Sarah PiantadosiJames Bay just wrapped up an intimate tour previewing music from his new album Eclectic Light, due out May 18. While it’s sometimes risky to tour before your album comes out, James describes the trek as “the greatest thing ever.”
“The point was to play smaller rooms…and to just connect with the fans,” James tells ABC Radio. When the tour began, he’d only released two tracks — “Wild Love” and “Pink Lemonade” — but he wanted fans to hear more.
“It was like saying ‘Hi’ to everyone, ‘Hey I’m back…’, but not being able to give them too much,” he says of releasing those songs. “So we did a tour, and it was the greatest thing ever.”
He adds, “Getting in touch with the fans again, the full connection, was the greatest thing. And my God, did I miss it! …You don’t realize how much you missed it ’til you get back and do it.”
Playing the new material also gave the Grammy-nominated star a chance to “try a lot of stuff out and work out how these new songs kinda go live…we learned a lot.” He’ll launch a more extensive tour this September.
Meanwhile, James’ hit “Let It Go” was used as an audition song by American Idol top 24 finalist Ron Bultongez. He’s the guy from the Congo who was initially rejected by the judges, who then changed their minds. You’ll see him perform again on Sunday night’s episode.
“That’s very cool!” James said when ABC Radio informed him of the audition.
“I think it’s great to see how far my music can reach. And that somebody from far away can come all the way onto a show and essentially, I guess, love my song so much that they want that to be how they show their best.”
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