Singer-songwriter Jeffrey James’ latest single, “Day by Day,” is one that is sure to brighten your day. Bright and easy to listen to, “Day by Day” mixes pop, indie, and R&B to create a positive and celebratory single punctuated with thoughtful, honest lyrics. 

James is known for his 2022 collaboration with Dave Audé, which included “What a Life” and “Break Out.” But his work in the pop space since 2016 has enchanted millions of listens, earned praise from Billboard and 1883 magazines, and made appearances in both TV and film. 

Saint Audio had the opportunity to sit down with James to discuss his creative process and his new single, “Day by Day.” 

Can you tell us about your inspiration for “Day by Day?” 

“Day by Day” came out of a fun writing session with John Davidson and Jacob Bryant (of the band The Brummies). I wanted to lean into their indie rock sensibilities and combine it with my more pop and soulful songwriting tendencies. The theme of the song is based on my own experience of growing and learning how to be in a healthy partnership with my wife. I wanted to express the struggle and joy of figuring out life together. 

What is your process for creating new music and new stories? 

Everything starts with melody, for me. I often have an entire song structure worked out with chords and melodies before I know what I’m going to sing about. I’ll then adjust the hooks and melodies as I dive into what I think the song wants to say. I’m always pulling from my life when it comes to the lyrics. 

There’s something wonderfully introspective about your work. Do you find that because your music is rooted in real experiences, it is also more relatable? 

You might be right! I have definitely found that people connect the most to songs of mine that are honest about my past and current life experiences. It can feel a bit exposing to basically scream all the ‘goods and bads’ of my life experiences to the world. But so far, it’s always been worth it. 

Who are your musical influences? 

My influences are a bit all over the place. The artists I always go back to are The Talking Heads, Janelle Monae, Bill Withers, and Coldplay. I connect to each of their catalogs in different ways and try to pull inspiration from them when I’m creating my own art.

“Day by Day” seems to blend genres including Pop and R&B. How do you use the intersection of different genres to create new sounds? 

It’s very freeing to not put yourself in a box when making music. As I mentioned before, my co-writers come from the indie rock world and I think we were able to bridge the gap between indie rock, pop, and r&b, to create something that feels unique to our collaboration. I’m a huge fan of harmonies, choirs, and gang vocals, and we paired that with hooky pop melodies and cool rock instrumentations. I’m so proud of what we made!

Lyrics are really meaningful and come to the forefront of your work. Can you talk about the writing process specifically and how you develop lyrics? 

I have a theory that every good song is already written and waiting for the right songwriter to grab it out of the aether. I can feel it shaping in my head and I try to hold on to the concept before it slips away. That being said, a lot of the recent songs I’ve written and released are fairly positive, feel-good topics of hope. This is based on where I feel I am in my life these days. It’s hard to write an honest break up song when I’ve been in a happy relationship for years now. Which goes back to being truthful in my songwriting. 

How did you come to be a musician? 

Growing up, I was always singing. Everyone in my family can hold a tune, so we would always be singing and harmonizing together on family road trips and all that. I started guitar lessons in fifth grade and started writing songs in high school. 

What do we have to look forward to from you in the months and year to come? 

More songs!

“Day by Day” is available on all streaming services now. Be sure to give it a listen!