James TW is back with an emotional yet catchy new single ‘Butterflies.’ The track has already amassed over 5 million streams globally since its March release. The song pulls you in with a catchy riff, before hitting you with raw and vulnerable lyrics. The artist explores a recent heartbreak and still getting “butterflies” for that person.
Of the single James TW said in our interview “This song was different in the respect that I kind of just was playing guitar in my bedroom, and I came up with this guitar riff which you can hear in the chorus. It’s kind of the main part, and I loved it. I thought it was really infectious, and I thought it had good energy to it.” James said “It sounded like none of my other songs. So I just kind of went from there, and I didn’t know what to write about yet. So I kind of filled everything else in first. I did all the melodies. I wrote the structure. And then the last thing to do was find something to write about. And unfortunately, I went through this breakup last year in quarantine. And that kind of became one of the things I wrote it about.
James TW born James Taylor-Watts has always moved people with emotional tracks like ‘You & Me,’ ‘When You Love Someone,’ and ‘Suitcases.’ Such emotion and vulnerability in his songwriting is part of what has helped him garner over two billion streams on his music, and is originally what earned him his record deal with Island Records.
James TW – ‘Butterflies’ Music Video
The British singer-songwriter was discovered by his manager and later Shawn Mendes on YouTube where he was releasing brilliant covers. Taylor-Watts credits having written his own original songs to being what secured his record deal after being noticed. “I had about 10,000 subscribers on YouTube, which is not a big number. And I knew they were meeting with people who had hundreds of thousands of subscribers.” Taylor-Watts said “But I really think what set me apart from those and why I kind of got sign was because I had been working on my original music so much. Whereas they had been working on building a following and not done really any songwriting.”
James TW and great songwriting go hand in hand, and will be seen in his upcoming new album. Of the album, James said:
“So really, I’m going to release an album this year divided into two parts, the whole first part, all songs that are about my breakup in different ways, different emotions to deal with it, and how it made me feel like, you know, obviously, the immediate reaction to it, and then also a more of a reflection and a celebratory kind of an emotion that I had afterwards.” James TW said “I’m really proud of this first half, it’s all recorded and done. And then the second half, you know, I’m hoping will be filled with slightly more romantic songs, from experiences, you know, post COVID. And, in real life kind of situations.”
Check out James TW’s new music here. And read my full interview with him below.
Thomas Darro: So this is being featured on GIGsoup, and as a podcast, with this being The Road Trip Playlists Podcast, I like to start off by asking you what’s on your road trip playlists? What are you listening to?
James TW: Oh, that’s a really good question. Um, I think at the moment, there’s an artist called Tom Misch in the UK, who’s kind of super soulful, super jazzy, and a great guitar player. I’ve just got his albums on repeat. Always have Bonnie there. I love music that makes me feel like I’m in a movie. So a couple of soundtracks at the moment I listen to are the Lion King soundtrack. Because I watched it. I saw these clips on TikTok, and I was like wow, this music is actually so good. So that is and this rom com called ‘About time’ that makes me feel like I’m in a movie. Those are a couple options.
TD: Those are some great options and it like hits on everything. I love RomCom’s and ‘About Time’ is one of the best.
James TW: Yeah, it’s probably my favorite rom com. I keep coming back to it. Because at the end of watching that film, I just always like feel really wholesome. And just like connected to the planet.
TD: Exactly. That’s so true. So that’s your playlist, I want to talk about one of your songs though. It’s a song that has been added to one of my playlists and will definitely be added to more. The song is ‘Butterflies.’ It’s already doing really well streaming wise, how have you felt since the release?
James TW: I’ve been really happy to be honest. I mean, it’s been a couple years since I’ve released any music. And the truth is that anything that happens really after the song gets released it is very much out of my hands, you know, all I can do is record the music and make music that I’m proud of and release it. But I’ve definitely been like very pleased with how it’s performed so far.
