James Bay’s ‘Leap’ Into A More Honest And Vulnerable Era Of Songwriting
Samantha Colleran, August 2022
James Bay made a powerful return to the music world with his 2022 release Leap. Following his 2018 release, Electric Light, the singer-songwriter has grown exponentially as an artist. Going back to his roots of a more calm sound reminiscent of Chaos And The Calm (2014), we truly get to see Bay’s lyrics take the lead while the instrumentals compliment the vulnerability in the songwriting. James has been through a lot since the release of Electric Light; from becoming a father to learning to be more open and honest in his music, which he expanded on deeper in an º1824 press conference earlier this month.
The process of creating Leap was a lot more relaxed than James’ previous albums. While Electric Light pushed the boundaries, Leap has a more familiar James Bay sound that fans have come to love. While creating this album, James shared that he did not use a click track to record the songs on this album. A lot of older music doesn’t use click tracks, the musicians and singers would play and sing what felt right, and that’s exactly what James felt while recording this album. Writing more honest lyrics has also helped James create the music he’s truly proud of. Writing in a more abstract way can be fun to gain new perspective, but some of James’ best tracks that connect the most with people are the ones where he’s being completely honest.
Leap is the perfect example of juxtaposing hope and fear. James said there’s a line between saying the things he was feeling while writing these songs and pushing the boundaries to make the sad songs into something more hopeful. As the songs began to evolve, hope turned into an overarching theme for this album. Although most of the songs were written before the pandemic, they were recorded in the beginning of COVID. James shared that there were a number of breakthrough moments via Zoom that truly brought people together during dark times. The music was put on a brief pause, but it never stopped completely, and it’s truly beautiful to see something so special come out of such a dark time in the world.
James did reveal his favorite track off of the album, which is a favorite of mine as well, “Endless Summer Nights”. It was one of the first tracks written for the album that circles around the idea of never wanting a perfect moment to end. Inspired by festivals in the UK where people camp out and the weekends turn into a never ending experience full of magic and love. James also shared that for first time listeners he recommends listening on the move; in your car with no other distractions and nothing else to do except focus on the music.
Becoming a better artist has a different definition to each individual, but for James it means being more direct in the delivery of his work. He draws inspiration from artists like Paul Simon and Carole King who deliver words incredibly well and are more direct in their lyrics. First impressions are relevant in every aspect of life whether we want them to be or not, and Bay hopes that his music will stick with people after their first listen. One thing he hopes listeners will take away from this album is the fact there is always tomorrow to start again, the simple things in life can have a massive impact on our minds and how we experience life.
So, what can we expect from James Bay in the future? Like any other artist, James hopes to remain relevant in music and not disappear. He has so much he still wants to say as a musician, so we can thankfully expect lots more music and tours to accompany new music. If you give Leap a listen please let me know your thoughts!