California native Derek James was a finalist in the 2023 American Songwriter Song Contest. He reached the final round of the competition with his song “Walking Through Your Memory,” a co-write with Carin Fradin. Since getting the attention of the Song Contest judges, James has continued to hone his craft as a performer and songwriter in Nashville.
Recently, James sat down with American Songwriter to discuss his budding career as a singer/songwriter, his plans for the future, and more.
[RELATED: American Songwriter 2023 Song Contest Finalists Announced]
Derek James on Life Since the Song Contest
“I’ve just been up to the same grind in a lot of ways,” Derek James said of his life since the Song Contest. “I’ve had some indie cuts come since then which has been fun to help some friends get some music out. A few weeks back, a buddy of mine named Jordan Oaks dropped his debut record and I had quite a few songs on that,” he added. “It was really cool to be, I guess you could say, a core part of the writing team behind that. It’s been great to put the full-blown writer hat on and to help other people tell their story and round out their sound a little bit.”
James has also been putting in some time on the stage. “I’ve been playing lots of writers’ rounds and gigs here in Nashville,” he said. Earlier this year, some buddies and I played The Listening Room and sold it out. It was cool to play at a legendary writer’s venue like that and have people show up. That was definitely a highlight of this year,” James added.
“I’ve been pitching songs since then, too. I had a couple of songs picked up on single-song contracts to get pitched out there which is great. I’ve been putting out my own music, too, kind of doing the artist/writer thing. I released my own music this year and did my first collaboration with a friend of mine named Haley Mae Campbell. I’m really proud of that song. She’s a great artist.”
“Can’t Judge a Bar”
Derek James wrote “Can’t Judge a Bar” with Kelly McKay and Thomas Pino and released it as a duet with Haley Mae Campbell this summer. James said he got the inspiration for the song from the first job he got when he came to Music City. He was a tour guide who took tourists around Nashville on golf carts to take in the city.
“One of the things we would do on these tours, if people wanted, was like a bar/brewery/distillery tour. So, you’d get a bunch of tourists on a golf cart and take them to all these different bars and stuff. That just sort of struck me,” James recalled. “I was like, ‘Man, my favorite places in Nashville are the little holes in the walls.’ Little places that might look kind of sketchy on the outside or there’s not a lot of people but they play the music that you like. And they might know your name and know your drink. There’s no line, no cover charge. That kind of thing,” he explained.
“When I got into the writers’ room with the two folks I wrote it with Kelly McKay and Thomas Pino—both just such good writers. Kelly brought in this idea called can’t judge a bar by its cover. That just spoke to me and my experience as a tour guide, going into these bars,” he said. “I can’t give them credit enough for the help they gave me on writing that song. Now, I get to go play it in those dive bars. So it’s like a full-circle moment.”
What’s Next for Derek James?
After around three years in Nashville, Derek James is still working on his climb to the top. The next steps in his musical journey include writing more songs, playing more shows, and releasing new music in 2025.
“I’ve been dipping my toe more into getting out there on the road and playing shows. I did that this past year and next year I’ll be continuing to do that,” he said. “Going back home to California, I always go back there and play all over Northern California and down the coast. That’s been a tradition for me for the past couple of summers, so I’m looking for to continuing to do that. Also, I want to get outside of Nashville and play more in this part of the country. I think that would be fun,” he added.
“More music is definitely coming. I just recorded a new song last night which was great. My plan is to keep going with singles and sort of put the singles together on an EP,” James revealed. “I’ve got some songs queued up and ready for next year. I’ve got a song I’m really excited about called “Storm After You” coming in January. Then, I’ve got my spring release planned out and I’m hoping to do another feature in the summer,” he added.
Reflecting on “Walking Through Your Memory”
“That was such a George Jones-inspired song,” Derek James said of “Walking Through Your Memory. “Back in 2020, during the pandemic when we all had time on our hands, I did a deep dive and got really into his music. I listened to all of his albums and really just became a huge fan. I just got such a respect for his music and the emotion his voice conveys,” he recalled.
“Somewhere along the line, I somehow pulled out this hook called walking through your memory. I knew I wanted it to be a real classic country sound with the melodies. The title lent itself to that,” James explained. “I got together with a good friend of mine, Carin Fradin. She’s a super talented writer who has written a lot of my artist stuff. I threw out that idea and picked up my old nylon string acoustic which immediately gives it that classic feel and started that old-school strum,” he added.
“The song just fell out in about 45 minutes. I tend to write a little bit slower, for sure. So, that was the fastest I think I’ve ever written a song. It’s also easily the most traditional country song I’ve ever written. I’m so dang proud of that. I think it stands out in a good way.”
Featured Image via Derek James
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