JamesDJJ opens up about 1 Year

After 1 month of the drop of his new song “1 Year”, JamesDJJ is ready to talk and explain the meaning and the backstory of his new song.

Reading the lyrics of 1 Year it might be taught that they were written about someone that the artist loved, like the verses and the sound is actually different from the past songs of James, so the easiest way to find that out is to ask him this in person.

James, can you tell us more about your new song?

I started thinking about this song almost 8 months before the song actually came out and I postponed the release of the single waiting 1 year since an event happened months before I had my mind on the song.

It was March when I first thought to write and record 1 Year, and I did it after I received a message, and wasn’t the kind of message that I get when I need to release a new song, actually the plot of the text was “you’re special to me”.

As I say on the verse “back to the A when I wasn’t showing this strong” I started writing the lyrics of 1 Year on April, as A is referring to April, and yes the song is quite different from the style that I had in the past ones, very similar to Infinity, as the 2 songs are bonded in some kind of ways because I had the same vibes while I was writing and recording the two songs.

I started recording the hook of 1 Year at the end of July, in August I started recording all the song and I had some really long sessions in the studio, sometimes I was recording for more than 12 hours and I didn’t even realize it because it wasn’t hard for me, I loved what I was doing and I felt a lot good bringing the memories back.

You are talking about memories and good times, can you explain that?

Almost 1 Year ago I met someone that was able to inspire me enough to release a song about her, over the year we had some great times together and I think I never loved so much a person before in my life, and I am not such an emotional person, so trust me.  This is why I released a song with this name on it and those lyrics in it.

1 The year was supposed to be released before the actual release date, why?

It was supposed to drop in the 20 of September, and I finished it time ago before that date, in the last weeks I was only changing some small parts of it, not like months before when I changed the entire sound of the song.

The release had been modified because in the last times because I doubted about some things, it is normal to have some bad times in a relationship between a person, and for this, the released date of 1 Year slides from the 20 of September to October.

From your point of view, would you change something about this relationship or do you have something to say to this person?

In 1 year, as I said, I had some wonderful times and looking back at this time I wouldn’t change anything about it, just wish to live it again.

I don’t have anything to tell to no one, as all the things that I needed to say have been said and done, and there are other things that I’m leaving her figure out.

What are you’re favorite lyrics that you wrote in 1 Year?

Actually I wrote almost all the songs alone because it had some themes that someone else couldn’t understand easily, however, I’m not the only writer in the song.

My favorite verses are:

“One year was just like that

Still looking back at what we had”

This verse was the last one I wrote, I changed it when it was passed almost one year from an event,  I was in the studio bringing back to my mind all the good times we had, and so I wrote this verse.

A verse that is very meaningful for me is:

“Remember when I started this with snow Was walking down, then you show”

The first line is referring to the first song I’ve ever released, Snowflake.

The second line is explaining how I met her, I was walking down exhausted and she approached me, this is how 1 Year was born.

Is your new single your favorite song?

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1 The year is the song with the strongest meaning that I’ve ever worked on, is the one that required more time to be ready.

When I heard the first version of the song, it touched me so much that I started crying.

However, I did some other songs that I’m still obsessed with, like Snowflake and Infinity.

Snowflake was my first song to be published, not the first that I wrote and recorded, but I miss a lot the time when I was doing it.

Infinity and 1 Year are chained in some ways, I was in the same mood when I wrote both of them and the themes are very similar, maybe Infinity was more commercial and wasn’t always talking about one theme only.

In the end, 1 Year is the favorite song that I did.

Do you plan to release new music or an album?

Well, I’m not planning but I’m working on it, I don’t know if I will release other songs before the album, it might be.

I can’t tell you many things about the new album because I’m still working on it and I will change my mind until the album drops.

I can tell you that 1 Year is not in the album, there are going to be some of my old unreleased songs, there is a release date that I can’t tell now and what is sure is that I like a lot more the new album and than Invictus, my last album.

This is how James clarified some of the questions behind his new song.

Harper Harrison

Harper Harrison is a reporter for The Hear UP. Harper got an internship at the NPR and worked as a reporter and producer. harper has also worked as a reporter for the Medium. Harper covers health and science for The Hear UP.