TD: Yeah, absolutely. And I’m responsible for a good amount of those streams. I listened to you talk about the song and it being different writing wise, typically than how you normally do it. Can you talk a little bit about how that?
James TW: Yes! Usually the way I like to write is I’ll come up with a lyric or a concept. Usually, that happens, like in conversation with someone and someone says something, I go, “oh, that could be a song.” Or I just kind of, I don’t know, I hear a different song and think it could be done a different way. But this this song was different in the respect that I kind of just yeah, I was just playing guitar in my bedroom. And I came up with this guitar in which you can hear in the chorus. It’s kind of the main part. And, and I loved it, I thought it was really infectious. And I thought it had good energy to it. It sounded like none of my other songs. So I just kind of went from there. And I didn’t know what to write about. So I kind of filled everything else in first. So I did all the melodies. I wrote the structure. And then the last thing to do was find something to write about. And unfortunately, I went through this breakup last year in quarantine. And that kind of became one of the things I wrote it about.
TD: I see. Wow. Okay, and that was that was one of my next questions. It’s weird because we just met and talking about breakups. But, how is it putting a song about something where it’s so close to you and something as personal as a breakup? And putting out because I know at first it was a different song called x-rays, and now became butterflies. What was the process? And what’s it like putting such vulnerability about this feeling with kind of a relationship that ended into song?
James TW: Well, firstly, thank you for doing so much homework. You already know so much about the song but I mean, in general, it’s part of who I am to share my feelings. I’m a very kind of open person in that respect. I share a lot with my friends. It makes me feel good. I journal too that kind of thing. So you I’ve already put an album out. So at this point, it’s not that different to way, the way it’s felt before. I think it’s, it’s the most scary when the person that you’ve written about. Now obviously, I’m not with her anymore. But I sent her the song, and played it to her, you know, before anyone else so she could hear it. And that was scary. But besides that, like, I know if I’m kind of brutally honest with my experience, and my feelings and songs, that’s kind of the way that you can connect to other people. If you start trying to hide it and kind of in and mask how you’re feeling and try and make it sound cool or whatever. Like it just, it doesn’t translate in the same way.
TD: Wow, that’s so interesting. I’ve never thought about like, that’s very respectful for you to call and play it beforehand. I admire the vulnerability and that’s something more than just your songwriting. It is fascinating to me when artists like yourself are able to express that and just put it into the thing. And now two weeks later, it’s streamed by millions of people.
James TW: Yeah, I mean, someone that I’ve kind of got to know over the last half a year has helped me with things like this. And she told me that if you choose not to tell someone something or like how you’re feeling, then that’s your issue. Because you’re the one who’s stopping, you know, things from getting out of you. But if you tell someone something or you share something, it’s then it’s completely out of your hands. Like it’s it’s then the other person’s issue about how they react or how they choose to take that information. And it’s very freeing, when you can actually share things and get them out of your system selfishly, almost. But it’s not your responsibility on how people react, you know?
TD: And now we’ve talked about two of the songs that you’ve been working on in the last little bit with ‘Butterflies’ and that song that you just mentioned, I wanted to know what else we can expect from from the work moving forward. I know you’re planning to release a song at a time and that there’s also a future full album coming, as I heard in your in your live, but what else can we expect from from the music that you’re soon to release?
James TW: So really, I’m going to release an album this year divided into two parts, the whole first part, all songs that are about my breakup in different ways, different emotions to deal with it, and how it made me feel like, you know, obviously, the immediate reaction to it, and then also a more of a reflection and a celebratory kind of an emotion that I had afterwards. And I’m really proud of this first half, it’s all kind of, you know, recorded and done. And, and then the second half, you know, I’m hoping will be filled with slightly more romantic songs, from experiences, you know, post COVID. And, and, you know, in real life kind of situations. That’s that’s my plan. Really
TD: Amazing. I love that. And is there a particular thing that you’re excited for people to feel or hear from this new work?
