Exclusive Interview with 'JAMES V'

JAMES V is a singer, music producer, and songwriter from Vancouver who debuted in the music industry in 2018. He began his career as a singer-songwriter before entering the electronic dance music scene and beginning to produce it. In front of thousands of viewers, he began the year 2020 with a feature of his song “Back To You” on Spanish television. With his song “Broken,” which serves as an introduction to the context of his upcoming debut EP, JAMES V received his first self-release that exceeded 10,000 Spotify streams. JAMES V received his first label release with the single “Don’t Let Me Fall,” which was released in ARWV Records, to kickstart his musical career.

The debut EP by JAMES V, which introduces him and his musical journey, is currently being written. His songs incorporate significant past life events to genuinely connect with the audience. JAMES V uses passionate vocals and energizing guitars to surround his tracks, resulting in an immersive listening experience and a powerful message.

The narrative of Don’t Let Me Fall was influenced by a true event that occurred during Jaime’s junior year in 2018. The song expresses being stuck in a bad relationship and desiring the other person’s continued presence. JAMES V and Marze collaborated to create this distinctive sound, which combines their favorite upbeat melodic bass energy with dreamy indie vibes. Check out his latest single and the exclusive interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how you got started?

JAMES V: I am singer producer and songwriter from Spain. I got into music after having a difficult year back in 2018. I was going through a hard time and I started making music since I needed something to help me heal and find purpose again.

After a few months, I realized writing music helped me to heal from that downfall. So, it was then when I decided I wanted to pursue a music career and I started making songs that incorporate meaningful life experiences from my past to help other people get through hard times and bring people together.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

JAMES V: I took piano lessons for 5 years in a music conservatory when I was in middle school. However, I had to relearn music theory, and piano by my own, so I’m self taught. When it comes to music production I’ve also learnt everything on my own. I have been singing my whole life but I got vocal training for a couple of years when I started to make music.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘JAMES V’?

JAMES V: My strongest musical influences are ILLENIUM and Dylan Matthew. Dylan has been a great inspiration to me when it comes to singing and songwriting. ILLENIUM really inspired me to get into Future Bass, which is the kind of genre inside EDM I currently make and has been a great idol to look up to. I chose the name JAMES V because it includes my first name “Jaime” but in English to have a more international branding and then the V stands for the initial of my last name, “Villanua”, which is a very unique surname and speaks out for the uniqueness about my music.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

JAMES V: If I had to describe my music in 3 words they would be very relatable, soul- touching and melancholic.

5. Why is there a dolphin in your logo? What does it represent for you?

JAMES V: Ever since I was a kid dolphins have been a sign of joy and admiration for me. The joy they inspire to me aligns with the positive emotional refuge I want to provide for others through the stories I tell in my music. So the dolphin symbolyzes all of that and that’s why there is a dolphin in my logo.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative and entertainment?

**JAMES V**:
I always keep my music personal and relatable. I never mix politics in my music.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfilment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

JAMES V:

I feel grateful by simply being able to work on music and that is what it has always made me happy from the start, so music has always been incredibly fulfilling. The only thing I am expecting is to bring more people together through my stories and support them through their healing process.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

JAMES V:

When I start making a new song I always have already a concept in my mind that resumes the theme of the song and helps me to write the whole story around it. After that, I go to my piano and while I accompany myself with some chords I start humming melodies that I feel like they fit. After I’ve come up with a few ideas, I stick to one and then I write the lyrics. Then, I go onto FL studio and build an instrumental around it. Once I’m satisfied with the production of the track I go to the studio and record vocals. I do collaborate with other artists whose music I love and who inspire me as an artist to make music too.

9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?

JAMES V:

That is a very difficult question to answer. It’s not one but a few difficult things I had to endure during my junior year before I started making music. First of all, college took a turn for the worse since it really got me burnt out and fighting against myself on a daily basis. Also, I went through a huge breakup around the same time that ended in the distance, which really made me hit rock bottom and feel empty for a while. I wasn’t happy with myself and I didn’t have a strong reason to keep going every day.

10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

JAMES V: I would say the craziest thing for me has been making a a track that really defines myself as an artist, and sounds really different from many other artists in the EDM industry and getting the support from a label for it for the first time in my career. And that was for my latest single Don’t Let Me Fall, which I recently released this year on ARWV Records.