Los Angeles-based rising artist Emily James released her newest single and accompanying music video this week for the song “For an Evening.”
Videos by American Songwriter
“For an Evening” official video is hereee!,” shared James on Twitter, hyping the track and video. ” An absolute joy making this video with such wonderful people. Thank you all for bringing this song to life.”
The new song begins with piano, somber and mellow. James’ gaudy voice comes in with swells and dips and dives. The song begins to rise into an emotive crescendo.
James, who has spent time in New York, Nashville, and now L.A., released the hit single “Brooklyn” earlier this year. The track, which has garnered tens of thousands of views on YouTube alone (along with a million-plus on other platforms), was her first breakout hit. One of many, it would seem.
“At the start, I write for myself. Once the song is done, it doesn’t even feel like I wrote it,” James said in a statement about her songwriting process. “It’s not mine anymore. It belongs to whoever is listening because they’re going to attach their own experiences to it. I like when people interpret my songs their own way. Even though I wrote the words about my own experience however someone connects to it and relates it to their own life is completely valid. To me, that’s the beauty of music”
She added, “One of my favorite things about music and songwriting is that I can create a piece of art that is so specific to me and my life experiences and feel like, ‘Oh, no one else has felt this.’ But then, people will reach out to me and say that they relate to it and that the music has helped them get through a difficult time or makes them feel less alone. It’s amazing to have that kind of connection with someone… and knowing that my music has helped somebody in that way is all I can ever hope for.”
American Songwriter caught up with James in 2020 to talk about her then-single “Back in the Summer.” The video for that song involved a beach day shoot with James and her supportive mother. But ultimately, James loves the connections that come from her music, she told American Songwriter.
“I’ve been sent videos of somebody’s baby dancing to one of my songs,” James said. “And things like that just make my day because the reason I make music is that I hope it does good for other people. I hope it brings light into somebody else’s life. It’s just a really powerful way to transcend geographic locations, age, and all other types of barriers.”
Check out James’ newest single, “For an Evening,” below.
Photo by Lindsey Byrnes / Nett Werk Music Group
