, that saw him catapult into the peripheral of many music fans worldwide James has subsequently released two EP’s, ‘Little Love’ and ‘An Ep By James Smith’ and has caught the attention of music media, key tastemakers, as well his own Mahogany Session to add to his notch of accomplishments. James now sits comfortably amongst fellow male risers having amassed a whopping 200 million+ streams worldwide on Spotify, has sold out venues across the UK and Europe. Following the release of his latest single ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’, we asked James 5 Questions on music, his rise to the spotlight and a few habits you’d be surprised to know.
Read the feature below…
Words and interview by Danielle Temeng
EQ: Hi James, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you discovered your love for music?
J: Hi! My name’s James Smith, I’m 21. I’m a singer/songwriter/producer from East London. I was born and raised in Newham but currently am living in Upminster, Essex. I started singing and playing when I was about 9 or 10 when my mum signed me up for karaoke at our caravan site in Clacton where we would go on holiday every year. I used to be obsessed with Elvis and Johnny Cash so that’s what I had sung on stage! It all sort of blossomed from there really. I was an avid Cash fan, so I mimicked everything he did. In my teen years, I worked on Green Street market on my dads stall and I would sing to all the marker traders at their local club most weekends. It was called ‘East Ham Working Man’s Club’ and they loved it when I would sing all those old soul records! It was later on that I started expanding my knowledge and taste in music which led me to want to start producing my own stuff! I met my manager Geeneus from Rinse FM when I was fifteen and he sort of showed me the ropes of music production and how I could try to make it in the industry. And here I am now, producing and writing my own records! And for other people too!
EQ: If you could describe your sound in three words what would they be and why?
J: Heartfelt Songwriteryyy Experiences - because I’m a bit of a sob and a sucker for a classic love song. I also am just a big fan of simple but super effective lyricism about real sh**! I write always from experience.
“…if I can crack it coming from my background, and how I started, then I’m sure anyone can!”
- JAMES SMITH
EQ: You’ve essentially gone from a bedroom artist to a recognised musician with over 200M streams to date and a recently released your single (‘I Don’t Wanna Know’) in hand, what does that all mean to you as an artist?
J: Well, when you put it like that…bloody brilliant! But the truth is, I still see myself as a bedroom artist because I still work from my home studio (in my bedroom) 7 days a week - so not realllllyyyy living the pop star life as of yet [laughs]! But I’ll get there…I’m aiming for the arenas!
EQ:…and what do you hope your success shows to other young musicians hoping to follow in your footsteps?
J: Well, if I can crack it coming from my background and how I started then I’m sure anyone can! You don’t need any fancy studios to make a record nowadays, you can do everything on your laptop! You must however have a lot of drive - which I pride myself on actually! I hope new young artists can see how I did it and try to do the same! I’m a big fan of new artists and work with a lot of them too so I’m rooting for those guys!
EQ: Finally, can you tell us something about yourself (a secret habit/guilty pleasure) that no one knows about you.
J: I’m highly OCD and a stress-head. My bedroom is spotless, and everything is white and clean LOL (a lot of people think that this makes me a psychopath). I love baths and candles & I also love a good old cry to a romcom.
Watch the visuals for ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’ below…
YouTube/JAMES SMITH
Stream ‘I Don’t Wanna Know’ HERE
Keep up with James on socials
Instagram: @jamessmithvocal
Twitter: @jamessmithvocal