James Bay stopped “caring about consequences” after cutting his hair short on his second album.
The ‘Hold Back The River’ hitmaker ditched his signature fedora and long locks for a floppy short hairdo for 2018’s ‘Electric Light’, and he’s recently reverted back to wearing his hat and loves “feeling at home in my own skin”.
The 31-year-old musician – who released his third solo album ‘Leap’ last week – said: “I think, more than anything, I’ve stopped caring about any consequences. Because I enjoyed the prospect of consequences when I cut my hair short on the second album — I was like, ‘This is gonna rattle some feathers, that’s gonna be fun.’ This time, I am wearing the hat more, but it’s not glued to my head like it once was. And that is fun, because I’m enjoying just sort of feeling at home in my own skin, and in that look, on this album.”
James admits he likes to keep his fans “on their toes” by switching up his looks “in the name of art and creativity”.
He said: “It’s typical for me to go on that kind of journey. When I was 12, I grew my hair long. When I was 17, I cut it very short. And then I grew it really long again. And then I was 27, and I cut it very short.
“I enjoy mixing it up as much as I enjoy giving people something more constant. All in the name of art and creativity, you’ve got to keep everybody on their toes — including yourself.”
The ‘Give Me The Reason’ singer also shared how becoming a father for the first time daughter Ada Violet – whom he has with childhood sweetheart Lucy Smith – in October has changed the meaning of the songs on his latest LP.
He told GRAMMYS.com: “It’s thrown a different light on some of this new music. Somehow it almost makes the most basic sentiment in ‘One Life’ feel sort of even more special. On the one hand, it’s ‘I’ve only got one life and I want you in it.’ On the other hand — regarding Ada — it’s like, ‘I’ve only got one life and I’m so glad you’re in it.’ Because she just turned up and she’s amazing. And ‘Better,’ ‘everything’s better as soon as you’re next to me’ — it’s exactly how I feel having just been in America, so away from Ada for the first time.
“‘Save Your Love’ is a song I wrote to myself to kind of just say, ‘Hey, stick up for yourself. Sometimes people are going to kind of mess you around, and you have to look out for yourself first.’ Now, I think about that song as a sort of advice song. And I think, ‘I wonder if Ada will get something from that one day, because I wouldn’t want her to waste herself on somebody who wasn’t worth it.'”