It’s been roughly two years since first starting out, but James Bay’s three Grammy nominations prove very promising for the English singer-songwriter.
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The 25-year-old, signed with Republic Records and who released his debut record Chaos and the Calm earlier this year, is nominated for Best New Artist, Best Rock Song for “Hold Back The River,” and Best Rock Album. While it’s not unprecedented for a new artist to receive three Grammy noms, especially when his album has sold more than 350,000 copies in the U.K., it is shocking to the man at the center of it all.
“Silence. Eyebrow raised speechlessness,” was his initial response. Referencing the English football team from Blackburn recently relegated to the second division, he describes his reaction: “Like the look of a man who thinks he knows football [soccer] and is then told that Blackburn Rovers, of all teams, are one of only five to ever have won the league.”
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Bay acknowledges that yes, the nominations come as a blessing, but that he would be less than honest about his Springsteen-esque ambitions if he didn’t think about the possibility of the nominations. The bit of pressure that does arise from the nominations he embraces as he is excited about the platform that this opportunity has given him.
While admitting that he hadn’t looked at all of the nominees beforehand, Bay is similarly excited for Best New Artist peer Courtney Barnett, the Australian singer-songwriter, Alabama Shakes’ producer Blake Mills, and of course, his buddy Ed Sheeran. That said, Bay adds that Brit-band Royal Blood, who have a larger following in the U.K. than America, also should have been considered for a nomination.
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When asked if he feels taken in by American audiences following his North American tour and these Grammy nominations he responds emphatically. “I do, actually. I feel like I’m really starting to belong, particularly live,” Bay tells Billboard. “The response at shows has been amazing. Thousands of people each night singing all the songs, and the album’s only been out 8 months.” As an artist whose goal is to endear himself to the American heartland, he feels welcomed by U.S. supporters. “It’s a really cool feeling given what an enormous territory it is and seen as a whole half of my musical influences come from the States.”
