New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Three-time GRAMMY Award-nominated and BRIT Award-winning multiplatinum singer, songwriter, producer, and guitarist
James Bay has shared a brand new Acoustic version of his latest single "
Chew On My Heart" out now via Republic Records/Universal Music.
Recently,
James performed a gripping 45 minute, 10-song solo set on YouTube in support of #SaveOurVenues- the UK crowd fundraiser started to protect UK grassroots music venues at risk for permanent closure dur to COVID-19. He performed new and old songs as well as a surprise Whitney
Houston cover of "I Wanna Dance With Somebody." In addition,
James performed "
Chew On My Heart" on The TODAY Show and the first full band performance of the song on Mahogany Sessions.
"
Chew On My Heart" continues to make waves. It vaulted to the Top 40 of Hot AC and Triple A, gathered nearly 9 million global streams, and entered rotation at BBC
Radio 1. Rolling Stone noted it as a "Song You Need to Know" and wrote, "If 'Chew On My Heart' is any indication of what his forthcoming album is going to sound like, it seems like the musician is taking his sound in a more positive direction."
In talking about the song, which is the first single to be released from his forthcoming album, Bay noted, "'Chew On My Heart' is a great example of releasing something positive about myself publicly for the first time," he reveals. "It's an outpouring of love, and that's a huge theme across this new music. When I come home from tour, I burst through the door and throw my arms around my girl, and she'll just say, 'Okay, relax, cool'," he laughs. "It's cheesy, but I wrote it from that perspective. It's the opposite of being guarded."
In 2019, Bay initially started to open up on the Oh My Messy Mind EP. Between the hit single "Peer Pressure" [feat Julia Michaels] and "Bad," the project generated over 350 million global streams and counting. Inciting critical applause,
Wonderland Magazine proclaimed, "The new EP combines delicate guitar riffs with rousing percussion and haunting melodies to evoke highly-charged emotions, while its lyrics explore the intricacies of relationships." Additionally, He performed "Bad" on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert and attracted praise from Rolling Stone who claimed, "Bay gives the song his all, offering a raw, impassioned rendition of the song."
Throughout the recent quarantine and lockdown, he took to social media to offer free guitar lessons via Instagram Live on Wednesdays and Fridays. He has taught fan favorites such as "Let It Go," "Hold Back The River," "Us" and more.
For as much as
James Bay upholds traditions of timeless songcraft, the UK singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer also confidently challenges himself and popular music. He spikes a tried-and-true style with clever lyricism, honest confessions, and instrumental proficiency. On the heels of his platinum- certified 2015 debut
Chaos And The Calm, he garnered GRAMMY® nods in the categories of "Best New Artist," "Best Rock Album," and "Best Rock Song" for the gold-selling single "Hold Back The River." Meanwhile, "
Let It Go" went triple-platinum. Nominated for dozens of awards, he took home two BRIT Awards, two Q Awards, and top honors at the Ivor Novello Awards and ECHO Awards. Tallying nearly 6 billion streams by 2020, he has performed on Saturday Night Live, The
Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!, and Late Night with Seth Meyers. He also notably dueted with icons such as
Alicia Keys on The Voice and
Mick Jagger while supporting The
Rolling Stones at Twickenham Stadium in London. In addition to selling out shows on four continents, Epiphone honored him with his own Limited-Edition
James Bay Signature "1966" guitar. Following the success of 2018's Electric Light, he deconstructed his sound to its bare essentials on the Oh My Messy Mind EP a year later hitting nearly 350 million global streams. It yielded the hit "Peer Pressure" [feat. Julia Michaels], generating over 225 million global streams and received critical acclaim from Time, Rolling Stone, and Billboard. He spent the majority of 2019 opening for
Ed Sheeran on his record-breaking stadium run. Now, embarks on the next leg of this journey led by "Chew On My Heart."