James TW: I think it’s been interesting writing it because I look back on that relationship. Like, like, I’m so proud of it, I don’t have hard feelings. I don’t have like any anger or resentment towards the person I was with. And I think there’s more situations like that, then people think, I think when people think of breakups, they think that ugly and messy, and there’s hatred and, and regret and things like that. But I don’t regret a single thing. I’m really proud of what we had. So that that comes out in this in the rest of these songs. And I think I’m excited to see other people step forward and be like, you know what, that’s how I feel about my situation to like, I don’t really hate the person. But people never really talk about that.
TD: Yeah, I love that so much. And that’s very refreshing to to hear. I’m very excited for for the music to come. I’ve loved ‘Butterflies,’ and I encourage everyone to listen to it. Now, you were named after the artist James Taylor. Can you tell me a little bit about your upbringing in your own home with with music?
James TW: In terms of me and how I found music, I mean, it was in my family a little bit. My dad while not professionally loves playing guitar and when he was a teenager he used to be in bands and writing songs and things. So growing up there was always instruments around many guitars and My mom kind of likes to do karaoke when she’s had a few wines. But that’s kind of not really, that’s not the same. But basically, I kind of came home from school one day, and my dad had decided to buy an electronic drum kit, because he saw on the news in the UK that it was kind of good for stress after work. So I just kind of came from home, I thought, like, that looks fun. I really want to try that. And immediately, I kind of had this like natural talent to play I was playing in time, and I was coming up with kind of difficult grooves and things. So my dad really nurtured that. And my parents didn’t like they got the drum lessons. And, you know, anytime I, like, had a question about music, I would ask my dad, if I wanted to learn guitar, then he would be chords. And if I wanted to record a video and put it on YouTube, and he would help me film it and post it. So, you know, I found the drums when I was 10. And I tried playing other instruments before that, like violin and stuff. But I wasn’t that passionate. As soon as I could start playing music that I that I liked, which at the time was more bands like blink 182 and just like the kind of, you know, punky bands, and even like slipknot and stuff, because I was very drawn heavy. Like I had phases, you know, like everyone does, but as soon as I got to be able to play those those songs, like on drums or on guitar, then I kind of like my love developed for it. And then I got to perform live with with my dad’s kind of wedding band, one night and that’s really when I properly fell in love with with performing and I was still only 10 or 11 at that time.
TD: That’s unreal. I love that story. I I read that you played in a wedding band with your dad. I’ve seen you perform on YouTube with with your sister. And so I wondered if there’s still family jam nights?
James TW: So yeah, when I go home, my family live a couple of hours outside of London if I get a train and see them, me and dad definitely sit down and play guitar, you know, and he just kind of plays that whatever songs the wedding band to play nowadays now just kind of play along and sing or play different guitar part. And then yeah, when my sister’s home, we do like singing together sometimes we still try and come up with covers. But you know, she’s she’s doing she’s doing a degree love for universities. So she’s she’s very busy. And when we’re home, you know, like, we kind of just trying to spend quality time. So it’s minimal the music that happens together, but it’s still definitely happens. And it’s still very fun.
TD: You started posting covers at 12 onto YouTube, I wanted to know what starting out was like and how it was watching your channel grow and your views and subscribers?
James TW: Well, it was a long process. I think a lot of people presume that it must have gone like really, really well, for me to end up getting signed and things like that. But I think I was just in the right place at the right time. If I remember posting the first video was a Damien rice cover is not up anymore. But it was Cannonball and I think I was like 12 and my voice was breaking. So like it was it was all over the place. And the guitar playing was pretty good. But the singing was not. And, you know, I probably got like, a couple 100 views and most of them were probably me checking in on the video. And really me and my dad posted them every day, we’re starting to do them every two weeks. And it was only like of the three years that you know, I started to get some decent views and some videos would be better than others. I can’t learn how to get more views on certain videos. And and I just got really lucky because that was when two things happen. One manager from San Diego discovered them who had contacts in the music industry and he became my first manager and introduced me to labels and then two in the same year. Sean Mendez found it and he showed his label who I ended up getting scientific with so I was just very lucky but anytime anyone asked me like what should What can I be doing to like spread my music. You know, I can only speak from experience and just say like YouTube, the internet Tick Tock. Things can spread so quick and so far around the world on those on those platforms. So I always encourage people to put things out there.
