"I feel like I confronted a lot more in the writing of the songs. And I think the release of it will help me turn the page. I started writing the album in 2019 and I had a big low at the end of year. But that's often how we play it as human beings, we smile on the surface, and something else is going on underneath. And that was definitely a big part of my life in 2019. Throughout the time that I was writing these songs, to be that vulnerable and to talk about those things was hard for me as a relatively private person.
This album has allowed me to be more direct with my writing, exploring a more vulnerable place, compared to the first album I brought out when I was 24. I feel like I confronted a lot more, and the release of it will help me turn a page. I really wanted to distil it down to the raw emotions.
But also I remember in 2019, feeling the impostor syndrome of who am I next? I made the first album that sounded one way, and the second one evolved from that. So for the third, I made a conscious decision to do something different. Confronting that was hard, as I’d lost myself a little. ‘Leap’ really represents this side of me overcoming that challenge."
Talking about his personal evolution both on and off stage over the past decade, James Bay coversMan About Town Autumn/Winter 2022, Chapter 2. Pre-order your copy now! Please note, that this cover will be printed in November 2022 and orders sent out from then onwards.
James Bay wears Versace for Man About Town Autumn/Winter 2022.
Photography by Sylvain Homo
Fashion by Karen Clarkson at The Wall Group
Words by Scarlett Baker
Editorial Director Huw Gwyther
Grooming by Joe Mills
Production by Federica Barletta
Grooming Assistant Yasemin Hassan
Fashion Assistant Noah Huston
With thanks to Sunset Studios London, Janet Choudhury and EMI Records
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