James Bay

It's bad to be labeled just another singer-songwriter.

— James Bay

I like it when things crescendo to a huge moment like 'Hold Back the River.'

— James Bay

And you don't have to care, so don't pretend. Nobody needs a best fake friend.

— James Bay

It's silly to call me the new Ed Sheeran. He can fill stadiums as a solo artist, but I'm not like that.

— James Bay

I'm going to take each day and each thing and each gig as it comes at me.

— James Bay

When I was 15, if anything, I thought I was going to be a Delta bluesman, which is so ridiculous.

— James Bay

As a little kid, I was obsessed with Michael Jackson.

— James Bay

Being exhausted is all part of the fun. I'm cool with it. I'm not going to wish that it would slow down.

— James Bay

My songwriting process is painful. Songwriting is brilliant. It's a load of fun - when it works. It's really difficult as well.

— James Bay

Growing up in Hitchin was comfortable and easy enough. My parents had some great records - and some not-so-great ones - and…

— James Bay

I used to dress up like Michael Jackson. I didn't have the glove, but I had a red jacket like in 'Thriller.'

— James Bay

I spent two years playing open mic nights in Brighton, and I heard more and more people saying, 'You should give it…

— James Bay

I do some solo, acoustic stuff, but I also like plugging in my electric guitar and playing loud with a band.

— James Bay

The thing about 'Hold Back The River' that I like is that it's a good starting place, and it was the perfect…

— James Bay

Some of my songs are about the feeling you belong somewhere else. But there's also something grounding about coming from a small…

— James Bay

To drive though the streets of Manhattan to sign a record deal was like a movie. It was crazy - pretty hard…

— James Bay

Growing up, when I was at live shows, I was always hoping someone would come out on stage and say, 'The guitarist…

— James Bay

When I'm writing, I need to amplify my thoughts and feelings on just a conversation that I might have had with somebody…

— James Bay

The Internet is the Wild West of the world, where anybody can throw anything down. Everything can be as relevant as the…

— James Bay

My family quite innocently don't understand the ins and outs of it all, but they see things like the Burberry show and…

— James Bay

My songwriting process, and maybe loads of other people's, is just this sort of smashing together of emotions and stuff to make…

— James Bay

Both Springsteen and Michael Jackson, who had these huge productions, could always scale them back down to just a song and a…

— James Bay

I'm not waiting, but I'm willing if you called me up. If you ever wanna be in love, I'll come around

— James Bay

I hope to have a long career, and I don't want to be defined by things that aren't the music.

— James Bay

I'm still like an excited kid playing guitar in front of the bedroom mirror.

— James Bay

As a singer-songwriter, a solo artist with a guitar, I can only write so many weepie little bedroom songs.

— James Bay

I loved pop music as a little kid. Things like the Black Eyed Peas. If it had a catchy chorus, I was…

— James Bay

When I was 16, I spent a year pushing trollies around a car park, and that wasn't fun. I didn't love working…

— James Bay

I write about personal experiences. I write about things that have happened to me and the people around me, so you just…

— James Bay

I love the intimate, single spotlight, troubadour-y quiet, delicate moments. But I also love Springsteen and screaming and shouting.

— James Bay

I like drawing people in the airport or on the bus or in venues. I like catching people in the moment. It's…

— James Bay

How I set myself apart is by creating the sort of real and honest music, which is who I'm also trying to…

— James Bay

There should be an element of mystique between the fans and the artist. That bit between the stage and the audience. I…

— James Bay

There was a guitar that my uncle owned and never learnt to play. He sold it to my dad, and when I…

— James Bay

I'm very close in age to my older brother, and we had a field at the end of the road where we…

— James Bay

Up until the last minute, it was art and drawing for me. That was the first real and natural thing I thought…

— James Bay

I bought a guitar CD-ROM because we had a new computer, but I had no attention span for that. I spent about…

— James Bay