TD: Absolutely. That’s such an incredible story. I love it so much work can you put me in the room when you when you get a call from someone from like a label because I was I thought it was funny as like one week I went through your YouTube channel and one week you’re posting a John Mayer cover, and then the next video, you’re announcing, “Hey guys, I just signed with this huge major record label.” Can you put me in the room of when that happens when you get that call or what, what, what the process was like?
James TW: Um, so it was very exciting. I mean, I was 15, When, when, when I signed that deal with a manager, and he kind of took about six months, like trying to make things happen. And then he just suddenly told me and my dad on Skype for like, I’ve got these two meetings, ones with Atlantic Records in New York, and ones with this, this really powerful guy in Universal in LA. And it basically meant, like, I was dipping in and out of school to go and like, you know, audition, essentially, for these guys and playing them all my own songs. And, you know, my I had at that point, I had about 10,000 subscribers on YouTube, which is not a big number. And I knew they were meeting with people who had hundreds of 1000s of subscribers. But I really think what set me apart from those and why I kind of got sign was because I’ve been working on my original music so much. Whereas they had been working on building a following and not done really any songwriting. So working on your own songs, like is I’m going off on a tangent here, but like, if you want to be an artist, yes, having a big following is really helpful and, and helps. But if you can write songs for yourself that are great songs, and that that goes way further and that and that, I think is more important. But kind of going back, sorry. Yeah, I mean, I was just like, absolutely. I went to bed, I couldn’t sleep, I was in bed, like, this is my shot, I’m going to get like, this is how I’m going to start the rest of my life, my career is going to start. And, you know, my dad had never been to America. So like, the fact that I was the reason that he was going was really special to me, and, and it was fun to share that kind of journey with him.
TD: Wow, that is incredible. And no, I loved all of it. And you answered part of what was one of the questions that I wanted to know. And, and I just became very fascinated with with your story preparing for this. And one of the things that I wanted to know was was what you had in those meetings as far as original music. And so you, you did answer that. And so you already had a collection of songs, when, when you were going there that helped you get that deal?
James TW: So I had to put together an EP, I’d found a producer, and all the money I’d got from playing in pubs like background music, and just kind of pub nights and things. I put all that money towards recording it with this producer in Surrey, which is just outside of London. So my dad drove me because I couldn’t drive, bless him. And we just kind of sat with this producer, recorded all the best songs I had. And I just kind of like played that CD to all the labels. And, and to be honest with that CD, they all they were all like it’s good, but it’s not great. Just keep doing your thing. And I’m sure you know, all work out. And then I remember like two, maybe a week or two weeks before we went to New York. I was I was going to the school chapel like and I was using the piano there to just write songs at lunchtime. And, and I wrote this song, it was called ‘My last name’ And I was in the meeting and we played all the songs. And the manager was like, Okay, well thank you for your time. And I said, like, Oh, can I play one more song? Like I wrote this one last week. And I can see that my dad and my manager were really nervous. Because they were like, “What is he doing? He’s like, going against everything we’ve planned.” And and they’re like, Okay, cool. Let’s go out to the lobby. And I went out into the lobby and, like, Flo Rida and his body guard were there and just sat there, this gigantic, like, Guy muscley guy. And I started playing the song and they were just like, their whole attitude changed. They’re like, wow, this is a really great song. And they were like, come back into the office. And we spoke and they were like, We record this song upstairs in our studio right now let’s do a photo shoot. And it was just like this thing that happened. And I think that happens with songwriting. Like, you can step up tiers without knowing it. Like once you’ve written like, I don’t know, 10 or 20 songs, you’re going up, like an invisible tear in your head and you don’t even know it, but your songs are getting better generally. And then every song I started to write after that, that chapel one was way better than the CDs. So I just had to keep writing songs basically.
