Conversations with Michael James

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael James.

Hi Michael, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When I was 13, my dad took me to my first concert to see Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw, and Jake Owen at MetLife Stadium. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to be on stage entertaining people with my music. Although I was still stuck dreaming of being a professional athlete like most kids, I ended up getting 4 concussions in a short amount of time which led me to be medically retired from sports. It wasn’t until I was 19 that I picked up a guitar and started teaching myself how to play.

That was motivated by watching my older brother post videos of him singing songs at open mic nights on YouTube while he was away at college. 2 years later after going to Nashville to record a couple of songs and putting them out, I felt the call from God to jump. I dropped out of college and moved to Nashville from Long Island, NY.

Since then, I’ve written hundreds of songs, met some of my closest friends and artists I’ve looked up to since I was a kid, traveled to countless cities, and played my songs in front of a bunch of different crowds. From then to now has been a journey and I’m happy to announce here for the first time that I have a lot of new music coming out next year. The music tells the story of my life from being that kid to where I am now and the reason I am where I am. I believe that’s because of the grace of God.

Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s never a smooth road but there is a way to keep a positive mindset through it all. That’s what I like to do.

Some struggles included having to take leaps of faith and trust it’ll all work out when it doesn’t seem like it. It’s easy to hesitate but I’m still learning that jumping into something you believe in anywhere in the process is a good thing.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a singer/songwriter but most of all I’m an entertainer. I’m a part of every part of the process from writing the song to being in the studio to playing it live on stage. My favorite part is the live show aspect.

That’s where it all comes together to deliver it to the listener. I’m most proud of writing the songs I truly believe in and staying true to my values and beliefs through it all. I think that’s what sets myself and this music apart.

This next wave of music is country music mixed with the theme of faith. I have yet to hear a whole project of music like that so I’m excited to share that with the world.

What do you think about happiness?
It’s really easy to make me happy. I think as I continue to mature my answer would be God waking me up another day. To me, that means he has more for me to do in this life and that excites me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.michaeljamesofficial.net
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/michaeljames
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100065524958415&_rdr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@itsmichaeljames?si=z65vKPghT3BukH73

Image Credits
Holdyn Barder, Daniel Shippey, and Kyle Reppa