As a New York-based company, we always love highlighting the rising talent that the tri-state area brings. Today’s spotlight article, Michael James is a country music singer-songwriter, who grew up on the south shore of Long Island, a place that’s close to our heart. We chatted with the singer about his upbringing, his journey to country music, and his new album that’s out now!

“I grew up in Massapequa on Long Island, on the south shore. My life was kind of always finding ourselves at the beach somehow. That’s why I loved that beachy, country sound when I found country music,” began James. “I also loved classic rock CD’s that my parents had in their closet. We’d listen to Bon Jovi and Guns N’ Roses. I was about thirteen when my dad took me to a Kenny Chesney concert, because he had just started getting into country. I honestly had no idea what to expect or who that guy even was, but once I saw him play at MetLife Stadium with Tim McGraw, Jake Owen, and Grace Potter, it was an instant spark of like. That’s exactly what I want to do. I don’t know how to do that or where to go to do that, but entertaining people on stage is what I wanted to do.”

James became obsessed with country music after that show. He resonated with that ‘beach-country’ sound that artists like Chesney, Jake Owen, and later Zac Brown Band and Florida Georgia Line do so well. “I’m not going to fake being a cowboy or a farmer, I didn’t grow up country, country, like people in Texas or Oklahoma, but there’s a style of country we can all relate to, just growing up in that environment on a beach. I just write what I know,” he shared.

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Flash forward to today, James is writing and recording music in Nashville. He recently released his brand new project, a record called Good News, which features ten songs, including the title track and “God Bless My Mama.”

“The record is really my life over the past few years. I always wanted to be true and write what I was living, I never wanted to be fake, and it took me a while to figure out who I was and what songs I wanted to write. My life these past few years have just been a journey of faith, and I wanted to do it in a country aspect. It really is my everyday life, my faith and how it’s grown, and what I’ve come to know, and all the lessons I learned over the last few years,” shared the singer. “I can’t really fake who I am.”

Good News perfectly blends the singer-songwriter’s coastal lifestyle and love of country music with his faith. While “God Bless My Mama” is an ode to his mother and mother’s everywhere, “Good News,” is the song that was inspired by that interesting blending of genres. “It does definitely sit right between those two genres, country and Christian, and that’s the song I’m most excited for, and that’s why I titled the album after that.”

Another standout on the project, a song called, “Everything” shows off a different side of the budding artist. “This song called, “Everything” is like a live show song, and I love live shows. That’s what I really focus my writing on when I’m in writing rooms. I think how can we write a song that people relate to and has energy for a live show. I like upbeat stuff, I like energy. How do we bring the energy into the room right now, so that song is definitely one I would bring up on stage, and it’s just a wholesome live song to the core.”

Fans can anticipate James playing these songs out at a live show sometime soon. Stay tuned and keep your eyes and ears peeled for shows by heading to James’ website here.

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