TD: Wow. Okay, because I was one of my questions was how kind of I’m so impressed by your songwriting and where that comes from and how it’s evolved since then. And so would you say, it’s just kind of sticking with it and writing more and more and more?
James TW: Definitely, I mean, I could play you I’d have to find them first. But I wrote lots of songs when I was like 12 was when I started writing songs just about crushes in school and just like wanting to be a rock star, and they were crap songs. They were so bad. So yeah, I think just doing it from like. I mean, I’ve been doing it for like 10 years, which is crazy now but you know, professionally like five, you can’t force it. Like, everyone’s got a different way of working, I don’t mind to just wake up and write a song for the sake of writing a song because I do feel like the songs that stand out are the ones you really connect to, or come from somewhere real. And it’s not just you trying to, you know, put, you know, muscle memory going through the kind of the works, but, but I more recently, I have thought, Well, if you go into a session II write song where you write something on your own, that’s one more chance that you’re going to have a song that’s a really special one, you know?
TD: Yeah, totally. And, and I wanted to ask what it was like at such a young age. For you, I didn’t have this question written down. But you talked about kind of how you were balancing these auditions with school and all of that, what was what was it like kind of navigating the music industry and touring and being so young, because you said, You’re like, you’ve been doing it professionally for five years. I’ve known your name for, like, five years. And so it feels like I think that you’re so much older than you are. And so when I was doing the prep for this, I was like, Oh, my gosh, she’s still like, what? 23-24 I’m like, wow, this is crazy. And so what was it like being so young and navigating this?
James TW: Um, it was exciting, to be honest. I mean, I was like, you know, if this had not taken off, when it did, I probably would have just gone to some music college and just kept doing YouTube videos and learning about music and whatever. But, you know, my parents were very supportive and respect that, like, they didn’t get crazy, good qualifications, but they still ended up having two successful careers. So I don’t think they, they didn’t want to, like force me to get a degree or anything like that. They just kind of wanted me to love what I did. And when the right opportunity came up, they like, let me take it and leave. So I left school when I was like, turning a scene basically. So I hadn’t got all my qualifications. But I’m very grateful that they did that too. Because, you know, it meant I got an extra year to just like, you know, I’m a year ahead than I would be if I just stayed in school and limited myself. But all my friends were so excited for me. I mean, they were just like, they couldn’t believe it was happening, like I would kind of believe, and then play a show at like, Radio City Music Hall with Sean Mendez and have a video of it and post it and come back and just sit in class with them. And they would just be like, this is ridiculous. This is so weird. Which it was.
TD: That’s incredible. I wanted to talk about the tour with Shawn Mendes, but I wasn’t really it’s not really the tour that I wanted. I read you talk about that you had played ping pong and basketball with Shawn I’ve watched you on TikTok. And you’re very impressive. But I want to know who who’s the bad who’s the better ping pong and basketball player out of you and Shawn?
James TW: I definitely think I’m the better like ping pong player and I think he’ll he’ll definitely like agree with me on that. We played a lot on saw he had his own little table. And, and I think because he played longer sets than me, I got to play for way longer. So my practice was just there. But then I basketball It was pretty close. I mean, he’s a tall guy. He’s like, six, three or something. And at the time, he weighed so much more than me. And so he can kind of push me around a bit. But we have to play rematch to know for sure.
TD: Well, James again, thank you so much for your time. I’ve loved learning about you leading up to this day up to they’re talking to you listening to your music. It’s it’s been great. And I really appreciate your time. So thank you.
James TW: Yeah, you too. Thank you so much, Thomas. Thank you, man.
Listen to the full interview below.
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